Resting in Bethlehem
This post comes from an email in the "Walk Through the Church Year" series which goes out to folks who sign up to receive two emails per month about major feasts and selected commemorations in the liturgical calendar. To receive these emails in your inbox, sign up here.
The original email was sent out in December of 2024.
by Brendan
Climbing up to Bethlehem implies an effort, but shall we let such a great occasion slip by?... During my earthly life, I wish to be a citizen of Bethlehem, and to have that humility and that poverty as my share; with Mary, with Joseph and with Jesus, I would like my name to be enrolled in that little town which may be despised or ignored by men, but is so great before God. (1)
Left-to Right: This Nativity of Christ, 1700s Russia shows a more intimate and personal scene than most icons of the Nativity; This Nativity of Christ, Sweet Kissing, contemporary.
We’ve been on quite a journey already through the Church Calendar since September. We have walked in the footsteps of the saints of old. We have experienced anew the story of our mutual story through the liturgies, services, and readings that Holy Church gives along the way. Each of us has had the opportunity to pause, rest, and return to the identity that each of us has in Christ.
Today the Virgin gives birth to the Transcendent One, and the earth offers a cave to the Unapproachable One!
Angels with shepherds glorify Him.
The wise men journey with a star,
since for our sake the Pre-Eternal God was born as a young Child.
– Kontakion (Tone 3)
The time for fasting draws to an end. The Great Feast of Nativity is here!
Whether your home has four or six candles in its Advent wreath (or no wreath), you are invited to rejoice in the coming of the King. Like the Magi, the shepherds, Joseph, and the Theotokos herself, each of us has a place at the manger, at the table. As Father Lev Gillet of blessed memory writes,
The message of Christmas is not addressed to humanity in general. It is addressed to each person in particular. It reaches each soul in a way that is unique and exceptional. This joy is announced to me in a different way than to anyone else; it is to me and for me that a Saviour is born. (2)
That personal calling extends to each person reading this email. All has been prepared. The trappings of the Feast prepare the worshipper to be ready. Primed through some measure of abstinence, senses are engaged and ready. The sounds of familiar carols and hymns, aromas of pines, beeswax, and frankincense, joyful sweet and savory tastes, silken and rough textures, and the bright-dark contrasts of the services all combine to form our experience. Once again, each of us has the opportunity to respond, to bend the knee, and to own Him as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all the people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
– Luke 2:10-11
Like every other feast of the Church, the Nativity Feast is a signpost pointing to the next one. Theophany (Epiphany) beckons on January 6. Between the two, those twelve days commemorate all of Christ’s life culminating with His Baptism. We begin the Year of Our Lord 2025 with a walk through his earthly ministry that will wind up to Golgotha and the empty tomb.
But, let’s rest here for a while in late December. Whether one is a child or adult, single or in the midst of a large family, an active parishioner or a seeker, the angels’ message rings the same for each of us:
For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given…
– Isaiah 9:5
May we have the grace to pray along with Father Gillet in his meditation on Christmas:
Lord Jesus, before we leave Bethlehem, or come to the end of this feast of the Nativity, allow us to see something of what the shepherds saw, to hear something of what they heard, and to receive in our hearts the message which is preached to us from the manger. (3)
Christ is born! Glorify Him!