A Little Christian Fellowship in O Little Town of Bethlehem

Late on my first night in Palestine, after dinner with my guides, I came back to my hotel and met a dozen Lutheran pastors in the lobby. They were heading into a 2,000-year-old cave, upon which the hotel was built, for a devotion service and invited me along. I was really tired but followed my current travel ethic: If an opportunity presents itself, say “Yes.”

The pastors were just finishing a multi-year Pastoral Leadership Institute program. Their theme (as taught by English church leader Mike Breen): up, in, and out (“up” is relationship with God, “in” is relationship with community, “out” is outreach beyond their immediate community). I climbed down into the cave with them and enjoyed a wonderful hour of singing, reading, and sharing.

While our image of “no room at the inn” is brick and wood, the “inn” of Bible fame was very likely a series of caves. And “no room” meant a woman about to give birth would not be welcome in the main quarters, as it was an unclean thing. Mary was sent to the manger cave where the animals hung out to give birth to Jesus.

The next day I told my guide about the wonderful evening. He said, “Yes, but if you hear it as much as me, it is annoying.” Nearly all the tourism in Palestine is religious tourism.

If you can’t see the video below, watch it on YouTube.

Comments

One Reply to “A Little Christian Fellowship in O Little Town of Bethlehem”

  1. Your guide says it is “annoying” to hear Christian sounds from the tourists? Interesting. Seems to me quite a hypocritical attitude – they’re ready enough to take the monee from the tourists, but don’t want the Christian fellowship that many or most of the tourists bring. I wonder what else this guide may come out with. I’ll be interested to hear more………….

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