“Oh little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie!” These words echoed in my head this past Spring as I was fortunate to have traveled to Israel. One of the most memorable places was Bethlehem which, of course, now is neither the “little town” nor “lying still” as in the carol we love to sing. It is a bustling, diverse city. However, as others can witness, kneeling to touch the star located in the Church of the Nativity, where tradition says Christ was born, is humbling and standing in “Shepherd’s field” stirs your imagination as you gaze upward. While it is not the small, quaint village imagined in my childhood or often depicted in art, it still gave me new eyes and tugged at my heart. I felt different there. Israel is a place sacred to several religions and many feel different and find solace there. How sad that we cannot also find peace.

Lord, you sent your Son into a troubled world and the world did not know him. As we experience another Advent, our world is still troubled. Please help us see Bethlehem and Christ’s coming with new eyes. Help our hearts to feel that tug and be changed. Indeed, may the world feel that and find peace. Amen.

This devotional was written and read by Susan Daves.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org.

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.