We all know that Christmas is about Jesus. Yet for residents of Bethlehem, Christmas has always been about Jesus, as well as about welcoming pilgrims. According to Luke's account of the nativity, Mary and Joseph found no place "in the inn" (2:7, NRSV). As Kenneth Bailey has argued, "inn" is best understood as "guest room." Even if he's right (and I think he is), the irony of the NRSV translation is this: in 2009 most of the hotels in Bethelehem have plenty of space for guests. Most groups come to the Church of the Nativity for a brief visit and then leave (I know I've said this before in earlier blogs). But now on Christmas eve it's particularly relevant.Watch this Al Jazeera video by journalist Nour Odeh about "Bethlehem's Christmas Blues." It shows us the current reality in Bethlehem. (Thanks to Rachelle Friesen for alerting me to this piece).
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