The House of Bread

"We have seen his star in the east and have come to worship him." - The Magi

"And so God gave the Israelites bread from heaven" (Ex. 16). This manna the Israelites ate for 40 years as they wandered around the desert. Six days a week, 360 days a year for forty years the children of Israel woke up to a winter wonderland. This was the best of bread, an enduring witness to the faithfulness of God, who does not forget his covenant. It was the preamble to Christmas. Even in the desert of disappointment there was hope.

"In Bethlehem of Judah, so say the prophets," in regards to the birth of Messiah. Obscurity is only in the minds of unbelievers. For is not Bethlehem the birthplace of kings? The birth of Jesus eclipses the birth of Israel's first davidic king; David. Yet this is a prophecy born out of struggle. Israel has been fractured by civil war and further humiliation is to follow at the hands of the Assyrians and the Babylonians. The words of the prophet Moses had come to pass as Israel suffered the consequences of her sins. Yet out of the desert, on a rocky hillside in an out of the way village, hope blossoms.

Bethlehem means "house of bread." Jesus Christ is the "living bread who has come down out of heaven" (John 6). Such food for thought, that manna would be so significant to the survival of Israel in the wilderness as Jesus, the bread from heaven is to us in our own desert journey. Christ is our hope in our seasons of disappointment. Disappointment haunts this story, always lurking in the dark, ever following close behind. It was not Israel's preference to wander, and Israel would endure more cruel hardships (Assyria and Babylon) before the Messiah would ever be born. And what of the birth of Christ? Do you suppose this was Mary's idea of a wedding or Joseph's idea of a honeymoon? And while Jesus slipped away into Egypt for the remaining young mothers, Bethlehem would become a house of mourning. Don't tell me disappoint isn't a part of this story. But is that not the point? Jesus is our hope in the season's of disappointment. And hope is to those who worship the new born king. Have traveled far and will travel farther yet, because Christ is our life. He is the source of life in the desert. May he be your 'north star' by night and your manna in the morning- a guiding light and nourishment to those who follow narrow paths. Sola Gracia, WHB