Where would Jesus be born today?

Tuesday 19th November 2024 09:20

Suppose Jesus was to be born this Christmas, where do you think he would be born?

John 1.14 says “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” and literally the Greek says “pitched his tent among us”. Where would Jesus pitch his tent today?

When ISIS swept across Syria and Iraq they especially targeted Christians and thousands were displaced to refugee camps. There is a well-known photo on the internet of a refugee tent in a refugee camp which has been turned into a nativity scene with statues of Joseph, Mary and the baby Jesus in a manger. Those refugees wanted to say they knew Jesus had pitched his tent among them even when they were displaced and even when they were literally in a tent for the winter. 

So where would Jesus be born today? My guess is he would be among the women and children of Gaza, where so many have been killed. Or maybe he would be born in a basement beneath a bombed-out house in the Ukraine. Or if he was born in this country, he would probably be born in a bed and breakfast among the migrants who have crossed the Mediterranean and Europe.

So as we gather with our families to celebrate this Christmas, let’s remember that God “pitched his tent among us”. Let’s remember those in Hungerford who cannot afford to put their heating on and the single mums who literally have one chair in their lounge and let’s demonstrate our love for the last, the least and the lost by giving them a good listening to. Let’s have a great Christmas. 

Yours sincerely,