Let's Do Christmas Like They Do It In Texas

In Burnet, Texas they remember the real reason for the season. Come on ya'll. Come with me to Main Street Bethlehem.

As you approach the walls of the city of Bethlehem, you notice families huddled around campfires cooking their evening meals and trying to stay warm. They have not been able to find room in the city, because it is so crowded. They've all come to be counted by Caesar Augustus and to pay their taxes.

Once inside the gates there is much to see. You will have to move slowly through the streets. They are filled with bustling crowds of people from the countryside. You can peek in the windows of the local tavern, have a sample of tasty hot Bethlehem bread, see the local citizens, Roman soldiers and more.


The shops and bazaars are open late into the night to accommodate visitors. People line up to pay the tax collector. To help him determine how much your tax will be he will ask you questions like, "how many children and animals do you have?" If you are poor and not able to give Caesar his portion of your livelihood a Roman soldier will come and take you to jail.

Once your taxes are taken care of, you can shop at the many stalls in the bazaar. Perhaps you need some fine camel thread or maybe a woven reed mat on which to place your lambswool rug for sleeping.

Maybe you would like to buy some fine jewelry made from Roman coins or perhaps a few freshly dipped candles would suit your needs tonight. The blacksmith is hard at work in the square. Do you need some new tools for farming? People push and jostle one another. A friendly woman explains that she is grinding meal as her mother and her mother's mother before her have done.

A family calls out to you from their home. They offer you a drink of water and a bit of cheese and bread. "Please join us stranger, you look tired and hungry." They are happy to share supper with you but their house is already overcrowded, you will have to keep looking for a place to sleep. All of the Inns are full tonight.

After you have spent a few moments of respite in the home of your kind new friends you wish them shalom and once again continue on your way still searching for a room to spend the night in. Along the way, you see camels, many goats and sheep as well as a Roman chariot.

You hear the shofar calling you to worship and slip into the synagogue to say a prayer asking God for His help in finding room in one of the local Inns.

As you come back out into the street you overhear a shepherd telling a shopkeeper that he has seen a host of angels telling of the birth of the Messiah. He has come to Bethlehem to see the baby they told him of.

You decide to go see for yourself. On the way you pass the local carpenter's shop.

It is then that you notice the star in the sky. It is big and even brighter than the moon tonight.

You walk around the corner, behind the Inn. It is here that you see more shepherds and then in a stable you see him. You see a swaddling babe, the Light of the World, Immanuel, God with us, the Prince of Peace.

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. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." Luke 2: 10-12

As you leave Bethlehem, you are invited to have some hot chocolate and cookies.

My son and his family have made a visit to Bethlehem one of their Christmas traditions every year since they moved to Texas. They invited me out last week so that I could make the trip with them. If you are ever in the area, Main Street Bethlehem is not to be missed.