But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth one who is to be ruler in Israel

Micah 5:2

We often ask people where they are from, their hometown and possibly even the specific hospital they were born in. Many people take pride in where they grew up, it’s even listed as a piece of information on Facebook!

Bethlehem is one such town that is well known because of who was born there. Jesus! There is a whole Christmas carol about the town where he was born.

Mary and Joseph travelled to Bethlehem but not because it had a fancy hospital or great prenatal/postnatal care. They were there for a census and ended up in a stable of all places to give birth. Not convenient for them but it fulfilled what had long been told, that Jesus would come from the city of David.

So the little town gained its claim to fame, which had been long awaited. The king of kings was born there!

We often put a lot of emphasis on the physical location of Jesus’ birth. And while it is important, what’s more important is where Jesus resides now.

He doesn’t live in Bethlehem anymore. When we think of where he “lives” we usually think of his residence being heaven. But there is a more important place he should be; in our hearts!

Asking Jesus to live in our hearts is the first step in becoming a Christian. Giving him the keys to our heart means surrendering our lives to him to walk in his way. It also means we have someone to lean on whenever we need it, we are never alone.

Jesus came to earth for a specific reason (to eventually die on the cross) but at Christmas time we remember his birth. Where and how it happened. In the little sleepy town, the silent stars went by. The everlasting light was born, just as we sing in this Christmas carol.

So as we enter this Christmas season and we set up nativity scenes, I hope you think about Jesus’ current living situation. Sing this carol and think about the historically significant town.

There is more to consider though. Yes, Jesus was from Bethlehem but where does he live now? Does he have a place in your home, in your heart? I hope you can answer yes to that and walk with him daily. And don’t forget to share the good news with others!