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| Rev. Brian Wilkie |
Pastor of St. Andrew's Christian Community
Rockland, Ontario
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PODCAST LINK to CFRA broadcast - Sunday, December 11th, 2016:
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Broadcast Notes:
Welcome to Good News In the Morning a program of words and music bringing a Christian message of hope and encouragement to those who are looking for intelligent meaningful and spirited approach to faith and to life.
This program is sponsored by Good News Christian Ministries PO Box 184 Rideau Ferry, Ontario K0G 1W0. I'm your host today, Brian Wilkie of St. Andrew's Christian Church in Rockland. As always I do want to start by thanking you our listeners. We are grateful for your encouragement and support. Please remember that you can always visit our website for materials to encourage and support you in your Christian walk.
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O Little Town of Bethlehem
Today as we are so close to Christmas I wanted to address one of the biblical places that is so important to our remembering and telling of the story of the birth of Jesus who came to be our Savior. The town is Bethlehem the birthplace of Jesus but it's more than that in the history of the people of Israel and I want to read to you from a prophecy concerning Bethlehem. The prophecy is from the book of the prophet Micah chapter 5:2-5. Perhaps when you're in church so this Christmas season you'll hear this prophecy being read. It reads:
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
though you are small among the clans of Judah,
out of you will come for me
one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
from ancient times.”
3 Therefore Israel will be abandoned
until the time when she who is in labor gives birth
and the rest of his brothers return
to join the Israelites.
4 He will stand and shepherd his flock
in the strength of the Lord,
in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they will live securely, for then his greatness
will reach to the ends of the earth.
5 And he will be their peace. - Micah 5:2-5 (NIV)
This prophecy speaks about a word of Hope to a small town in Israel and the whole world.
We'll get a chance to look at what it means the few moments but first I would like to you to hear a song, one of the most familiar Christmas carols, written about this place. The song is called O Little Town of Bethlehem and this version is sung by Bruce Coburn a Canadian singer from his album simply titled Christmas
The town of Bethlehem is usually thought of in this light: in starlight in fact, the light of the new Star shining over the manger scene in the little town of Bethlehem.
It's a town which we remember fondly and it has a very important place in the story of our Savior Jesus. But it wasn't always that kind of the place. In fact the first place we hear Bethlehem mentioned is in the scriptures in the Book of Genesis. Bethlehem is associated with a very sad moment in the life of Abraham, the patriarch of Israel, for it is there that that his dearly beloved wife, Rachel, is giving birth to her their last son, Benjamin. She dies in childbirth and is buried in Bethlehem.
The prophecies around Bethlehem, such as this one speaks about its coming greatness, but there are other Prophecies which speak about the voice of Rachel crying out for her children and that prophecy also comes to bear on the story of Jesus.
Bethlehem was destined for some greatness in the Old Testament. Bethlehem was Naomi's home and, if you read the book of Ruth, you find Naomi and her husband left Bethlehem during a time of famine. Now, that's a very odd thing because the name Bethlehem means House of Bread and this implies that Bethlehem was a prosperous farming community, it was sort of the breadbasket of Israel. During a time of famine this House of Bread becomes an empty cupboard and Naomi and her husband and two boys go off to another land to try and find food. Now they return, at least Naomi and her daughter-in-law Ruth return. All this can be read about in The Book of Ruth. The Book of Ruth concludes with the surprise ending, that this Ruth, this foreigner, brought from the land of Moab, brought back to the city of Bethlehem, marries Boaz becomes the mother of Jesse and the grandmother of David who becomes king of Israel.
Now, that was a long time before the coming of Jesus. Many Kings of Israel had come and gone since then and Bethlehem falls out of the record of Scripture for the most part. There's not much to be said about it.
It reminds me of a little town I used to pass through when I was a young boy or a teenager. We'd be traveling up the highway in Southern Ontario and we would go through the little town of Neustadt. It's a small town. "little among the towns of Ontario" and I remember reading, every time I passed through, a couple of tired old signs that spoke about Neustadt proudly as the birthplace of Diefenbaker, Canada's 13th prime minister. To me it was a little bit of a sad thing, because it was such a small town and they seem to have this one, (for me as a young person) such as far distant past event, to remember this prime minister to have been born there. this was its only mark, I think, in History.
Back in the days Jesus' parents might have passed a sign in Hebrew writing, weathered and worn, that said, "The birthplace of David, King of Israel."
It was a long time ago, ancient history. I imagine that the young people growing up in Bethlehem thought of it as just a little hick town, a place where nothing ever happened. To them the prophecy at least was true when it said, "you will be abandoned until the one who is to come arrives." Bethlehem probably felt abandoned through all those years - and yet the prophecy was true. The Word of God is everlasting and this town, whose glory days were past, was about to experience the most Earth changing, life changing event that has ever happened in all of history.
We know the story about how the shepherds were off in the fields and then the glory of God shown among them and a host of angels sang to them about peace on Earth and giving the message of God's favor towards people because of the child, in swaddling clothes, in the manger. We also remember how these wise men led by a star went to Jerusalem because they thought the stars were saying that a new King was being born in Israel and they went to Jerusalem thinking, 'that's where things get born.' But they were redirected by the priests in the temple who looked up the scriptures and saw that there was a prophecy, that if a King was going to be born for Israel, a great king, that it would have to be in the little town of Bethlehem. So we remember this moment of excitement and joy as Bethlehem came into its inheritance, came into its special place in history and the prophecy was fulfilled. It's great to know that God is everlasting, great to know that an obscure promise- or what seemed an obscure problem in those days - turned out to be of great importance not only for the people of Bethlehem, but for all the people of the earth.
We will take a further examination of this these events when we come back after listening to a song which I recently found in my collection. It's by a Canadian singer Ali Matthews singing The Cry of Bethlehem and this is from an album which is called Sea to Sea, a Canadian Christmas.
The Cry of Bethlehem is the cry of a baby who has been born to us. A son, a king. Not just the son of Mary but the Son of God. For God sent his only begotten Son so that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. The words of scripture and the promise of scripture continues. We were talking about how Bethlehem was a sad little town before Jesus came along. It was a town that was born in sorrow with the death of Rachel and was also the town in which the story of Jesus brought its share of sorrow. Hard times fell in Bethlehem because Jesus was born there. King Herod, afraid of any rivals, had determined that the wise men were heading to Bethlehem to worship a newborn king and he intended to put an end to any rival, and so he sent soldiers in and he slaughtered the children.
Even when God is at work evil rears its ugly head once again. It's not pretty but it is true. It's the reality of our world, a world which Jesus came to rescue, which he came to redeem.
This little town of Bethlehem reminds me of all the little news pieces I'm seeing on American news about small little forgotten towns. They are going in and doing human-interest pieces especially addressing the question of why these little towns voted the way they voted the last American presidential election. You hear the stories of people whose lives have not been going well, whose towns are declining and empty of young people, empty of jobs and empty of industry and they're hoping that some new leader will turn around their fortunes. I can't get out of my mind Simon and Garfunkel's old song "In My Little Town." It wasn't one of the most popular songs, but it was a little perspective on small-town America from their perspective. I keep thinking about how in these little towns, and in the big towns, that so often our hope is put in the wrong place and we hope for some new program or policies, some new leader in government, or in some other guy that's going to turn things upside down.
Even those who believe the prophecy about Bethlehem would bring a new leader to Israel, still thought of that leader in human terms, expecting that whoever would be born would be a military leader who would throw out the Romans and take care of all the economic problems and everything will be fine again. They expected that God's solution to the problem of evil would be the same as their own. So they put their hope in these things but God was giving them hope through a child to be born not to lead armies but to transform human hearts. It would bring people not by putting enemies to death but bring both wounded and wicked human beings from death to life.
So the hope that we celebrate at Christmas is for this child born in Bethlehem but not one who wields the sword but who brings Redemption and healing into the earth
We've been 2000 years with message of the Gospel and perhaps this Christmas you're having difficulty seeing how it all ties together. What does it mean in your town, in your community and your nation. In this generation does Jesus still offer hope? Does Jesus still offer Redemption? Many of you can say, "Yes!" When you listen to this program and other programs because they remind you of the work God has already done in your heart, which remind you of how you went from guilt and sorrow to freedom and joy in Christ. The word of God for us is as a resting place, not of old dead memories, but of a Living Hope in Jesus Christ. We are thankful that we can do something to encourage each Christian who listens to this program.
We also know that some listeners are looking for something especially the Christmas season, wondering whether the story of Jesus can make a difference in their lives. Here is the truth: it can! It will! and all that is required of us is to accept Jesus as Savior, that we allow him to make the changes in our hearts that he desires to make. Too long have we waited for God to change the circumstances around us, too long have we blamed the events and vicissitudes of life for our problems.
Now is the time to come Jesus, to this child of Bethlehem to transform us by the renewing of our lives, not merely God to change things that annoy us in the world, but to bring new life into us. Jesus came with a message of repentance and all who receive that message receive it joyfully because they recognize the God who loved them enough to call them into new life and to receive them gladly and joyfully.
There were those who refused to repent, who found Jesus just to be trouble and annoying because he seemed to be saying there was something wrong with their lives. Jesus told them over and over again look at me I'm able to heal the sick and give sight to the blind if you would allow me and admit to me that you need healing, I could heal you.
That's the call of Jesus today. Bethlehem was a tired little town perhaps waiting for one kind of Savior, but the Savior that God gave them is the same Savior that he gives to you and to me.
Let's turn our hearts to God in prayer:
Almighty God, thank you for Jesus, for calling us to new life, for calling us to let go of false hopes that don't lead anywhere and giving to us a hope that leads to everlasting life. Lord, let all people this Christmas come to know Jesus your Son, our Savior. We pray this in his name, Amen.
Once again I want to thank you our listeners for your encouragement and support. we thank you because you keep us on the air week by week and we want to encourage you to support our ministry financially and in prayer. Your gift can help us to meet the one vital expense which is the cost of broadcasting which enables us to reach you and over 7,000 listeners in the Ottawa River Valley If you can please make a cheque payable to Good News Christian Ministries and send it to P.O. Box 184 Rideau Ferry, Ontario K0G 1W0 we will be happy to send you a receipt at income tax time. I also want to encourage you to tell others about this program
Be sure to worship in a church where the gospel is soundly proclaimed and lived out with compassion, integrity and resolve. Now to conclude our program I would like to have you listen to a song by another Canadian artist. This song is called "Is Bethlehem Too Far Away?" and invites us to draw near to the child of Bethlehem. This is sung by Carolyn Arends from her album The Irrational Season.
I do pray that the Lord will hold your heart and you would know Jesus personally and profoundly. May the Holy Spirit reside deep within your heart, may the heavenly Father surround you with his constant and abiding and accompanying love.
Good News In The Morning is produced in the Studios of News Talk Radio 580 CFRA.
Rev. Brian Wilkie
St. Andrew's Christian Community, Rockland, Ontario
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To listen to the above broadcast, click on the following link:
