Bethlehem -- Two Thousand Years Later

It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air

In the year 2000, Terry and I took a little cruise. The cruise started in Cyprus with visits to Israel and Egypt.  We figured this was the safest and easiest way to visit those two countries.  Our goal was really to go to Bethlehem and we wanted to do it that year.  We felt the year was significant. After all, it was 2000 years after the birth of Christ.  We had always wanted to visit Israel and Egypt.  What better time to do it than then?  It was also a time when the whole area was also celebrating.  I’m so glad we did it because I would not be comfortable going back today.

History most certainly comes alive as you travel   I remember my first trip across country to Boston. I was overwhelmed as I visited places we had only read about in the history books. Boston was an old city compared to cities on the west coast.  Our first trip to Europe was no different. We were swallowed up with feelings as we saw places our ancestors lived hundreds of years before. However, there was nothing more emotional or spectacular as visiting Bethlehem and Jerusalem and especially on the 2000th anniversary of the most important  and most celebrated birth on earth.

	This photo is of the exterior of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.   Souvenir shops lined the streets and small hand carved manger scenes were for sale everywhere marking the event 2000 years earlier.  It was a special time to be visiting.
	Lines formed inside the church with the Greek Orthodox overseeing the lines of people.  There is a very strict dress code when visiting religious places. Most of these dress codes refer to the attire of women.  If not dressed appropriately, robes were available for women to cover themselves.  We were also amazed at how many men had to be told to take off their baseball caps inside the church. Don’t men know that when inside caps come off?
	As our long line moved forward, we approached the place of the birth.  There were several steps down and only a few visitors allowed at a time. Many historical religious sites are full of paraphernalia. We had seen this before. To us it makes a place gaudy. To others it adds to their religious belief. There were many adornments or religious artifacts from the local area around the nativity but not as many as we had seen at the Cave of the Apocalpyse.
	On the Greek Isle of Patmos is the cave where the book of Revelations was written.  This cave was filled with so much paraphernalia  it made it difficult to move through the cave and view it.  The religious artifacts cluttered the interior.  We always compared the clutter of other places to this cave which by far gets the prize for the most.
	At the Nativity the star marked the place it is believed  the birth occurred on that first Christmas day.  Just as gifts were brought to Bethlehem by three wise men, people from many different religions and all over the world celebrate Christmas by giving gifts. It is the reason for the season.

This was a very emotional trip and it continued from Bethlehem as we moved on to our next stop which was walking along the Stations of the Cross in Jerusalem – a different holiday marks this event.  It was definitely a trip to remember and especially at Christmas time.. 

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The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other and that’s where we will be spending our day.  Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.

May you and yours enjoy the celebration of Christmas and your time together. 

Merry Christmas.

‘Tis a wonderful life on the road….