BETHLEHEM: the word can have a magical ring to it. It almost has a fairy tale quality to it. When I hear the word Bethlehem, more often than not the images that come to my mind are of children’s school nativity plays and prettily arranged nativity scenes. It is a dream-like place of child angels with tinsel halos and a sweet little Mary and Joseph with tea towel hats and a baby doll for Jesus.

The couple of weeks leading up to Christmas are full of this magical Bethlehem. We sing about it in carols and we talk about it in church and school, and we have seen it on Christmas cards and Advent calendars.

But there is another Bethlehem, the real Bethlehem as it exists at the end of 2017. It is a real town set in the Judean hills. Over the last 60 years, it has not always been a magical place but one of tensions and violence. What a shame that it is so different from the Bethlehem of our imagination where everything sparkles and it even snows at Christmas.

But there is hope. As a Christian I believe there always is. Not least because Bethlehem was not a magic place when Jesus was born there either. It was a part of Roman occupied territory, with an oppressed people. Welcome to the real world, Jesus son of Mary! There was no tinsel on his manger.

Bethlehem is and was real. There long ago one more human baby was delivered and greeted the world with crying. There began a unique life that showed us forever the love which is at the heart of the universe.

The Rev John Dixon, St Michael and All Angels, Hawkshead