A walk through Bethlehem

By DANIEL OVERDORF
Pastor

I often wonder how it would’ve felt to walk in Joseph’s sandals.

His fiancé turns up pregnant. He knows the baby isn’t his. Her explanation? The child growing in her womb is the Son of God.

Seems like a shaky excuse until an angel visits Joseph with a message, “Believe it, Joseph, her story is true!”

Joseph’s heart skips three beats.

A census forces Joseph to travel with a very-pregnant Mary to Bethlehem — a 75-mile trek across dusty roads and mountain passes. Every few steps he inquires, “Are you okay, Mary? Would you like to rest a minute? Need another drink of water? Here, let me help … put your arm around my shoulder.”

After weeks of travel they finally arrive, weary and worn, only to learn the Bethlehem Inn offers no vacancies — just a corner stall in a stable. The news sends Joseph’s eyes to the floor. Frustration seeps into his broken heart. Like any husband, Joseph wants the very best for mother and child. But, if it’s the best available option, the stable will have to do.

All the while Mary’s contractions grow more severe and frequent. Her water breaks. Her body prepares to deliver the child — the Christ child, the Son of God, the Messiah. Mary’s baby boy.

The stable provides less than sanitary conditions. It’s certainly not the atmosphere Mary and Joseph had imagined for the birth. Yet the cogs are in motion, nature is running its course. The infant King will soon arrive. In minutes, the Creator of the universe will inhale Bethlehem’s oxygen. He’ll cry. He’ll nurse. He’ll squint. He’ll coo.

I wonder how it would’ve felt to walk in Joseph’s sandals. Or Mary’s, for that matter. Or the shepherds’. To see what they saw, feel what they felt, hear what they heard.

Every year I celebrate Christmas. This year I want to experience it — the sights, sounds, tastes, smells, even the feelings of Bethlehem.

I want to see the shepherds’ smiles and the manger’s splinters. I want to hear the shopkeepers barter and the sheep bay. I want to taste the breadmaker’s loaves and the candy maker’s sweets. I want to smell the apothecary's perfumes and the carpenter’s sawdust. I want to feel the crowded inn and the tingle on the back of my neck when the angel announces, “Christ has been born!”

And I want to invite you to experience Bethlehem with me.

In our first annual “A Walk Through Bethlehem,” Fayetteville Christian Church will offer the community an opportunity to experience Bethlehem and the first Christmas with all five senses. The event will include an array of animals, shopkeepers, marketplace booths, foods, shepherds, centurions, angels, and more.

“A Walk Through Bethlehem” will take place the weekend of Dec. 5-7 on the property of Fayetteville Christian Church — 6:30-8 p.m. Friday, and 1-3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Note the first weekend of December in your calendar. This is one community holiday event you won’t want to miss!

(Daniel Overdorf is the senior minister of Fayetteville Christian Church, located at New Hope and Hickory Roads in Fayetteville. He may be heard each Sunday at 10:30 a.m. as a part of the church’s weekly worship. He may be contacted at 770-461-8763 or at fayettevillechristian@juno.com.)