The Bethlehem Candle

Advent – 2nd Sunday 

 

 

Somewhere in time, tomorrow is the second Sunday of Advent. The second candle is the Bethlehem candle.  

Bethlehem was part of prophecy; it was known the Messiah was to be born there.

It brought to mind something I saw on television a few years back. They tried to unravel the mystery of Jesus and basically they were so far off it was funny.    One theory was that she was an unwed mother, so the stories of angels and miracles were told to hide this unpleasant fact. They traveled to Bethlehem to make it look convincing.

Well – come on – they are missing several parts of the story.

How did this young couple convince Caesar to issue a decree that would send them to Bethlehem?

How did they get wise men to travel for many months to see the newborn child?

How did they make the angels appear to the shepherds watching their sheep in the hills?

How did they convince a star to shine so brightly people could see if for miles around?

How did they know to flee to Egypt right before the decree to kill all infant boys in Israel was enacted? 

I think it’s easier and makes much more sense if we just agree that Jesus was God made man.  God stepped out of paradise to join the people of earth in the most humble of circumstances – but the entire universe knew the ruler of the universe was here.    

 

Micah 5:2New King James Version (NKJV)

The Coming Messiah

² “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
Though you are little among the thousands of Judah,
Yet out of you shall come forth to Me
The One to be Ruler in Israel,
Whose goings forth are from of old,
From everlasting.”