O Little Town of Bethlehem

RECORD

This morning we are going to continue on in our series of preaching the Christmas Carols with a song that was written in 1868 by an Episcopalian minister originally from Boston by the name of Phillips Brooks

Inspired by a Christmas service he had attended at the church of the nativity in Bethlehem 3 years earlier and wanting an original Christmas song for the children of his church to sing, He wrote a 5 stanza poem which he then gave to his organist, Lewis Redner, to put to music

He liked the tune so much that he named the song St. Louis in honour of the organist but today we know it as O Little town of Bethlehem

As we look at the first verse of this carol we can almost see what Phillips Brooks saw that night in 1865, “O little town of Bethlehem how still we see thee lie, Above thy deep and dreamless sleep, the silent stars go by. Yet in thy dark streets shineth, the everlasting light, the hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.”

There are a few things that I want to pull out of this song this morning that hopefully will be an encouragement to you every time you sing it or even hear it sung

The first thing is in the very first line and, in fact, is part of the title, O “LITTLE” town of Bethlehem

Bethlehem was an insignificant little town with some historians pegging the population at the time around 300

Now having lived for 5 years in Quadeville I think that I am uniquely qualified to speak about life in a small town

Here’s a few sings that confirm whether or not you’re from a small town

If you could name everyone in your graduating class

You called a wrong number and still talked for 35 minutes

Teachers always referred to you by an older siblings name

you or someone you know ever drove a tractor to school (ATV, Snowmobile)

the closest thing to a traffic jam was when a tractor was going from one field to another, or into town to get the mail

You were related to almost everyone in the school

You used a swear word and your parents knew before you even got home

You give directions by landmarks and not street names

You could charge at the local multi-purpose store without I.D.

Even when you didn’t know what you were doing, other people still did

That was Bethlehem, it was tiny and of no significance in the big scope of things

And yet God seems to prefer to choose the little, the insignificant, the unimportant to bring about His purpose

The prophet Michah said,

Micah

Micah 5:2 NIV

“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.”

A shepherd boy named David to become the greatest king in history and build the Israelite nation into what God had wanted

An orphaned girl named Esther to save the entire nation of Israel from extermination

A baby condemned to death and left floating in the Nile named Moses to lead God’s people out of slavery

A little town named Bethlehem to bring about the birth of the God-child

Not only is God able to use the small and insignificant, it seems that He prefers to do so in order that the glory remains where it belongs, with Him

Have you ever felt too small, too unimportant to even be on God’s radar no matter to be used by Him

If so then you are exactly what God is looking for to bring about His purpose in this world

If He can use a young, teen-aged, frightened, girl named Mary, He can and will use you

If, like her, you are willing to say, “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.”

The very first line of this verse is our reminder that God wants to use us because that is the way that He works

But if we move on to the last line of this verse we will see our next point, “The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight”

For many generations living in Israel had difficult at best and at worst, well it could cost you your life

The Israelites had been under oppression from foreign powers for a long time and it made it hard to eek out a meager living only to have it all taken from you in “taxes”

As the lead in a registered not-for-profit which is here to serve the needs of all peoples, I am not allowed to make political comments from the pulpit that may sway people one way or another and so I will just pause a moment and allow you to insert your own Canadian tax joke in this spot

(PAUSE)

The people of Israel had long been living in fear, political fear, but to make matters even worse was that the religious authorities of the day were more concerned about their own ease of life and therefore made things even worse for the people

The people were afraid, the people were desperate, the people only had one hope that they could cling to…The promise of Jehovah that He would send to them a Messiah who would set them free and once again make them into a great nation

And that night, under the silent, twinkling stars above in a damp and dark cave in this unassuming little town, there was a collision of cosmic proportions when the centuries of fears and hopes both from the past and from the future came together in the birth of a little baby

We looked at their story last week but I think that the shepherds are again a perfect example of what we are talking about here

Luke 2:8–20 NIV

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

The shepherds were terrified, that is until the angel shared with them the message of hope that would be greater than their fears

How do we know that this hope exceeded their fears because of their response

In spite of their status in Jewish society as unclean and as lower than the animals that they tended, in spite of the possible consequences facing them for going into town where they were not welcome nor allowed, they wasted no time and went to find the source of their hope, the Baby Jesus

The NASB says in ,  When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the [a]manger.”

Here’s the point that I want you to take away from this, Hope always overcomes fear! Always!

Whatever it is that you fear today, health issues, financial issues, situational issues, whatever, those fears are all overcome by the hope that is found in Jesus Christ

If, like the shepherds, we will step out of our comfort zone and bring those fears into the presence of the source of our hope, the Christ child

Which brings me to the third thing that I want to draw out of this carol, when our fears are met head on by the source of our Hope it produces a change in us

Verse 20 of tells us

Luke 2:20 NIV

The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Wait a minute, only a short time earlier they had been cowering under rocks trying to hide from the sight of the angel that had come to bring them this good news and now they were walking through the streets of town boldly, and wholeheartedly worshipping God for the things that they had seen and heard

Hope can be a powerful influence in your life when it is placed in the right source

If your hope is found in a good reputation or a strong retirement portfolio or living a long healthy life, any of those things can be destroyed in mere moments but when your hope is in the Son of God there is nothing that can take that away and the results are incredible

The word “hope” actually appears 158 times in the scriptures and I certainly don’t have time this morning to go through them all and point out the benefit that is ours because our hope is in Him bet let me give you a few

In - we are given guidance in life because of our hope

- hope leads to integrity and righteousness

- we get assurance

- we get rest because of our hope

- confidence

- comfort

- refuge and protection

- Help

And these are just a few of the benefits that we derive from placing our hope in Jesus Christ

reminds us that it is our anchor, that it holds us firm and in place, even when the storms of life blow through

Listen to what Paul says about this hope in his letter to the church in Rome, “And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.”

Romans 5:5 NIV

And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

So there you go, that’s my sermon based on O Little Town of Bethlehem

Or as the original NIV put it, “And hope

Every time you hear it I pray that you will be challenged, challenged to offer yourself to God to be used by Him as a living sacrifice

Challenged to bring your fears to Him and trade them for the hope that is only found from the baby born in that manger 2000 years ago

Challenged to let that hope that is now yours bring about a change in the way that you live, that you too may go forth glorifying and praising God just like those shepherds did

Let’s pray