Let us go to Bethlehem and see...
Let us go to Bethlehem and see . . .
The shepherds are terrified and unsure. The literal army of heaven just showed up and started dancing and singing and shouting and rejoicing in their quiet evening sky. While words of comfort were announced and the usual injunction to not be afraid repeated, the group watching for sheep at night were likely ready to be anywhere but those open fields. The words they share among themselves are simple and understandable, “Let us go to Bethlehem and see.”
We have been watching with those shepherds for 20 centuries and are still unsure of what to make of this day. Theology and statements of faith make it clear: God is with us. Emmanuel! Yet we do not know what to make of universal power, complete knowledge, and unspeakable wisdom wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a food trough. Is this a scene of family bliss on the edges of empire? Is this a grand statement of God’s priorities for the least? Is this a quiet moment in a loud world? Why are angels cheering and choirs singing and drummers making an unholy racket? “Let us go to Bethlehem and see.”
We are not called to understand everything. A life of faith is actually living in mystery, walking into the unknown. Just like the shepherds, all we can do is hear the words and take time to see with our eyes and our hearts. What does this mean? Is God truly with us? What wondrous love is this before me in the body of an infant? Or can I rest and just be near this mystery? Can I ignore platitudes and certainties and try to experience the mystery of a loving God drawing near? I have no words for it. All I can do is echo those shepherds and share this love and mystery with you all, “Let us go to Bethlehem and see.”
Merry Christmas,
The Rev. Dr. Bill Murray, Rector
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