It’s Christmas 2025.
In Bethlehem, the birthplace of Christ, things are returning to normal this year. The past two Christmases, there were no traditional processions, no celebrations of Christmas; the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023 made that impossible.
War continued. Christians, who are in the minority even in Bethlehem itself, would celebrate Christmas quietly.
Bethlehem has nearly 30,000 residents, and nearly all of them rely on tourism, especially this time of year. It’s impossible to have measurable tourism income during a war.
At long last, there’s a cease fire in Gaza; the war, hopefully, is coming to an end.
A Christmas Truce
Christmas 1914 was the last time there was a significant war that had a Christmas Truce. World War I — “The Great War,” until another, larger, greater war forced it to adopt a Roman numeral — went on pause for a day. Imagine that: soldiers put differences aside for a day, shared pleasantries, even played soccer together. It sounds unbelievable.
As the Imperial War Museum tells us in this video, it…happened throughout the Western Front.
It seems differences could be put aside, even if it’s only for a day.
‘Unto Us A Child Is Born’
Interestingly, the popular scripture verse is from the Old Testament, from Isaiah Chapter 9, verse 6:
“For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
Call it foreshadowing, or prophecy.
In Bethlehem, 2000-plus years ago, the Christ Child arrived in a manger. Shepherds watched over Mother and Child; wise men came from the East with gifts.
In 1914, in Europe, war paused, ever so briefly, with hopes for peace.
Today, in Bethlehem, and throughout the world, may the birth of Christ bring you hope, and may it bring us all peace.
God Bless.
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