Bethlehem Matters
Mary’s child is worshipped as the embodiment of God. To use biblical terms, Jesus is evidence that “God is with us” (Immanuel). God is not above or far off, but very near and very present. For many Christians, the Christmas season marks the very presence of God.
This is not to say that God arrived only when Jesus was born. Nor that God is present only in the legacy of the resurrected Christ. Christmas is a celebration of the presence, rather than the arrival, of God.
Bethlehem matters to Te Hāhi Weteriana o Aotearoa
Fast-forward to November 2023: at the Conference of Te Hāhi Weteriana, a message was received from Rev Dr. Mitri Raheb of Bethlehem – the birthplace of Jesus. Raheb’s message called for solidarity with Palestinians, in response to Israel’s war against Hamas, which is killing many Palestinians in Gaza. Raheb’s message is available on YouTube: https://youtu.be/zG2_RnTITFk?si=shVwHdk3z-SbST8S.
The 2023 Conference responded to Raheb’s call with a statement of solidarity and commitments - the statement has been included in this edition of Touchstone, titled MCNZ Statement on Gaza Israeli situation. Upon receiving the statement through Te Aroha Rountree, Raheb replied by email: “The statement was widely circulated and our people felt that there are friends and churches who care” (my italics).
In the spirit of Raheb’s response, we may add that Christmas is also a reminder that God cares. And our challenge as regular members of Te Hāhi Weteriana is simple, do we also care?
Bethlehem should matter in Tonga.
Many members of Te Hāhi Weteriana/Uēsiliana are linked to my homeland, Tonga, and they may be wondering if/how Bethlehem matters when Tonga’s government voted against (with 13 other nations) a proposal at the UN to demand a ceasefire at the Israel-Hamas war.
I grew up in Tonga, and one of the confirmation questions in the Tongan Uēsiliana tradition asks, ‘Oku ‘i fē ‘a e ‘Otua (Where is God?). The response that we were taught to give is, ‘Oku ‘i he potu kotoa pē (At all places) – God is present everywhere.
I grew up to understand that Jesus is a special revelation of God, but that God is not limited to one body or event, nor to one time and one place. I later learned that God was present before the birth of Jesus, and that God is present even after the death of Jesus. Christmas is a time to celebrate the historical and ongoing presence of God, a presence that is difficult to imagine in places like Gaza and Ukraine.
God is present everywhere, including at deathbeds. John Wesley is remembered to have uttered these words at his deathbed: “Best of all, God is with us.” These words are reminders of the Bethlehem event, and of a prophetic tradition prior to that event, but those words are difficult to make sense in Gaza today.
Wesley’s dying words are critical of the vote by Tonga’s government at the UN, even if our leaders did not undertake the Uēsiliana confirmation process.
Bethlehem matters – differently – for “us”
Christmas is also a time to celebrate new births. At Christmastime, many mothers will remember the joy of delivering a child. And of course, many mothers will remember the pain that they endured up to, during, and after the delivery. They understand how Bethlehem might have mattered (differently) for Mary.
Not all deliveries were successful, and not all women are mothers. They have the right to not find any joy during Christmas. Or they could celebrate Christmas, but for different reasons.
In my Tongan Uēsiliana mind, God is with all women, whether they are mothers or not, whether they pass the test of patriarchy or not, and whether they celebrate Christmas or not.
So what?
How might we celebrate Christmas this year? I invite your consideration of these invitations:
First, may Christmas 2023 remind us of God’s care, and urge us to channel that care to others beyond the confines of the communities that we count among “us.” God is with and for more than just us.
Second, may Christmas 2023 be a time for us to celebrate that God is with others, in Bethlehem as well as in Gaza, among mothers of living, injured, and dead children – young and older, and their whānau.
Third, may Christmas 2023 be an opportunity for us to reflect on whether, or not, and how, Bethlehem matters – differently – for us and for others.
Fourth, may Christmas 2023 be an occasion to give and receive—new and old—gifts. We do not all have the means to buy new gifts, and we should not be ashamed to give old gifts. After all, Christmas is an old gift that is received anew every year.