Each Christmas my mind races back to 2006 when I had my first experience travelling in Israel. One of the places that I so enjoyed seeing was when we visited the Shepherd's Fields right outside of Bethlehem.
There are many caves in these hills and it was at one of these caves on that eventful night the very first Christmas that Shepherds led their sheep down into the cave, counting each one of them and most likely calling each one by name. Then they would have most likely built a fire just outside the entrance to that cave and then spent the evening making sure that no sheep came out and no predator entered.
It was while they "watched their flocks by night" that they would have been greeted by the angelic messengers and seen the glory of the Lord which shone round about them. It was here that human ears would have heard the first birth announcement that God had become man.
We went down into that cave and caught a glimpse of what the cave in bethlehem may have looked like in which Mary and Joseph took shelter and in which Mary would have given birth to Jesus, wrapping Him in swaddling clothes and laying Him in a manger. In that cave we sang a Christmas Carol together. The words to this song have far deeper meaning to me on Christmas now ever since I visited Bethlehem that day:
O come all ye faithful
Joyful and triumphant
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem
Come and behold Him
Born the King of angels
O come let us adore Him
O come let us adore Him
O come let is adore Him
Christ the Lord
There are many caves in these hills and it was at one of these caves on that eventful night the very first Christmas that Shepherds led their sheep down into the cave, counting each one of them and most likely calling each one by name. Then they would have most likely built a fire just outside the entrance to that cave and then spent the evening making sure that no sheep came out and no predator entered.
It was while they "watched their flocks by night" that they would have been greeted by the angelic messengers and seen the glory of the Lord which shone round about them. It was here that human ears would have heard the first birth announcement that God had become man.
We went down into that cave and caught a glimpse of what the cave in bethlehem may have looked like in which Mary and Joseph took shelter and in which Mary would have given birth to Jesus, wrapping Him in swaddling clothes and laying Him in a manger. In that cave we sang a Christmas Carol together. The words to this song have far deeper meaning to me on Christmas now ever since I visited Bethlehem that day:
O come all ye faithful
Joyful and triumphant
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem
Come and behold Him
Born the King of angels
O come let us adore Him
O come let us adore Him
O come let is adore Him
Christ the Lord
Be sure to read my other blog entitled "Hope for Hurting Pastors" at www.hurtingpastor.blogspot.com or email me at skdistler@gmail.com
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