Bethlehem or Bedlam

Scripture: Luke 2:8-14

A few years ago, I had the privilege of touring the Holy Land. It was a magnificent experience. What a thrill it was to see the Jordan River, the Sea of Galilee, the Mount of Olives, the Mount of Transfiguration, the ancient marketplace, the upper room, the Garden of Resurrection, the village of Jericho, and the Holy City of Jerusalem! Just being in those historic and sacred places was wonderfully mind-boggling to me. As we traveled back toward our hotel at the end of each day, tired but exhilarated, I found myself humming the song "I Walked Today Where Jesus Walked" and sensing something of the impact of what that songwriter must have felt when he first penned those words.

Early one morning, we started toward Bethlehem. Bethlehem. We were actually going to that sacred place where the Christ Child was born. I couldn't wait! Even though it was January, I was ready for Christmas in Bethlehem. As the tour bus slowed to enter the city, I glanced out the window; and I couldn't believe my eyes. On the Bethlehem hillside, there were some shepherds keeping watch over their flocks. It looked like a perfect scene for a Christmas card. I was touched and inspired by the simple, serene splendor of that sight.

However, when we arrived in the city, it was anything but serene splendor! It was a madhouse, total bedlam with loud music; gaudy signs; gross commercialism; merchants shouting and hawking their souvenirs like there was no tomorrow; people milling about, pushing, and shoving; poor children everywhere, begging for money; and our tour director warning us to watch out for pickpockets.

"Wait a minute!" I wanted to shout. "This is Bethlehem, not Bourbon Street! This is Bethlehem, not Times Square!" It was indeed Bethlehem, but it seemed more like Bedlam. I wanted Christmas, but it felt like confusion! My heart sank. I felt let down, disappointed, and disillusioned. As we walked into the Church of the Nativity and approached the spot built to honor Christ's birth, I was amazed to see that the same carnival-like atmosphere prevailed there as well. Even the chapel was loud, boisterous, commercial, and chaotic, with hucksters selling trinkets, T-shirts, pictures, and postcards. My spirit sagged even more. I wanted Bethlehem, but it was all bedlam.

Then something happened to change how I was feeling. A girl who looked to be six or seven years old was standing there with her mother, who was explaining to her that this was the place where Jesus was born on the first Christmas. Then, in the midst of the hucksters, merchants, and tourists, that girl did a beautiful thing. She dropped to her knees. Then she bowed her head and said, "Thank you, God, for sending Jesus! Amen."

As I heard the simple, sincere prayer of that little girl, it suddenly was Christmas in my heart! Once again, Christmas had come through a little child in Bethlehem. Bedlam had become Bethlehem. It was a touching moment, and it made me realize something: Christmas always happens right in the midst of our confusion. We don't have to choose between Bethlehem and Bedlam. They go together. They always have. That's the good news, isn't it? God breaks into our confusion, our bedlam and becomes known through Jesus Christ.

Bethlehem and bedlam: Weren't they intimately related at the first Christmas when Jesus was born? Sometimes we forget that. Remember the bedlam in Bethlehem that night? Just think of it—a crowded inn, a stable, a census, political intrigue, soldiers marching in the street, a busy city, people pushing and shoving, people scrambling for shelter. In that bedlam in Bethlehem so many centuries ago, Christmas happened. Christmas broke through! In that busy, hectic uproar, it happened; and those with the eyes, ears, and hearts of faith saw it, heard it, and felt it.

One year, I received a Christmas card from one of our church's college students. It had been mailed during her exam week, a busy, frantic time. On the back of the envelope, she had scribbled the following poem:

I longed to be alone with God,
to thank Him for His grace,
and have a quiet peaceful talk,
in some secluded place.
But yet confronting me each day,
were tasks I could not shirk;
"You just go right ahead," said God,
"We'll visit while we work!"

This is the good news of Christmas: God meets us where we are. God breaks into our uproar, our busyness, our hectic pace, our darkness, and our confusion through the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem—Jesus, who we know as the King of kings, the light of the world, and the gracious, forgiving One who understands.

I don't always identify with some of the popular songs of our time. However, every so often, I find one with a special message. A few years ago, Mac Davis wrote and recorded a song that haunted me. It is called "Every Now and Then," and the chorus reminds us that we can find comfort because every now and then something happens that is full of hope and wonder: "Every now and then, a blind squirrel finds an acorn/ Every now and then, a crippled sparrow takes to the wing."

Every now and then, we find Bethlehem. Every now and then, the real spirit, the real meaning of Christmas, breaks through the fog, the bedlam, and the confusion to clear up things. That's the experience that keeps us going.

We Find Bethlehem When We Discover Who God Is and What God Is Like

That is, the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem clears up the theological confusion. Christmas shows us what God is like. It gives us a new picture, and what it reveals is good news and glad tidings. I heard a story about a seven-year-old boy who had been playing outside. His mother called him in for dinner. The boy ran in, jumped into his chair, and grabbed his fork, ready to eat. "Wait, Tommy," said his mom, "you have germs on your hands. Gotta wash up before we eat." Tommy scrambled down, ran and washed his hands, came back, climbed into his chair, grabbed his fork, and started to eat. But again, his mother stopped him: "Wait, Tommy. We must say the blessing before we eat. We want to thank God for our food." Tommy put down his fork, mournfully shook his head, and muttered wearily, "Germs and God, germs and God, that's all I ever hear around here, and I haven't seen either one of them."

We can sympathize with Tommy's predicament, but Jesus' birth in Bethlehem does give God a face. Christmas shows us who God is and what God is like. William Barclay put it like this: "Jesus is the one person who can tell us what God is like and what God means us to be. In him alone, we see what God is and what we ought to be. Before Jesus came, people had only vague and shadowy, and often quite wrong, ideas about God; they could only at best guess and grope; but Jesus could say: 'Whoever has seen me has seen the Father' (John 14:9). In Jesus we see the love, the compassion, the mercy, the seeking heart and the purity of God as nowhere else in all this world. With the coming of Jesus, the time of guessing is gone and the time of certainty is come.... Jesus came to tell us the truth about God and the truth about ourselves."

This, you see, is the good news of Christmas. Jesus shows us what God is like and the word is love. God is not an angry judge who must be appeased. God is not a powermonger demanding a "pound of flesh." Rather, God is like a loving parent who cares, who understands, and who is concerned about the welfare of God's children. Jesus said more than once, "Do not be afraid" and "Do not worry." It is also interesting to note that in the Christmas story in Luke's Gospel, the first thing the angel says to the shepherds is "Do not be afraid.... I am bringing you good news" (Luke 2:10). This is the most significant gift of Christmas.

In Jesus, God gives to us a new understanding of what God is like, a new experience of God's compassion and tenderness, a new relationship with God not built on fear but built on love. Every now and then, in the midst of bedlam, we find Bethlehem. We are reminded that God loves us, and that's the thing that keeps us going.

We Find Bethlehem When We Discover How to Relate to Other People

Every now and then, Christmas breaks through the fog and shows us that people are more important than objects and are not pawns to be used and manipulated. Persons are to be loved and appreciated. Jesus, who was born in Bethlehem, clears up the ethical confusion and reminds us to love our neighbors. Finding Bethlehem gives us a new respect and regard for others.

I remember a Peanuts cartoon I once saw. Charlie Brown and Linus are watching television. Snoopy, the dog, is standing on top of the TV set with his ears stuck up in a V shape. He is serving as the antenna. Then Charlie Brown says to Linus, "I don't understand it either. All I know is that he gives us a better picture." That could be said about Jesus, couldn't it? I am quick to confess that I don't understand everything about the coming of the Christ Child. All I know is that Jesus gives us a better picture. He sharpens the image. He clears up the confusion a bit and shows us not only what God is like but also what God wants us to be like. Jesus shows us dramatically that the best way to show our love for God is to love God's children.

Some years ago, a letter came to our home that moved me. It was from a friend named Wanda. Wanda had invited me to come to her church to speak at a special Christmas program early in December. Because of the hectic pace of the Christmas rush, I really didn't think I should go; but because of my appreciation for Wanda, I accepted and went. Two days later, the letter came to my house. It was a letter from Wanda, but the letter was not addressed to me. It was addressed to our children, Jodi and Jeff. They were six and nine years old at the time. Part of the letter read: "Dear Jodi and Jeff, I know most of the mail that comes to your house goes to your mom and dad, so I wanted to write to you. I am writing to thank you for sharing your dad with our community. You are so nice to share him with others, and I want you to know that I appreciate it."

When the children let me see the letter, my eyes filled with tears as I read it because I was so touched by her thoughtfulness, much more than I would have been if she had written me a letter. Then it broke through to me: That's what Christmas is really all about. Love for the children is the best way to show love for the Father. If you want to express your love and appreciation to God, then the best way to do it is to love God's children.

This is what the prophets meant when they said that God doesn't care about burnt offerings, sacrifices, or lavish prayers. What God really wants is for us to be merciful, kind, forgiving, thoughtful, and loving to one another. That's why Jesus Christ came—to show us how to care, to teach us how to love, and to remind us that we are family. We find Bethlehem once again when we practice such love toward one another.

We Find Bethlehem When We Discover What Really Matters

Finding Bethlehem clears up confusion about priorities. I once heard an old story about priorities. Jack Smith had been asked by his church to do one of the Christmas social-concerns projects. He was assigned the task of taking two boys from a low-income home on a Christmas Eve shopping spree. Timmy, age nine, and his younger brother Billy, age seven, were delighted when Jack came from the church to pick them up. They had been watching for him all morning with great excitement because their dad was unemployed, and they knew this was all the Christmas they would get this year.

Jack gave each boy his allotted four dollars, and they started out together. Jack took them first to a toy store; but strangely, Timmy and Billy didn't seem to be interested. Jack made suggestions, but their answer was always a solemn, shake-of-the-head no.

Then, they tried a hobby shop but with the same results. Then they tried a candy store and a sporting goods store. They even tried a boys' clothing store but with no luck. Timmy and Billy would whisper to each other and look at a piece of brown wrapping paper stuck in a pocket, but nothing had struck their fancy yet. Finally, Jack asked, "Where would you boys like to look next?" Their faces brightened; this was the moment they had been waiting for. "Could we go to a shoe store, sir?" answered Timmy. "We really want to get a pair of shoes for our Daddy so he can go to work."

In the shoe store, the clerk asked what the boys wanted. Out came the brown paper. "We want a pair of work shoes to fit this foot," they said. Billy explained that it was the outline of their dad's foot, drawn with a crayon while their father was asleep in a chair. The clerk measured the outline of the foot and found some shoes that would fit. "Will these do?" he asked. The boys were delighted. Billy and Timmy, with big smiles, took the shoes into their hands eagerly. But then, Timmy saw the price: "Oh no, Billy. These shoes are $16.95, but we only have $8.00." The clerk, clearing his throat, said, "Well, that's the regular price, but you're in luck. It just so happens that those shoes are on sale today only for $5.98." With the shoes happily in hand, Timmy and Billy then bought gifts for their mother and two little sisters. Not once did they think of themselves.

The day after Christmas, Jack saw the boys' father out on the street looking for a job. He had the new shoes on his feet and gratitude in his eyes. He said to Jack, "I thank God for people like you who care." Jack answered, "Thank God for your two sons. They taught me more about Christmas in one day than I had learned in a lifetime."

Questions for Reflection and Discussion

1. What is the Christmas season like for you? When has the season felt more like bedlam than a celebration of Jesus' birth in Bethlehem?

2. What images, thoughts, or feelings come to you when you think about Bethlehem? When have you discovered Bethlehem in the midst of bedlam?

3. What questions do you have about what God is like? How does Jesus help you answer those questions?

4. When have you experienced bedlam in your relationships with others? with family? with friends? with strangers? What hope does Jesus offer for times of bedlam in your relationships?

5. What does the story about Billy and Timmy say to you about priorities? How does Jesus help you rediscover what is most important in your life?

Prayer

God, you offer yourself to us in all of life, even in the bedlam, confusion, and chaos that often surrounds us. Thank you. Help us to find Bethlehem, to see Jesus, and to trust that you are with us. In Christ we pray. Amen.

Focus for the Week

Finding Bethlehem means discovering the good news that in the birth of Jesus Christ, God meets us where we are, even in the midst of bedlam. Each day this week, identify one way you experience the love and support of God as you look forward to celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. Offer a daily prayer of gratitude for God's presence in all areas of life.

Daily Devotions

Read the Scriptures for the daily devotions and reflect on what they say to you about finding God in the midst of life's bedlam. Consider how the Scriptures offer hope as you look forward to celebrating the birth of Jesus. Record your insights in the space provided.

Day One Isaiah 7:10-17

The Sign of Immanuel

The people of Judah, the Southern Kingdom, lived under the threat of an invasion by the superpower Assyria that utterly destroyed the Northern Kingdom in 722 B.C.The prophet Isaiah addresses the pending bedlam by advising King Ahaz not to enter into alliances with foreign powers but to rely on God alone.

Isaiah gives Ahaz the sign of Immanuel, which means "God With Us," prophesying that a woman will give birth to a child and will call him Immanuel. He says that by the time the child is old enough "to refuse the evil and choose the good" (verse 16), Assyria will no longer be a threat to Judah and Jerusalem.

Though the sign of Immanuel addresses the Assyrian threat to Judah, Christians find hope and meaning in this Scripture passage as a prophecy of God's presence in the birth of Jesus. Matthew 1:23 quotes Isaiah 7:14 and uses the prophecy to refer to Jesus. It is Jesus rather than the Roman emperor who embodies God's saving presence. The biblical witness is consistent: God is with us, even in the midst of bedlam.

How does the name Immanuel speak to you about God's presence? _______________________________________________________________________________

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