"The House Of Bread Is Open”

There are two Sundays in a year that churches everywhere see an increase in attendance. Today being one of those days, the Sunday before Christmas and the other Easter Sunday. It is funny how people will only come to church on these days, for Christmas they come to hear a message on the birth of Christ and in several months come back to hear about His death.

In essence people come to church on Christmas for a baby dedication and then will come back on Easter for a funeral!

What so many are missing out on is He is no longer in a manager nor is He in the tomb, but at the right hand of God, and for the child the God He is as close as your heart.

I have tried to figure out why it is that people love to go to church on these two days, is it an obligation, tradition, or could it be convenience; is it easier to come to church on the occasion of birth and death. Does it make it easier to see our judge as a baby and corpse?

Maybe people like the Christmas message so much because they are surrounded by the imagery of a savior as a baby. Maybe baby Jesus makes for a better savior because they have control over Him, they only have to see Him once a year and when they do He is this sweet precious little baby. They set Him where they want Him; they can place Him anywhere in the house on the mantel, coffee table, or end table, but never in the heart. The only words they hear from His mouth are coos.

As you might have guessed this is not going to be your traditionally Christmas message. I love this time of year I always have as a child, but when it comes to the Word of God I have to preach His Word, His Word molds the message not a holiday.

This is still a Christmas message, just don’t the traditionally message.

On this Sunday before Christmas I want to talk to you a little while about “The House of Bread is open”.

The word Bethlehem means “House of Bread”, within this small town called the least among the other inhabits of Judah would be the location of the coronation of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Lu 2:4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) Lu 2:11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

Before I get ahead of myself, I need to pull back on the reigns and ask why Bethlehem? What made this small town surround by much larger cities be the place where the Son of God would leave His Heavenly regal attire and throne and make His entrance into this world as the God-man in swaddling clothes and laying in a manger.

A city in the "hill country" of Judah one of the oldest towns in Palestine. It was originally called Ephrath (Gen 35:16, 19; Gen 48:7; Ruth 4:11). It was also called Beth-lehem Ephratah (Mic 5:2), Beth-lehem-judah (1Sa 17:12), and "the city of David" (Luke 2:4).

Already in existence at the time of Jacob's return to the country it is first noticed in Scripture as the place where Rachel died and was buried "by the wayside," directly to the north of the city (Gen 48:7).

A beautiful place that is cozy and quiet it is a spick on a map; this spick would mark the place when Heaven kissed earth. Mt 2:6 And thou Bethlehem, [in] the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.

I have been to Bethlehem and seen this small town located south of the city of Jerusalem and west of Jericho and the Dead Sea. It is about 5 miles south of Jerusalem, standing at an elevation of about 2,550 feet above the sea level, thus 100 feet higher than Jerusalem. From a manager He would look down on His Kingdom.

The Messiah would come to the least among them all and make it great; for the last shall be first.

This year the Christmas message will not take place in the first few chapters of the Gospels, but in the book of Ruth.

I. In the opening verses of Ruth we're introduced to a family in famine

This famine was greater than the famine of Genesis where Joseph was in charge of the grain and brought Israel into Egypt to sustain them. That famine lasted 7 years, whereas this famine would last for 10 years.