O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie! For many of us, the images of a quiet peaceful nativity are probably the strongest and warmest memories of our childhood faith. It's a tragedy to think that the present-day town of Bethlehem is far from still and that the angels' blessing to the shepherds - goodwill to those who are God's friends - seems a utopian dream.
It's Christmas! Peace and joy to all! The paintings, pictures and cards that portray the nativity scene normally show a dark stable with a gentle light surrounding the family. It's always a light halo and never a halogen. It is a gentle light that in many of us evokes memories of touching home. Surely the most beautiful part of Christmas must be the joyful return of family members making what is for some their only visit each year.
Similarly, churches and parish communities swell with family members touching home for Christmas. The delicate image of a new-born child inspires many of us to go to church at Christmas although at other times we might not feel so inspired. This appeal lasts throughout the year but quite often it doesn't reach people. We should ask ourselves why!
In many homes spirituality and faith still play an important role. Yet in some of these homes there is little desire to take part in public celebration of that. Community leaders often suggest music as a form for making people feel at home in church but seldom go beyond that.
If we have anything to learn about the attractiveness of the Bethlehem image, it is its homeliness that attracts people. Not tradition, not guilt - homeliness! All year we behave like shepherds as we corral our congregations into neat, uncomfortable, angular planks that we call pews. The call of Bethlehem came first to the shepherds; can we still hear it?
The scenes at our ports and airports are rather similar to what happens in our churches at Christmas. The season begins with joy at the homecoming followed by immediate sadness or despair as those who are ours return to their lives elsewhere when the season is over. But that same scene was transformed in recent years as families, friends and classmates came home one Christmas and then came back for good a few months later. The country here had changed and the needs and hopes of the exodus were possible to fulfil at home. The goodwill of their annual visit was proven when they came back and dwelt among us.
Meister Eckhart spoke of how the Incarnation ennobled our nature. God came among when Jesus took human form, and the nativity evokes the warm beauty of that for us all. Christ's gift to us at Christmas was to make us know that we were special. This year, let our gift be a generous response to the goodwill that draws larger groups of people to church at Christmas. Let us work to give them a gift of genuine welcome, offer them a place where they can be at home, make them comfortable and by doing so, this gift will ennoble all of us - those who are returning and those who were always there.
In the right hands the little light of Bethlehem set the world aflame with its message; in the wrong hands we set it on fire! What are we doing with the light today? O little town of Bethlehem. . .the wish (as we know) doesn't always match the reality! Maybe we should try harder!
F. MacE.