Day 92, Part Two ~ O Little Town of Bethlehem

 April 11, 2022

Same temp as the last post. We were gifted with a glorious day in Jerusalem and Bethlehem!

Bethlehem (noun) : House of Bread.
"I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; and this bread, which I will offer so the world may live, is my flesh.” ~ John 6:51

Church of the Nativity

During our visit to the Church of the Nativity, mass was being celebrated in one of the alcoves off to the left side. The priest singing the liturgy had a rich baritone voice so it was a lovely experience even if I couldn't make out any of the words. This is an Orthodox Church and the liturgy is not in Latin, which I might have fared better with.

Down into the Nativity Grotto

Once we finished lunch, we reboarded our bus and headed for the Palestinian Authority Border crossing where we picked up our Palestinian guide, Khaled, who is part of the 1% of Palestinians who are Christians. We had a little bit of a miscommunication at first. Khaled struck a robust pace uphill to our first stop and as we caught up. I thought he'd said no cameras were allowed inside. Instead, I learned he'd been explaining that we'd all have to stoop to enter because the doors were purposely short to keep people from riding an animal inside. Khaled had said, "No camels!" not "No cameras!" We were allowed to photograph anything we liked as long as we didn't use flash.

Ornamented with silver during a time when silver was more dear with gold, surrounded by alabaster, gold lamps lit with incense, this is the place where Jesus is thought to have been born. Is it the place? I don't know. The important thing is He put on flesh and came to earth--God with us. Where He was born is less vital than the fact that He was. 

The DH and the manger where Christ was laid. 

The church which hosts the Christmas Eve service in Bethlehem. 

When our group entered this sanctuary, Khaled started singing "Silent Night," inviting us all to join in. I was very happy he pitched the hymn so high. It was right in my wheel house and the acoustics in this neo-gothic sanctuary made it so easy to soar. 

It was a lovely moment. When I sing, I feel totally alive, totally able to worship. I'll always remember lifting our voices in that sacred space.