O Little Town

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One December, a few weeks before Christmas, I went down to the square of my hometown to pass out flyers for a Christmas event at my church. I grew up several miles outside of town, so I didn’t frequent the block very often, except for the parade on Memorial Day every year.

All the shops kneel in a square, as if they’re revering the big, marbled county courthouse in the center. Bundled in a coat and with flyers under my arm, I walked from shop to shop, popping in on the barber behind his chair, saying hello to the lady at the pregnancy assistance center, visiting a bakery, a bridal store, and the White Rose diner where men in work uniforms called out to waitresses who seemed to know them by name. 

This experience stands out because it was like putting my ear to the chest of my hometown, hearing its heartbeat. Online shopping and curbside pick-up these days are wonderful (I use them often), but sometimes we forget that businesses are made up of real people in brick storefronts just doing their thing. 

Last Tuesday, I went Christmas shopping in the not-so-small town nearby, where I still get lost and can’t figure out how to circle back to the Interstate. Even in a city with as many veins and arteries as this one, kind people met me in their workplaces. 

An old guy named Shawn helped me find something in the Garden Center at Lowe’s. When he’d located it, he pulled a little card out of his pocket and asked if I wouldn’t give him a good review? He won Employee of the Month, he said, and was up for regionals. I gave him all five of my stars. 

The girl at the craft store said she’s hoping to pick up crochet over Christmas break, and the butchers at the meat shop talked about last night’s football game behind the counter. 

Last Christmas, Jared and I spent much of our time in the small town of Charleston, Arkansas, where he was pastoring. I remember spending an afternoon at the only coffee shop in town, talking with the owner for half an hour. Then, we walked across the street and pushed open the door of an art shop to hear the business owner singing Mary, Did You Know? so loud and beautiful it went up to the high ceilings.

This is one of the many reasons I love to shop local—because it puts me in the path of people, real people, in small towns who are trying to make a living like the rest of us. It also reminds me that God-In-Flesh came to earth, and out of all the cities and kingdoms He could have descended upon, he chose O Little Town of Bethlehem—Bethlehem Ephrathah, who was too little to be among the clans of Judah. 

“From you shall come forth for me
one who is to be ruler in Israel,
whose coming forth is from of old,
from ancient days.”
~ Micah 5:2

God has never waited to choose people and places to serve His purposes until they’ve proven themselves mighty and great (1 Cor. 1:26-31). From of old, he chose little Bethlehem to be the place where His Son’s heartbeat was first heard in the world. From ancient days, he chose Joseph of the City of David, shepherds from nearby pastures, and an overcrowded village inn to welcome the King of Heaven to earth.

And Bethlehem wouldn’t be the last small town He would visit. 

“And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction” (Matt. 9:35).

Jesus came for sinful, ordinary people in small (and big) places. He came for the barber, baker, butcher, and barista. He came for little towns like ours, little people like us—not so we could stay small in our sin, but so He could set a bigger work before us than we ever deserved to take part in. With us, He isn’t just building Small Town America, but a kingdom that cannot be shaken (Heb. 12:28).

Ours is the song of Mary’s: “He has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate” and “Holy is His name” (Luke 1:52, 49).

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^“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;
he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor,
and the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all who mourn;
to grant to those who mourn in Zion—
to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;
that they may be called oaks of righteousness,
the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.
They shall build up the ancient ruins;
they shall raise up the former devastations;
they shall repair the ruined cities,
the devastations of many generations.”

Isaiah 61:1-4