A number of years ago, while working as a youth pastor at Yorktown United Methodist Church, Rev. Marilyn Gebert gave me a book called “Kneeling in Bethlehem”by Ann Weems. It’s a book of poetry centered around the Advent and Christmas seasons. It has some beautiful word pictures of this journey.

This mornig, I thought about the title, Kneeling in Bethlehem…As I meditated on that title, I realized that we can join in this act of kneeling in Bethlehem. We can kneel in Muncie, in Indianapolis, in Santa Cruz, in New York, in Dublin, in Toronto, wherever we find ourselves we can kneel in humble adoration of this amazing event. When we fully grasp (though I think it may be impossible) the magnificence of this moment…the coming of a King…I believe the only proper response is to kneel in worship. Our time of “kneeling in Bethlehem” (or Muncie), should then motivate us to live a lifestyle of worship…sharing this “good news” which is “for all people” with every single person we come in contact with. It should motivate us to be generous with our time, talents, and resources. It should inspire us to help meet the needs of those around us. It should challenge us to become faithfully obedient.

This Advent season…This Christmas, will you take time to kneel in Bethlehem…to mediate on the beauty of this moment?

The whole world waits in December darkness

for a glimpse of the Light of God.

Even those who snarl “Humbug!”

and chase away the carolers

have been seen looking toward the skies.

The one who declared he never would forgive

has forgiven,

and those who left home

have returned,

and even wars are halted,

if briefly,

as the whole world looks starward.

In the December darkness

we peer from our windows

watching for an angel with rainbow wings

to announce the Hope of the World.

~In December Darkness from Kneeling in Bethlehem by Ann Weems