This communion meditation was given at King’s Cross Church on December 18, AD 2022.

In both Matthew and Luke’s nativity accounts we are told how Christ was born in Bethlehem, the birthplace of King David.

This was to fulfill the words of the Prophet Micah when he declared unto Bethlehem that though they are too small a city to be among the clans of Judah, from them shall come forth one who is to be the ruler of Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient of days (Micah 5).

There is another significance to the location of Bethlehem, for Bethlehem in Hebrew means “House of Bread.”

It’s interesting that in his narrative, Luke points out a seemingly minor detail not just once but three times. He notes that Mary laid her firstborn son in a manger, for there was no place for them in the inn. This detail surely highlights the humility of the incarnation, that our Lord and King was not born in a palace but a stable.

But it also points to something else. Here in Bethlehem, in the House of Bread, lays a child in a feeding trough—the One who is the Bread of Life. And here at this Table, we remember how from that day on His humility increased. This Bread of Life was eventually broken for us and for the life of the world.

So come, and welcome, to Jesus Christ.