The Dean

'Bethlehem – House of Bread.’

Approaching Christmas we cannot avoid references to Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus. It crops up in carols, readings, nativity plays and of course on stylized nativity scenes on the Christmas cards we prepare to send to friends and family.

The name and place ‘Bethlehem’ holds the clue to the whole meaning and significance of Jesus as we prepare for and celebrate Christmas 2005.

Beth le-hem or Beit Lahm means ‘house or place of food or bread.’ Over the Christmas period we shall hear and read the prophecy of Micah in the Old Testament about the coming Messiah: “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you shall come for me one who will rule over Israel…” (Micah 5:2). ‘Ephrathah’ is the ancient name of Bethlehem and means ‘fertility.’ We can begin to see a connection between ‘Jesus’ and ‘life’ and ‘bread’ in the very place in which he was born.

There is a French song entitled ‘The baker woman’ which tells the story of Mary the mother of Jesus as the ‘baker woman’ bringing to birth this child:

‘The baker woman took the road which led
To Bethlehem the House of Bread.
To knead the bread she laboured through the night
And brought it forth about midnight.’

The song continues through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus until finally …

‘On the road which to Emmaus led,
They knew him in the breaking of bread.’

Bread (or its equivalent – rice, maize, yams or some other carbohydrate) is the God given answer to human hunger. The very smell of newly baked bread can provoke the powerful yearning of hunger. As human beings we are created to hunger for the righteousness that leads to eternal life so that we may be filled. Such righteousness is only found in the deep relationship we have with Jesus. And yet we live in a world where spiritual hunger all too often goes unsatisfied. Popular publications are filled with ‘spiritualities’ which claim to be able to meet our deep hunger through a bewildering array of therapies, aromas, crystals, methods of relaxation and so on. Some of these things may work for a few people for a while but all are merely a garnishing, the cherry on the cake rather than the real thing.

Bethlehem and Christmas is about the House of Bread – Jesus, who said “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never thirst.” (John 6:35)

Christmas is about a real relationship with a real person who is himself the House of Bread. Christmas is about God coming to us, taking the first step in that relationship and inviting us to respond. Nothing less than our response will ever deal with our inner hunger for peace, righteousness and fulfillment.

A very happy and holy Christmas season to you all and may you and all the world receive that inner nourishment you so desperately hunger.

Alan Hayday
(Dean)