Christmas in Bethlehem – the place of Jesus’ birth – will look very different this year as the Israel-Hamas war continues on. Typically, Christians from around the world crowd into Manger Square and the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem to celebrate the coming of the Christ each year. But not this year. The security risk is too great. Besides the terrible consequences of the conflict itself, the sharp drop in tourism because of the conflict will impact many people who rely on this income for their livelihoods. We join with people around the world in praying for resolution to the war as well as the issues behind it. Thousands of lives have been lost; many more have been injured and displaced. In the midst of this, we hold fast to the One whose coming fulfills the words of the prophet: “His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).

The traditional site marking Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem is where the Church of the Nativity now stands. Beneath this ancient church (parts of it dating to the time of Constantine in the fourth century) is a cavern known as the Grotto of the Nativity. It is here, in a niche covered with rich brocades, white marble and ornate lamps, that a 14-point silver star is embedded into the floor with the Latin inscription, Hic de Virgine Maria Jesus Christus natus est (“Here Jesus Christ was born to the Virgin Mary”). The center of the star is open and pilgrims can place their hands down into the space below the star, having been told that they are touching the actual place where Jesus was born. As Dr. Paul L. Maier writes in his marvelous little book, First Christmas: The True and Unfamiliar Story: “… the dominant question in the mind of any thinking contemporary visitor to the shrine must be this: did it all really happen here – at this spot? Though final proof is necessarily lacking, the surprising answer lurks somewhere between “Possibly” and “Quite probably” (p. 55). This little book makes for great reading, especially as we approach Christmas. Give yourself a personal Christmas gift and purchase it for your own use, or do so for someone else.

The place of Jesus’ birth does matter in order that the Word of God might be fulfilled, which tells us in a well-known passage: “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days. (see Micah 5:2). But does our faith hinge on the exact location here? The greater truth is not so much where Jesus was born (although we have a pretty clear understanding of this) as it is that Jesus was born: true God and true man, sent from heaven to be our Savior. This is the Scriptural truth that we confess in the Nicene Creed:

            We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father,

            God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being

            with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down

from heaven; by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the virgin Mary, and was made man.

So, what does all of this mean for us who live this side of Christmas?

Dr. Martin Luther, the sixteenth-century reformer, had a no-nonsense, down-to-earth way of saying things. In one of his Christmas sermons, he chided the people of the city of Wittenberg in this way:

There are many of you in this congregation who think to yourselves: “If only I had been there! How quick I would have been to help the Baby! I would have washed his linen. How happy I

would have been to go with the shepherds to see the Lord lying in the manger!” Yes, you would! You say that because you know how great Christ is, but if you had been there at that time you would have done no better than the people of Bethlehem. Childish and silly thoughts are these! Why don’t you do it now? You have Christ in your neighbor. You ought to serve him, for what you do to your neighbor in need you do the Lord Christ himself (The Martin Luther Christmas Book: With Celebrated Woodcuts by His Contemporaries. Translated and arranged by Roland H. Bainton. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1948; p. 38).

Harsh as Luther’s words might be, stinging with the full force of the Law, there is great truth in what he has to say. Living this side of Christmas, we serve the Lord Jesus by serving our neighbor. We are to see Christ in our neighbor and be Christ to our neighbor. As Dr. Harry Wendt, author of Crossways! Bible study materials, has said: “There are really only two people in the world: Jesus and you.” How true – and how profound! If by faith we do see and recognize Christ in our neighbor, then Dr. Wendt’s words are spot-on. In this month of December when there are Salvation Army bellringers outside many stores, and when we receive pleas for help from many agencies and charitable organizations, the question is not if, but how. It’s not if we will help our neighbor, as Jesus bids us do in his parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37), but rather it’s how we will best help our neighbor. What this looks like may differ from person to person, depending on our individual circumstances and situation. But at the heart of it all is recognizing the face of that Child of Bethlehem in the face of the hungry and homeless, the sick and imprisoned, and the stranger (Matthew 25:31-46), rendering help to them as we would to Jesus himself. That is what living this side of Christmas looks like.

Just as we look forward to celebrating Christmas and the joy that it brings to our hearts, we look forward to that great and final day when we will no longer walk by faith. In that day, we will see face-to-face and rejoice in Christ for all eternity. May your Christmas be filled with the joy, peace and blessing of Christ Jesus.