O Little Town of Bethlehem
The Christmas Carol that we just sang—“O Little Town of Bethlehem”—is an all-time favorite of Christians throughout this country. The last line of the first stanza provides one of the most profound statements of what Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem was all about. It declares: “The hopes and fears of all the years are met in Thee tonight.” What was going on in the life of the person who wrote this carol to produce such encouraging words? Well, it was a time of “hopes and fears” in the life of Phillip Brooks. Brooks was a famous pastor of the 19th century who served as the Rector of a large church in Philadelphia during and after the Civil War. Two things may well have been on his mind when the words of this carol were first put to paper. One may have been the recent loss of his own brother who died of typhoid fever during the Civil War.[1] But, foremost on his mind was his recent trip to the Holy Land. On Christmas Eve, 1865, Rev. Brooks found himself in the fields outside of Bethlehem where he gazed into the starlit skies just as the shepherds had done long ago. He went to Bethlehem to visit the very spot where Jesus was born. And, it was there that hope was rekindled in his heart. When he returned home, Brooks often thought about the serenity he felt that night he spent in the “Little Town of Bethlehem.” Three years later, he wrote a poem for his Christmas sermon that captured his experience. Eventually, the church organist put the poem to music and gave life to this wonderful Christmas carol.[2]
But, today the skies above Bethlehem are not so peaceful as they were when Rev. Brooks gazed into the heavens. As the war continues between Israel and Hamas, there appears to be many “fears” throughout the Middle East and the rest of the world as well. During recent Christmas seasons, Bethlehem has been decorated with festive Christian themes to celebrate Jesus’ birth. But, this year, the Palestinian government in the city of Bethlehem voted to strip down anything pertaining to the celebration of Christmas. The Jerusalem Post reports: “The West Bank city of Bethlehem, famous for being the birthplace of Jesus Christ in the New Testament, has declared that they will be removing all decorations celebrating the annual holiday of Christmas.” On the city’s Facebook page, the following announcement recently appeared: “Bethlehem Municipality crews announced the dismantling of Christmas decorations installed several years ago in the city's neighborhoods and [are] removing all festive appearances in honor of the martyrs and in solidarity with our people in Gaza.”[3]
But here’s something we always need to remember: Our hope as Christians is not founded upon Christmas decorations in Bethlehem. Nor is our hope diminished by the fears of war. Our hope is founded upon our Savior, Jesus Christ. The Christmas Carol, “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” reminds us that when Jesus came into this world, “the hopes and fears of all the years” converged with His arrival. The story of His birth clearly teaches this. When looking to the Scriptures, we will see that our hope in Christ conquers all the fears that this world may throw in our paths.
To see this, let’s start with Zechariah, a priest who served in the Temple of Jerusalem not long before Jesus’ birth. Luke’s Gospel includes Zechariah and his wife, Elizabeth, in the Christmas story because they were the parents of John the Baptist. When John grew to be a young man, he played a crucial role in preparing the hearts and minds of the people for Jesus’ coming ministry. And so, John’s birth was a great and blessed event that occurred about six months prior to Jesus’ own birth. John’s coming birth was so important that God sent the angel Gabriel to Zechariah to let him know what a wonderful child he and Elizabeth would be bringing into the world. Zechariah had always wanted a son and had prayed fervently that his wife would become pregnant. But, as the years passed by, she and Zechariah lived well past child-bearing years. So, when this angel came to him while he was alone in the holiest place of the Temple, burning the sacred incense,[4] Zechariah was unprepared for the news the angel, Gabriel, was about to bear.
Luke’s Gospel tells us: 11 “Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 13 But the angel said to him: ‘Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John. 14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord.’” Luke 1:11-15 (NIV) Now this is quite remarkable. Here, we have a priest in the Temple who reacts in great fear when an angel appeared announcing the answer to his prayers! But, I am afraid it only gets worse. Once Zechariah pulled himself together, his reaction was no better because he then asked Gabriel a terrible question. And, it was a terrible question because it was filled with doubt. Luke continues by telling us: 18 “Zechariah asked the angel, ‘How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.’ 19 The angel answered, ‘I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news!” Luke 1:18-19 (NIV) You can see from this that Gabriel was both amazed and offended that a man of God asked such a question. As a priest, Zechariah should not have been so faithless. Afterall, he should have remembered that, centuries before this, God had answered Abraham’s similar prayers by allowing his wife, Sarah, to bear a son even though she and Abraham were advanced in years. Gabriel must have figured, if that was all Zechariah had to say, it would be better that he not say anything more at all. And so, Gabriel told him: “And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their proper time.” Luke 1:20 (NIV)
There is an important lesson in this. We can understand Zechariah being startled by an angel’s appearance. Most anyone would be shaken a bit by something like that. But, what is neither understandable nor excusable was that he, a man of God, allowed his fears to override his faith. And so, rather than responding to the angel’s news with great joy, he responded with fear and doubt. But, fear is incompatible with good news—especially when it is the Good News of Jesus Christ! It should not generate fear in the faithful, but hope. Gabriel told Zechariah, “‘Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard.” (Luke 1:13) Satan and his fallen angels tell people exactly the opposite. They urge them to fear, and they are delighted when people are paralyzed by their fears. But, God’s Word dispels our fears of worldly things and frees us to respond to God’s grace. We can see this elsewhere in the Story of Christmas with a group of men who certainly did not have the advantages of the priesthood, as Zechariah did. And yet, these men would not allow fear to paralyze them.
Who am I talking about? Well, they were the shepherds watching their flocks by night on the outskirts of Bethlehem. Yes, the shepherds were gazing into the night sky on the night Jesus was born, just as Rev. Brooks would do 18 centuries later. They, like him, would never forget that night. Again, it is Luke’s Gospel that provides an account of the shepherds’ experience:
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were TERRIFIED. 10 But the angel said to them, "DO NOT BE AFRAID. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; HE IS CHRIST THE LORD. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." 13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." 15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about." 16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. Luke 2:8-18 (NIV)
The Shepherds never had the advantage of all the religious training that Zechariah had received as a priest. They never went to any seminary. The shepherds didn’t have access to all the bible studies, faith-based books and bible study DVD’s available to us today. But, they were familiar with God’s promise of a coming Messiah. And, they knew that God is always faithful in fulfilling all His promises. When the angel announced to them that “a Savior” had been born and that He was “Christ the Lord,” it was the same as saying the Messiah had finally arrived![5] And, when they heard this, they believed. Their faith kicked in and their fears subsided. Unlike Zechariah whose doubts basically paralyzed him, the shepherds’ faith gave wings to their feet. They literally raced to Bethlehem! You see, faith is an equal opportunity resource. You don’t have to be among the great, powerful or privileged to take advantage of it. In fact, the Christmas story demonstrates that God rewards the faith of plain, ordinary people and uses them to accomplish monumental things. Joseph and Mary provide the most obvious examples of this.
Joseph and Mary were visited by angels too. As with Zachariah and the shepherds, the angels told them: “Do not be afraid.”[6] But, there is no indication that either of them was actually frightened by the angels’ visits. While it’s true that the Scriptures say Mary was “troubled” or “perplexed”[7] by all that the angel announced, this simply indicates than she had thoughtful questions about this wonderful news. It does not show any fear or lack of faith on her part. Both Joseph and Mary had extraordinary faith. And where faith is strong, there is no room for fear and doubt. Again, this was in stark contrast to Zachariah.[8]
Reflecting upon this, Christian writer, Patty Knap, states: “When our faith is strongest, we’re likely to hold more hope. When our faith is weakened, fear can take over. . . Naturally we want the hope that isn’t just, ‘I HOPE SO, but ‘I KNOW SO.’ Yet a crisis, a life altering blow can rock our reliance on God. The fear can be exhausting, paralyzing. And that’s for those of us with faith!. . . The birth of Jesus Christ brought all the HOPES AND FEARS OF ALL OF HUMANITY TOGETHER IN HIS PLAN FOR OUR SALVATION. This Christmas we can ask and allow Him to overcome our fears with His hope. Not the hope of, ‘I HOPE SO,’ but the certain hope of ‘I KNOW SO.’”[9] The Apostle Paul knew all about the kind of faith that says, “I KNOW SO!” Paul described that kind of faith when he said: “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)
You see, it wasn’t so much that Zechariah lacked faith. His problem was that when initially approached by the angel, he failed to remember that the story of Abraham and Sarah was not merely a “story”—it was a reality. And, the reality was that God had been faithful in hearing their prayers and granted them a son even though they were quite old. Sure, it sounded “impossible,” but as the angel also told Mary: “Nothing is impossible with God.” Luke 1:37 (NIV) During the trials and difficulties of life, we need to remember that as well—remember God’s faithfulness, His goodness and His grace are the very things that sustain us when the fears and doubts of life come calling. And, make no mistake about it, they will surely come.
This Christmas, remember that the “Christmas Story” is not a mere “story.” It is a reality. It is as real as the war that now rages in Gaza. It is as real as any headline on the front pages of today’s newspapers or websites. And yet, the Good News of Jesus’ birth still garners mixed reactions from those who hear it. Some see Christmas as just another day off from work, or merely a time to receive gifts—maybe do a little partying. Others prefer eliminating Christ altogether. Store fronts and TV ads opt to refer to this time of year as the “Holiday Season”, but rarely do they refer to it as CHRISTMAS. Public school officials label it the “Winter Break” and cringe when little children mention the name of “BABY JESUS”. The kids can sing “Frosty the Snowman,” but never will you hear “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” in the classrooms of our public schools. I am afraid the former is quite familiar to the kids of today, but the latter is something that many of them know nothing about. For them, the “hopes and fears of all the years” is a lyric that has been suppressed. The tragedy is that when the “fears” of life descend upon them, they will lack the only true source of hope available to them. They won’t know what the 19th century pastor and writer, Alexander Maclaren, meant when he said: “Only he who can say, ‘The Lord is the strength of my life,’ can also say, ‘Of whom shall I be afraid?’”[10]
And so, Christmas reminds us to listen to the advice of angels and “fear not.” Why?—Oswald Chambers, the great preacher of yesteryear explains: “The remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God, you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God, you fear everything else.”[11] And Norman Vincent Peale rightly added: “The cure for fear is faith.”[12] And so, with that in mind, we sing, “O, Little Town of Bethlehem, how still we see Thee lie!” Yes, the town will be still this Christmas. But, the stars in the sky over that town will still be just as bright. They will be heavenly ornaments assuring us that the faithfulness of our Savior is just as strong as ever. Yes—the hopes and fears of all the years are found in the person of Jesus Christ. All the fears in the world are no match for His love. The message of the angels on that first Christmas is just as true today as it was 2,000 years ago. Their angelic voices remind us that fear imprisons, but Jesus liberates; fear paralyzes, Jesus empowers; fear disheartens, Jesus encourages; fear sickens, Jesus heals; fear makes useless, Jesus empowers you to serve! And, most of all, fear brings hopelessness to the heart, but Jesus brings joy and delight in the salvation only He can offer![13] It was true for Abraham, Sarah, Zechariah, Elizabeth, the shepherds, Mary and Joseph, and even for Rev. Phillips Brooks. . . AND IT REMAINS TRUE FOR YOU TODAY!
Let us pray.
Darvin Satterwhite, Pastor
Forest Hill Baptist Church
November 26, 2023
©2023 All Rights Reserved as follows:
Anyone is at liberty to use this sermon or any portions thereof for educational or religious purposes, with or without credit. The pastor believes the material presented herein to be true to the teaching of Scripture, and desires to further, not restrict, its potential use as an aid in the study of God’s Word. The publication of this material is a grace ministry of Forest Hill Baptist Church in Louisa, Virginia.
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[1] Charlene Mires, “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” https://philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/essays/o-little-town-of-bethlehem/ (2018).
[2] “What are the lyrics to ‘O Little Town of Bethlehem’ – and why are there two versions?” Classic FM, https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/occasions/christmas/o-little-town-of-bethlehem-lyrics-composer-history/#:~:text=‘O%20Little%20Town%20of%20Bethlehem’%20is%20one%20of,the%20story%2C%20the%20spot%20where%20Jesus%20was%20born. (December 6, 2019).
[3] Danielle Greyman-Kennard, “Jesus' birthplace removes all Christmas decorations in honor of Hamas 'martyrs,’” The Jerusalem Post, https://www.jpost.com/christianworld/article-773488 (November 16, 2023).
[4] Butler, Trent. Holman New Testament Commentary: Luke. Edited by Max Anders. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman, 2000. WORDsearch CROSS e-book. This commentary explains: “He had the awesome responsibility of entering the holy place, just in front of the Holy of Holies where God was present with his people. There on the incense altar he burned the special spices. Their aroma symbolized the prayers of the people ascending to God. As the incense burned, Zechariah would fall to the floor in humble prayer.”
[5] Blight, Richard C. Exegetical Summary of Luke 1-11, An. Dallas, TX: SIL International, 2008. WORDsearch CROSS e-book.
[6] Matthew 1:20 “As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. ‘Joseph, son of David,’ the angel said, ‘do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit.’” (NLT2) Luke 1:30 “But the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.’” (NIV)
[7] Luke 1:29 “Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.” (NIV) Luke 1:29 “But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was.” (NASB)
[8] The Moody Bible Commentary.
[9] Patty Knap, “The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight,” Aleteia, https://aleteia.org/ (December 24, 2017).
[10] Draper, Edythe. Draper's Book of Quotations for the Christian World. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1992. WORDsearch CROSS e-book (“Fear”—quote by Alexander Maclaren).
[11] Draper, Edythe. Draper's Book of Quotations for the Christian World. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1992. WORDsearch CROSS e-book (“Fear”—quote by Oswald Chambers).
[12] Draper, Edythe. Draper's Book of Quotations for the Christian World. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1992. WORDsearch CROSS e-book (“Fear”—quote Norman Vincent Peale).
[13] Draper, Edythe. Draper's Book of Quotations for the Christian World. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1992. WORDsearch CROSS e-book (“Fear”—quote a paraphrase of quote by Harry Emerson Fosdick).
