Please add this worship song to your online church sermon, morning devotion, or evening quiet time.
Today’s song is “Because of Bethlehem” performed by Matthew West
“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
John 3: 16 (NIV)
“For to us a child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
Isaiah 9:6 (NIV)
“As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Now remain in My love. If you keep My commands, you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commands and remain in His love. I have told you this so that My joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”
John 15: 9-11 (NIV)
Because of Bethlehem
As he often does, Matthew West does not waste a word in “Because of Bethlehem” to connect and share the Gospel Message of Christ’s birth, sacrificial death, and the promise of our amazing, joyful, eternal future. As we listen, let’s step back 2000 years and imagine the awe, wonder, and magnitude that heaven and earth would have experienced at the birth of Jesus.
Imagine “a tiny beating heart has all of creation leaning in.” Can you visualize all of the heavens and the earth, all creation, every star, every angel, every living thing, holding its breath? How could the entire universe grasp the reality of God becoming man? The silence, awe, disbelief, and magnitude of this event are beyond human understanding.
Imagine the “tiny baby’s cry,” a sound that would ignite the singing and praises of the angels. This tiny sound can still echo in our hearts 2000 years later.
Imagine the silence now broken by the revelation of Christ as King, where “the Wise Men found the answer,” “the Shepherds found the Lamb,” and where today “I found my Emmanuel, Because of Bethlehem.”
Imagine this baby’s tiny legs, which would one day walk the path to Calvary for the sins of all mankind, for you and me. Imagine this baby’s tiny arms, which once stretched out to Mary, would later be stretched out upon the cross to carry the weight of the world’s burdens and sins.
Imagine this tiny baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, yet destined to be wrapped in burial linens for the tomb, not as a final resting place but as a gateway, as He would victoriously burst forth in Resurrecting Power to defeat Satan, secure the deed of the Kingdom, and secure our eternity. He was born to die so that we might truly live.
The King of Kings of Glory would do this as the ultimate sacrifice, a sacrifice of love we could never fully comprehend.
We read in Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Christ’s appearance did not end as a physical presence. Jesus Himself promised the gift of the Holy Spirit so that God would no longer be only with us (Emmanuel) but, through the Spirit, would dwell within us. This is critical because when we invite the Holy Spirit as our guide, we are never alone as we navigate this world, our troubles, or any darkness.
Because of Bethlehem, we have a joy the world cannot take away; an unshakeable, everlasting joy, a joy in His presence, a joy that is restored and fulfilled, and an inexpressible, glorious joy.
“They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.”
Isaiah 35:10
“You make known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand.”
Psalm 16:11
“So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.”
John 16:22
”Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.”
1 Peter 1:8
Jesus promises that He has gone to prepare our eternal home.
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in Me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”
John 14: 1-3
This Christmas, enjoy the manger and the gift of this tiny baby boy. Stop and praise with awe and wonder, but be sure to look beyond the manger to the cross, the empty tomb, and the resurrection. Importantly, be filled with everlasting joy. Do not miss the gift of the Holy Spirit, with His guidance and direction. Take hold of the truth that Jesus has gone to prepare a place for you, a place of joy, peace, love, life, and eternal life in Jesus Christ.
In Christ,
Lou-Anne
If this Song of Praise was a blessing and encouragement to you, if you know someone who needs comfort, encouragement or hope, or someone who loves to sing and dance with Contemporary Christian Music, please contact me.
Because of Bethlehem
Lyric Highlights
“Just a tiny nowhere town with a tiny no-room inn
This is where the greatest story ever told begins
Where just a tiny beating heart had all creation leaning in
That night the world forever changed because of Bethlehem”
“It’s where a star led to a stable
A baby’s cry made angels sing
And the search to find a savior
Led to Heaven’s humble King”
“Where the wise men found the answer
The shepherds found the lamb
And I found my Emmanuel
Because of Bethlehem”
“From a Child in a Cradle to a King upon a Cross
He knew the road was leading Him to pay a crimson cost
And when no other arms could carry
The weight of all our sin”
“He took the fall and it happened all
Because of Bethlehem”
“He who came to Earth from Heaven is coming back again
And our eyes will see eternity because of Bethlehem”
May we grow together in the love of Christ to reflect upon the mercies and blessings upon our lives, to feel the presence of God’s living Holy Spirit through worship to sing, pray, laugh, dance, cry, but mostly to praise our Lord and Father as we were indeed created2praise.