History

In 1865, on Christmas Eve, a New England pastor named Phillips Brooks made the trek from Jerusalem to Bethlehem on horseback. His entourage passed by the fields from where the shepherds were visited by an angel and through the quiet streets of Bethlehem—then with a population of only 4,000 or so.

Brooks would never be the same. Just a few short years later in the winter of 1868, he wrote a poem with these words, and asked his church’s organist, Lewis Henry Redner, to put it to music to be performed with the children’s Christmas Sunday School that year. The two men never thought the song would live beyond that Christmas, but over 150 years later, it’s still a treasured carol for children and adults alike.

Devotion

The town of Bethlehem was small, modest, and unassuming—until it wasn’t. In Micah 5, the prophet foretells that Bethlehem, a place “too small to be among the clans of Judah,” will deliver unto us a Savior and a Shepherd. Verse 5 of that same chapter delivers a simple hope about the coming Messiah: “And he shall be their peace.”

God often uses the smallest vessels for the largest blessings. We can look to Moses, who pleaded with God that he wasn’t the right man for the job. Or take Gideon in Judges 7, where God asked Gideon many times to shrink the size of his force before taking on the enemy. It’s counter-intuitive, but there is a purpose.

God wants every blessing to point to Him because, after all, all blessings come from Him in the first place. It should come as no surprise that the greatest blessing the world has ever received arrived through humble means, in a humble place, in the form of a humble baby.

That little town of Bethlehem slept on their promise, but God didn’t need fanfare. As the carol says, “meek souls will receive Him still,” and that’s a good reason to rejoice.

Do you know your purpose? In a broad sense, it is very much the same as anyone else —to preach Christ crucified (1 Corinthians 1:23). How God has created you to fulfill that purpose is something only you can know. Bethlehem had it easy—their fate was foretold about 700 years before it would come to pass.

Whatever the case, never think yourself too small or insignificant to see God’s mission fulfilled in you. Don’t sleep on the purpose and promise that God has given you.

God delivered a prophecy for Bethlehem 700 years before it would take place, but even then He was working behind the scenes to maneuver the circumstances for His promise to be fulfilled. He does the same thing in each of us. Embrace His promise and His purpose for you today. God never lies and He never leaves a promise hanging.

From the most unassuming place, the Savior of all mankind was born. What can He do in you?

Related Scripture

Micah 5:1-6, Judges 7:1-9, 1 Corinthians 1:4-9; 26-31

O Little Town of Bethlehem lyrics

O little town of Bethlehem
How still we see thee lie
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
The silent stars go by
Yet in thy dark streets shineth
The everlasting Light
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in thee tonight

For Christ is born of Mary
And gathered all above
While mortals sleep, the angels keep
Their watch of wondering love
O morning stars together
Proclaim the holy birth
And praises sing to God the King
And Peace to men on earth

How silently, how silently
The wondrous gift is given!
So God imparts to human hearts
The blessings of His heaven.
No ear may hear His coming,
But in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive him still,
The dear Christ enters in.

O holy Child of Bethlehem
Descend to us, we pray
Cast out our sin and enter in
Be born to us today
We hear the Christmas angels
The great glad tidings tell
O come to us, abide with us
Our Lord Emmanuel

O Little TOwn of Bethlehem Lyric Video

What to know about O LIttle Town of Bethlehem:

• Who wrote “O Little Town of Bethlehem”?

  • A New England pastor named Phillips Brooks wrote O Little Town of Bethlehem

• When was “O Little Town of Bethlehem” written?

  • Phillips Brooks wrote O Little Town of Bethlehem in 1868, first as a poem, and later as a song that his church’s organist, Lewis Henry Redner wrote the tune for.

• What is “O Little Town of Bethlehem” about?

  • "O Little Town of Bethlehem" is a Christmas carol that reflects on the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem, as told in the Bible. It is a reflective and contemplative carol that invites listeners to meditate on the significance of the nativity and the hope that the birth of Jesus brings to the world.