A Little Town

 

A familiar hymn written over 150 years ago by Phillips Brooks is still sung today. This beautiful carol speaks of a colossal event that took place in a little town, and just as this song has endured the ravages of time, so too has the event.

In 1868, Brooks wrote:

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.

God exalted an obscure young virgin from a little town called Nazareth by choosing her to give birth to the Messiah, as seen in the annunciation by the Archangel Gabriel.

“Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!””

(Luke 1:26-28 NKJV)

This colossal event was prophesied 700 years before it occurred in a little town called Bethlehem (see Micah 5:1-2). A prophecy which was cited by the chief priests and scribes as recorded in the second chapter of Matthew’s Gospel.

In Micah’s prophecy, Bethlehem is paired with the name “Ephrathah” which was the ancient name for Bethlehem and is best translated “towards fruitfulness”.

So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).

(Genesis 35:19 NKJV)

So, this little town was not without significance.

Too often we see ourselves as too obscure, too unqualified, too insignificant to be fruitful. We hear from God and we ignore the message because it doesn’t fit the mould we have created of ourselves.

When Gabriel called Mary “highly favoured” and “blessed among women”, she was flabbergasted by his greeting, but he reassured her by saying,

“Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.”

(Luke 1:30 NKJV)

A young woman from a little town had found favour with God.

Beloved, God, through Jesus the Messiah, finds favour with you. Stop considering yourself as grasshoppers in your own sight and in the sight of others (Numbers 13:33). You are no grasshopper. Because of His great love for you, God sent His Son Jesus.

Understand that Jesus left the realm of no limitations to descend into a place limited by time and space, confined in a body of flesh so that you may be redeemed from inherited sin.  

God is willing to use you to birth something huge, but you have to be willing to be used by God. Won’t you allow Him to fulfil His mission in you? Won’t you allow His Son, who, on your behalf, endured more humiliation here on earth than you can ever imagine, to abide in you?

Phillips Brooks’ little carol about a little town ends with this prayer,

 O holy Child of Bethlehem,
descend to us, we pray;
cast out our sin and enter in;
be born in us today.
We hear the Christmas angels,
the great glad tidings tell;
O come to us, abide with us,
our Lord Emmanuel!

Amen †

 

Shelley Johnson “A Little Town” © 2025, December 23, 2025