O Little Town of Bethlehem

the Message of the Crib

Opposite the entrance, in the North Aisle you will see a very different kind of Crib to the one you will find in the Lady Chapel.  Sold by the Amos Trust it is made out of olive wood by people living in Bethlehem.  They will receive the profits and it is their lifeline.  Why is this? Well take a look at the Crib.  What you will see on the right is the traditional Nativity Scene.   On the left, the Magi or Wise Men have journeyed to Bethlehem to see the Christ-child, only they can't.  The reason is that between the two scenes is a wall which both divides and prevents the wise men from seeing Jesus.

The scene is a symbolic one.  The reality is to be found in Bethlehem today.  The Israeli Government has erected a 9 metre high Wall of concrete.  In effect it forms a ghetto for both Christians and Muslims living in the holy city of Christ's birth.  Movement in and out is controlled by Israeli soldiers and inhabitants and tourists have to pass through a checkpoint.  It isn't always open.  It depends on the whim of the Israelis.

Behind the wall, the population of Bethlehem is slowly having the life squeezed out.  Tensions caused by claustrophobic surroundings are threatening the normal peaceful co-existence between the two faiths.  Tourism has been reduced to a trickle, tourist shops are closing down.

This is happening against the declarations and protests of the International Community (except for Australia and America).  It is happening because the Israelis want to get rid of Christians and Muslims from Christ's birth-city.  It is accepted as a form of apartheid and it's being done by a nation that was born in the Ghettoes of Eastern Europe and a people who trace their roots to the Nazi Oppression.   

The Amos Trust is working to help the Bethlehem community.  It is selling olive-wood products made by Bethlehem craftsmen and it encourages prayer and action for a fairer and more hopeful dialogue in the Holy Land between Israelis, Palestinian Muslims and Christians.  Amos Trust encourages us to pray and to act.   One simple way is to use Zaytoun Palestinian Olive Oil in cooking.  This is available from our Fairtrade stall, is an excellent product and the proceeds go to help sustain farmers in the Bethlehem area.

The message of the Crib is that the Christ-child brings new hope to our humanity.  Bethlehem begs us to pray for that hope to become a reality for them.  They want the hope of Christmas to become true.  Please pray for them and for the Israeli Government.

O sad and troubled Bethlehem

We hear your longing cry

For peace and justice to be born

and cruel oppression die

How deep your need for that great gift

Of love in human form

Let Christ in you be seen again

And hearts by hope made warm

While morning stars and evening stars

Shine out in your dark sky,

Despair now stalks your troubled streets,

Where innocents still die.

And Jesus, child of Mary,

Whose love will never cease,

Feels even now your pain and fear,

Longs with you for your peace.

Amazingly and lovingly

Jesus, the child, has come

And brought to birth through human pain,

Makes broken hearts his home,

He comes to comfort all who weep

To challenge every wrong

And living with the weak and poor,

Becomes their hope, their song.

(Wendy Ross-Barker (2001))

From Amos Trust Bethlehem Pack (pdf)