Let us go over to Bethlehem. (Luke 2:15-20)

Let us go over to Bethlehem. (Luke 2:15-20)

“Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened”.

Great things indeed had happened. The King of kings was born and Salvation is coming from Bethlehem!

It was not enough for the shepherds to simply hear about the good news. They had to go to Bethlehem and witness themselves and see in their own eyes the glory of the Lord to appreciate more what was taking place. There they saw Mary and Joseph and the new baby in the barn, and began to realize and understand that God’s ways are radically different from man’s ways. He is bringing redemption and salvation in the least expected and predicted plan. A plan that includes shepherds and a baby-king in a barn.

God continues to surprise us today. In his wisdom He made sure that He still possesses a people in the place where He was born, a people that carries His name and testimony. Yet Christians in Bethlehem today are a small minority with no real power or authority. They have survived centuries of wars and foreign occupations and to the day they still long for their freedom. Yet they continue to exist and testify that God has kept all His promises and accomplished His plan. His ways are truly different from ours.

When the shepherds returned from Bethlehem, they were “glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen” (Luke 2:20). God is worthy of our praise. He dwells among the powerless and brings to the lowly ones dignity and honor. He chooses the least expected ones to be chosen for the task, whether it is a virgin from Galilee, or a small minority today in Bethlehem. He came to our earth in the least expected way, with little or no reception from us – other than the welcoming of shepherds. For this reason He deserves our praise.

Come to Bethlehem today and be a part of this story. Come to Bethlehem and celebrate the new born King of Peace. Come and share in glorifying and praising God for all the things that he has done, and continues to do in this little town of Bethlehem.

(Munther Isaac)