Bethlehem: Church of the Nativity

The Church of the Nativity is just by Bethlehem Square and within sight and earshot of the local mosque. When we arrived, a mullah was behind the microphone calling muslims to prayer over a very effective soundsystem with speakers pointing every direction of the compass up in the minaret.












There's a lot of poverty in Bethlehem. After 9/11 tours to this city, which is so dependent on tourism, stopped. In recent years, they've picked up again, but unemployment is high and the wall doesn't really help facilitate commerce with Israel. Neither does suicide attacks.

When we were in the square a couple of little Palestinian boys tried to pick the pockets of one of the guys in our group, which isn't good advertising for them or their cause. All very sad.

The Church of the Nativity purports to be the place where Jesus was born, and it may well be. After all, we know the "stable" to be a cave not something out a John Wayne Western. So this grotto may well be the place. The star on the right is the "very spot" Jesus was born. Hmmm.

And on the left is the "very place" Jesus' cradle was placed. Hmmm.
The possible birthplace of Jesus was so wrapped up in ritual and even competition from the three church branches that inhabit the Church of the Nativity, that it was all a bit of a downer, though certainly interesting from a purely historical point of view. Again, kind of sad to see the "Christianized magic" that is associated with sacred places and objects. The One who is venerated in this way was so not into that kind of thing.

Bethlehem: Shepherds Abiding in the Fields

Visiting a place like Bethlehem evokes so many different emotions. Just speaking the name brings back memories of candle-light services singing "Silent Night" and "O Little Town of Bethlehem. Memories of kids reading "There were shepherds abiding in the fields keeping watch over their flocks by night." Memories of fireplaces and fun family times.

Seeing the fields where the shepherds hung out and where the angels and the glory of the Lord appeared was pretty amazing, even if they are terraced and covered with trash and surrounded by homes now.

Sadly, we didn't have time to stop of for a coffee at the the Bethlehem Starbuck's, everyone's favorite for a cup of coffee, quality guaranteed. Looks like the head office in Seattle has decided on a bit of a name change, though. Glad they've kept the logo and green colors, though. Hope the coffee isn't green.

Bethlehem is a mix of Christians and Muslims

Bethlehem: The Wall

The city of David, the birthplace of Jesus, is both inspiring and depressing. It's just 5 miles from Jerusalem geographically, but a million miles away in every other respect. The "Love and Peace" slogan outside the entrance to Bethlehem is a nice sentiment, but little more than a dream.

The city is surrounded by a massive security wall to keep suicide bombers in. So far, so good. The U.N. isn't too happy, however, and considers it a violation of the Palestinian's human rights.

It's an ongoing downward spiral where frustration breeds extremism and violence, which is responded to with extremely restrictive measures, which breeds more resentment.

Some of the murals painted on the inside of the wall betray the pain and the mood. This one calls for "Fresh Jewce."

After leaving a Palestinian Christian's shop, we climbed on the bus and queued to get through Checkpoint Charlie or Abdul. While the soldier in the booth was playing Solitaire on a laptop, two soldiers with uzis came on board to make sure Mohammed wasn't hiding under our seats with explosives strapped around his waist.

 In a lighter moment, one of the pastors texted his head deacon right before Sunday services back in the States were about to begin and told him there were soldiers on the bus with submachine guns checking for terrorists. Then his cell phone died and all communications ceased. We're not sure if they will have canceled the service for an intense prayer meeting, or if revival will have broken out.

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