Christmas Bread

  Bethlehem is a Hebrew word that literally means, “house of bread.” And I think this is significant in 3 ways.

1) Christ was born in Bethlehem, "the house of bread", to identify with the common man. Jesus was not born in the house of royalty, nor the house of riches, nor the house of celebrity.
Bread is one of life’s most common things. God wanted His Son available to all. His birth was announced to shepherds, the common man, but not to King Herod. His cradle was a manger, an animal’s feeding trough in a lowly stable. You don’t have to be rich to know Him. You don’t have to be well-known or popular to know Him. Just be you.

2) Christ was born in Bethlehem to satisfy our spiritual hunger. Jesus said, " I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty." (John 6:35)
Bread is a good comparison to our Lord because He satisfies, gratifies and strengthens us spiritually just as bread does physically. Christ is all the soul of man needs for spiritual satisfaction. That fact that Jesus was born in "The House of Bread" gives us confidence that God does indeed want to choose us to be His children, no matter how insignificant we may seem to ourselves or to the world around us.

3) Christ was born in Bethlehem to show us that each of us must choose him as Savior for ourselves. If one person eats a meal, it doesn’t satisfy any other person’s hunger.
The Bible says that "we are all partakers of that one bread." (1 Cor. 1:17) That "one bread" is Christ. He is the only bread that offers life and the decision to receive Him is an individual one. He invites each of us to partake of His presence today, and everyday. Amen?