It was a visit to the Holy Land which inspired the American Phillips Brooks (1835 - 1893) to write this carol. He had attended a Christmas Eve service at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. I guess that Bethlehem has changed much since Brooks' visit although some buildings will have survived from the 19th century. Bethlehem would have been very different in the first century when Jesus was born there. He was not born in a hospital or a home and there was no room in the inn for the pregnant Mary and her husband, Joseph and so Jesus was born outside the inn. These inns were very basic and we would probably not have wanted to spend the night in one of them. But Jesus was not granted such basic 'comfort.' He was probably born outside among the animals and they would have to take steps to protect the tiny baby from being trampled by animals. There is no mention of a stable in any of the Gospel records. The only clue we have is that the baby was wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger. This was probably a stone receptacle used for feeding animals - but it became a makeshift cradle for the Son of God. There would be noises and smells from the variety of animals sharing this area with the Creator of the Universe.
The video for today features pictures from Bethlehem in the 21st century. Of course, there is much unrest in the land of Palestine with disputed territory and ongoing conflict between Jews and Arab Palestinians. A day is coming when this same Jesus will set up His kingdom and there will be peace on earth.
Again, my thanks to Anne Smith for the musical arrangement and the keyboard playing. The readings are given by a young lad from California - but not in the U.S.A. - this is the village in the hills surrounding Falkirk in Scotland. Andrew Anderson did the reading in front of the Christmas tree in their home. Many thanks for this, Andrew and well done.
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