Of all the churches we’ve visited on our trips to the Holy Land, the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem is my absolute favorite. Our first trip in early January 1998 happened to coincide with the Orthodox celebration of Christmas. Seeing the homes of Palestinian Christians decorated with a string of lights helped get me into the Christmas spirit. I stepped inside the basilica and was immediately struck by a sense of the ancient: the worn columns on both sides, the chancel covered by tarnished gold lamps and iconography, and the smell of incense. Directly underneath the chancel’s altar is the Grotto of the Nativity, under the church’s main altar. There are short staircases on either side of the chancel, and there you are. A 14-point star set in the marble flooring marks the traditional spot of Jesus’ birth.
I often think of something our guide, Shabtai Levanon, told us on our first day of the tour. He said people come to Israel wanting to stand in the exact spot where Jesus stood. Some – like the spot that would become the Church of the Nativity – were venerated by early Christians who were contemporaries of Jesus. Other places were identified during Empress Helena’s pilgrimage to the Holy Land in the year 326. You can imagine the queen and her entourage approaching a fisherman in the Galilee and asking, “Where did Jesus perform the miracle of the loaves and fishes?” You cannot tell the queen, “I don’t know,” so you point and say, “It was over there.” For many people, learning they’re just in the general area where something happened leaves them disappointed. Remember that your faith isn’t tied to a certain spot. Rather, you’re here to commemorate something God did in history.”
The word commemorate has really stuck with me. Christ isn’t born anew every Christmas; it was a one-time event. That is so different from other ancient religions where their gods were reborn with every growing season. When we gather to worship on Christmas Eve, we light our candles and sing Silent Night to commemorate God’s act in history.
The most important lesson of the grotto is that God Loves You. After Genesis 3, the entire Bible is about God’s work to restore our relationship. It was so important, He sent His Son to be born in a cave in Bethlehem, just six miles away from where Jesus would be crucified and resurrected. We can’t be Easter people without being Christmas people first. How will you commemorate Jesus’ birth?
Chris Lambert, Director Meals on Wheels Oklahoma City
