A Prayer to Be
like Bethlehem
Matt Mikalatos
You, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.- Micah 5:2
Nicholas lived and served in Beit Jala near Bethlehem for three years. Given the nature of the world he lived in and how leaders in the world were chosen, it’ s natural to think he might have reflected on how the God of the universe followed a different script.
In the empire, leaders were fighting and squabbling with one another, tearing at each other with words and swords, doing everything they could to gain more power, more influence, and more followers. Their rulers were hardened men of war, soldiers who seized power... or politicians who turned secrets to their advantage, liars and manipulators.
But here in Bethlehem something different had taken place. God had sent his only Son as an infant— powerless, reliant on human beings to feed and shelter him. The king of Judah, the king of Israel, the king of the world, born in a humble little town, to a humble little family, in a humble little cave.
Did Nicholas dwell on this, think about it, let it sink deep into his heart and inform the way he thought about leadership? From what we know of how he used his positions of authority later in life, it seems that he did.
“ Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth”( Matthew 5:5). Nicholas knew that
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