Bethlehem was another one of those spots that can be hard to get to. A lot of tours end up having to cancel their plans to Bethlehem, but in another Christmas miracle, we got the thumbs up to go explore the place of the Savior's birth.
Going to Bethlehem from Jerusalem is quite interesting. They are literally only 5 miles away from each other, but there is a massive wall between them. Bethlehem is owned by Palestine so you have to go through the checkpoints to get there which is always a little scary, but we got through just fine.
The first thing we did was go to a huge bazaar in Bethlehem that sold all sorts of souvenirs from Bethlehem. This was the last day of our trip so we bought some ornaments for family in the states made of olive wood from Bethlehem, a small nativity set for our home, & some magnets. I loved the little nativity we bought there & I love that it came from Bethlehem.
Our first stop was the Chapel of the Shepherd's Fields. This is the supposed spot where the heavenly host of angels announced the birth of our Savior to the shepherds tending their flocks by night. What a glorious event that must have been.
Inside the chapel were some beautiful murals depicting that story found in Luke 2.
Luke 2:8-14
"And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, & the glory of the Lord shone round about them: & they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you: Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of heavenly hosts praising God & saying, Glory to God in the highest, & on earth peace, good will toward men."
One of the highlights of our entire Israel trip was our group singing "Angels We Have Heard On High" in the Chapel of the Shepherd's Field. It was BEAUTIFUL. I will never ever forget it.
Not only was this chapel the spot where the angels appeared to the shepherds, but this was also the location of Boaz's field where Ruth gleaned the ears of corn for Naomi.
Ruth 2:1-2
"And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband's, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech; & his name was Boaz. And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi, Let me now go to the field, & glean ears of corn after him in whose sight I shall find grace."
After enjoying the beautiful music in the chapel, we made our way UNDERNEATH the chapel where there is a large cave where the shepherds would have sought shelter from the wind or rain. We sang Oh Come All Ye Faithful in the cave. I just love Christmas songs.
After the church & cave, we took some time to just sit & look out over where the shepherd's fields were during the time of the birth of Christ. Right now they are active archaeological sites, but you can still see where the sheep would have wandered. It was really a neat experience to be there.
After the shepherd's fields, we visited the coolest restaurant. It was inside a Bedouin tent & it was the BEST FOOD. The kids even loved everything. We had flat bread with meat kebabs & LOTS of veggies. It was delicious.
No comments:
Post a Comment