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Advent Prayer - Christmas in the birthplace of Christ

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Published: Saturday 25 December 2010

Advent Prayer - Christmas in the birthplace of Christ

Project(s): 65-420, 65-251

Country: Holy Land, Israel, Middle East and North Africa

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory.”
John 1:14

Map showing the location of the

According to the Gospel of Luke, it is a political event that takes the parents of Jesus to Bethlehem before His birth. A decree has been issued by the Roman emperor that the whole Roman world should be registered, and because Joseph is descended from the family of King David, he has to go to the city of David for the census.

The Gospel goes on to recount the birth of Jesus in humble circumstances. While Mary and Joseph are in Bethlehem, the time comes for her to deliver her child. There is no room for the travellers in the inn, so they have to share the animals’ quarters. The newborn baby boy is wrapped in bands of cloth and laid in a manger. His first visitors are a group of shepherds, among the most despised people in Israel.

Children celebrating Christmas at a Christian school in Bethlehem supported by Barnabas

Then in Matthew’s Gospel affairs of state threaten the life of the infant Jesus. Herod the Great, the Romans’ client “king” of Israel and a ruthless and somewhat paranoid political operator, receives news that another king of the Jews has been born in Bethlehem. He plans to destroy the child, and Joseph has to flee to a neighbouring country to preserve Jesus’ life. Herod then has all the young boys in the city killed.

Economic hardships have also placed a heavy burden on local Christians. The economy of Bethlehem is heavily dependent on the tourist trade, but after the second Palestinian intifada (uprising) began in 2000, tourist numbers dropped and many Christians lost their jobs and livelihoods. More recently, economic conditions have improved a little, but Christians continue to suffer discrimination from the Muslim majority in the West Bank and Gaza, and it is not uncommon for them even to have their property seized and businesses boycotted.

A doorway in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, built on the traditional site of Christ’s birth. The door was made smaller to prevent horsemen from galloping in to attack the Christians inside

There is also a lot of hostility, especially towards Messianic Jews, from extreme Orthodox Jews in Israel. Christian leaders have been attacked and Bibles burned, and the churches cannot always obtain redress in the courts.

Christians may also be specifically targeted in acts of physical violence. Although this is not obviously sponsored by the state, the rise to power in Gaza of the intolerant and aggressive Islamist group Hamas has heightened tensions. The association of Christians with the West in many Muslim minds places the churches in greater danger from the authorities. Many Christians have fled abroad for safety, and the Christian population of Bethlehem is now estimated at only about 30%; in the 1950s it was some 90%.

But despite these many challenges, the Christians of Bethlehem will gather as usual on Christmas Eve with visiting pilgrims before the Church of the Nativity to watch the annual procession and to join in a special Christmas service. A star will be placed on a pole in the village square, and Christians will paint crosses over their doors and display home-made crib scenes in their homes. Some will go into the fields where the shepherds are believed to have heard the angel’s message of the newborn Saviour. Even in a context of political instability, economic distress and physical peril, the churches of the Holy Land can still find joy in the Prince of Peace.

Pray for the Christians in the at this special time. Ask the Lord to give them patience in their sufferings and to enable them to rejoice as they celebrate His birth. Pray for their protection and faithfulness in the coming year in their unstable surroundings, and for progress to be made towards peace and justice in the region. Pray especially for the Christian school that Barnabas Fund supports in Bethlehem, giving thanks for its growth in numbers and outstanding reputation, and asking God’s blessing on its new building work.