Have you ever listened closely to the words of that famous Christmas carol "O Little Town of Bethlehem?"

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.

As I have sung this song over and over, Christmas after Christmas, I have sung it without realizing what was communicated in that last line. In that line there is a description of an incredible battle that must have been raging if the hopes and fears of all the years were met in a small town like Bethlehem. What a battle is depicted here! All the hopes and all the fears from all the years coming together - in that little town? What a battle - the battle of Bethlehem! In the midst of all our merry-making and joyous mood, have we realized that Christmas is more than a baby born in Bethlehem, but that it is really about a battle of cosmic significance - a battle for hearts and minds throughout the centuries, in communities and nations where men and women have to decide, "What will direct my life? Will it be my hopes or will it be my fears?

In the midst of all our getting ready for the big day to arrive, have we paid attention to the beat of the drum or the sound of ammunition? Are we trying to ignore the battle that is raging inside and outside? Are we trying to cover it up? If not, then how do we explain all the drinking around the holidays? And how do we explain the manufactured merriment? Yet, some people refuse to give in to all the merriment. They simply choose to end their lives while we are partying and merry-making. They know very well about this battle and they give in to be defeated in the midst of it.

Yes, it is a battle of hopes and fears - in Bethlehem, yes, but also in Clay, and every place around this globe. The hopes and fears of all the years and all the years to come start competing everywhere we go. We are trapped in this battle - just as the folks were in Bethlehem. Will you travel back with me to that little village and see the battle raging? Will you look at the battle between the hopes and fears in Bethlehem that first Christmas night?

1. The Crowds. They thronged into Bethlehem for a census of the empire.
· To be counted - hope - to be counted means you are accounted for. In the midst of war it's good to be counted among the living. Perhaps their lot in life would improve. The counted for something. They were known and recorded.
· Fear that the census had no such intention. Foreign power dominating their culture had decreed they be counted. "Will they count us in order to contain us more effectively? Will it mean they will know how many soldiers need to be placed to keep us under control? Would they be branded and put in concentration camps?

2. Mary and Joseph. Decent people with significant family roots - from royalty. Their hope was maybe their roots would bring some appreciation or better social status. They had been given a glimpse by the angel of the child Mary was carrying? Was this the Messiah that Israel had hoped for? They hoped so.

· Fear that their reputation was tarnished. Mary was pregnant out of wedlock. Joseph agreed to be her husband. What will folks think of them? They were virtuous people, yet how could they explain this pregnancy? And would they be able to raise this miracle child that God had placed in their care?

3. Wise Men from the East:

Came in hope of finding One who was to be the greatest king of all. They hoped that at long last they could vindicate their minds that led them on this long quest.

· Fear - yet when they lost their trail and were uncertain, they had to inquire from Herod's court about the new king? Would their journey be exposed as a fool's errand? What if there really was no king? Would they return home bearing gold, frankincense, and myrrh ungiven, with no king to present them to?

4. Herod: Also there between the hopes and fears.

Hope - to maintain the security of his present position. He thought he had ruled well. Hoped to maintain his power and authority.

Fear - Had not anticipated a coup d-etat. Here comes Wise Men asking about some king of the Jews? Was he about to be phased out? He feared the worst and decided he had better nip this in the bud now so it would not come back to haunt him later.

5. Shepherds: Hope that they could find a better lot in life. Maybe they would at least be part of something new - something that would give them a new story to tell to their children.

· Fear - That nothing new was ever going to happen. That they would live their lives in complete burden and misery, as the poorest of the poor. Despised shepherds always. Yet, even when the angel did appear to them, they feared. Even when the new had come, they were afraid of what it meant.

6. Mothers and fathers of little children - hope that their children would grow and be protected. Would be children of good stature and enjoy a better life than they.
· Fear - there children would be destroyed - Herod on the loose!

Yes, the battle of hopes and fears is great and goes on and on. It doesn't stop in Bethlehem, does it….it continues right here:

We all want to count for something. To have a meaningful life. Yet we all fear we won't count for something.

We all want honor and dignity, good reputation, to be of good moral character.
Yet, sins lurk in our hearts and seek to do us in - will we be exposed and brought down?

We all search for ultimate worth - we like to stand for the good cause - to be on the quest that is worth something where we can place our devotion. That our hard work would produce something of worth. That our journey was not in vain.
Yet, the fear that we will end up in the wrong place and will take the wrong road.

We all would like to have security and maintain a little control and power. We are a bit like Herod aren't we? Yet, we are afraid that it might erode and we'll be left vulnerable.

We are like the shepherds, desiring something new and to be part of a greater story. Yet, we fear that we won't be. That God won't break into our history.

We are like the parents, desiring for our children. Yet we are fearful that we will lose them each time we hear of a child killed in an accident or dying of cancer.

Fear of death - Joe's mother and the battle to survive.
Fear of doing without - Family's who came to us at Christmas.

The hopes and fears are lurking and calling us to choose.

And yet, there is one we have not spoke of that was in Bethlehem on that Christmas as well. He was a new born, laid in a manger - his name was Jesus.

In the midst of all the fears and hopes, he came to rise above them and to be the Hero of the Battle. When he came into that battle raging between the hopes and fears in Bethlehem, he arranged for a cease-fire. In the midst of our battling with hopes and fears, we all need a cease-fire. Jesus brought that cease-fire. In the midst of the fight, you can't just keep at it all the time. Your energy runs out. You can't sustain the offensive all the time without going back to the depot and renewing yourself. Jesus came to be that center that calls us away form the battle to worship.

Worship is a cease-fire. Here Jesus says be still and know God. Know that the victory is won. Know that the hero has come. Take hope in the sanctuary. God will help us. We have confidence in Him.

The battle is real- we can't overlook it and we can't hide from it and we can't live as if it is not taking place. Worship is essential. It is the time to realize that God has come in our midst as the only one who can win the battle. It is the time to realize that all the battles we face in life are part of a larger cosmic struggle - Principalities and powers are at war here. The difficulty we're facing in our cities, the conflicts in the world, the break-ups of relationships, the drugs and alcohol - these are all part of the larger battle of seismic proportions. Your little battle, your little conflict is just one of the skirmishes in this greater battle. And God has said, "The battle is mine!" Christmas is the time when all our striving are put in a larger context. Jesus makes it very clear that there are many battlefields; your mind is one them and your heart as well. The church can even become on e of them. The forces are the same. The conflict between two kingdoms.

Yes, the battle is waged, but your Lord and mine comes to us and reveals the strategy. He gives us the context and says, "Look there's a bigger war going on here than you ever imagined. And he says, I have a plan based on love, power, justice, and truth. I have come to demonstrate the folly and futility of fear. I have come to expose it for what it is. It is the greatest weapon of the enemy, and I give you a bigger command and a foundation to destroy it!

What is the most sited command of Jesus? FEAR NOT!

Jesus says I'm here to recruit you and equip you to be soldiers of hope, not of fear. I have come to bring the sword of truth to you. You will be truth-tellers, peacemakers, justice-shapers, power-bearers, and love-spreaders!

Today, do you know that hero? Do you experience Him in your life - calling you into the battle and giving you what you need to be a victor?

That Hero is the Prince of Peace. He has come to bring the presence of peace in the midst of the battle. He is the eye of the storm.

Jesus has brought us into a family where we can experience victory and peace. The war's still raging. It's not come yet physically for us on this earth. It is coming. But right now the hopes and fears are still at battle. The Battle of Bethlehem is still going on. But the great hero has come to us - born into our lives - the victor of the battle. Choose hope in him. He is the peace bringer. And in him, we hall sing and triumph over fear forever!

Through him we pray and through his power we live! Amen!

*I am indebted to James Forbes for the format and idea of this sermon based on his sermon entitled "The Battle of Bethlehem."