O Little Town of Bethlehem

 

But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.

—Micah 5:2

At any time in history, most little towns would be considered insignificant. I know this first hand because I grew up in a little town of approximately 2,000 people. In my personal experience, this place ranked as a very significant town. As I judge significance, neither New York city, nor Houston, Texas, nor any other large city can compare to the importance of my little hometown.

In His scheme of things, through the prophet Micah, God declared the superior significance of little Bethlehem. From that insignificant little town would come the One toward whom history had marched for millions of years, and the One to whom every knee will one day bow, in heaven and on earth.

In our modern culture, we seem to think that the significance of size matters a great deal. We like the big box stores, the big SUVs, big city life, and even mega-churches. In my study of the Book of Revelation, I learned in Revelation 3:8 that, in His message to the church of Philadelphia, God said:

“I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.”

What a commendation! This small church was less influential and seemingly more insignificant than others, but God spoke to them in order to encourage them and promise them a future of blessing because they had endured and persevered.

When we consider our small churches, the ones that stay faithful to the truth of the Scriptures and, year after year, humbly minister to their people and the communities around them, we know that God does not overlook them. He sees the small churches and He often uses them to nurture great families, who see their sons and daughters do mighty things for Him.

When we think of the Christmas events and the people who witnessed the birth of the Savior, we find that among them were small, unremarkable men and women, whom God used to spread the glorious news of Jesus’ birth. Yes, the Magi came and presented great gifts, but the lowly shepherds also came and then went out to spread the word of Jesus’ birth wherever they went. Mary and Joseph themselves, so poor that they had to bring pigeons instead of lambs to the temple, had been especially called by God for a most significant responsibility.

When we look at ourselves, or our little towns, or our struggling churches, we must remember that God does not make the same assumptions of greatness that our culture does. He sees ways in which He can most often use the small to carry out His work in the most startling of ways.