Away in A Manger

Today we took a trip to Bethlehem! While we were there, we visited the Church of the Nativity-- the location where the Catholics, Greek Orthodox, and Armenian Christians all think that the original stable was where Mary gave birth to baby Jesus. It was different to see a big church built over a site like that, but when we got to go underground to the actual stable area, a feeling of peace permeated our little group. At least, it felt peaceful to me. The stable was different from our usual Western image of a barn built out of wood. Instead, it was solid rock-- a natural cave transformed into animal pens. Our family stopped to sing a few Christmas carols-- Silent Night, Away in a Manger (despite Dad's aversion to the second verse obvious falsification "no crying he makes"), What Child is this, and Joy to the World. As I stood there with my family, watching my one-month-old nieces, I felt the Spirit's witness of the babe of Bethlehem. Christ may not have been born in the exact spot that I stood today, but he was born, and he was the son of God, and most importantly, he did suffer for my sins. I didn't have to come to Bethlehem to know that, but I'm grateful for the reminder of the real importance of Christmas.

(Janel, Lily, me, Mom, and Becca at the Church of the Nativity)



This is the exact spot where Mary supposedly gave birth to Jesus. My own nieces helped us envision what Christ would have looked like there. (Bryce, my brother-in-law, wanted to put his baby, Amy, in the manger, but we didn't think the curators would have appreciated that.)

(For additional pictures and information about our last two days of trips, also check out my family's blog: http://www.wilsonwatch.blogspot.com)