RSVP for Advent 2025

“Oh little town of Bethlehem”

You know the Christmas carol, but do you know what Bethlehem really means? The Hebrew is just consonants, no vowels. And depending how you interpret it, it could mean anything from “house of war,” to “combative clan,” to “home of the warrior,” as in the Divine Warrior. When Philip invited Nathaniel to meet Jesus, Nathaniel asked, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" He wasn't being random. in Nazareth was in Galilee, the disgraced military district of Israel, the land of Zebulun and Naftali, the commando clans who once led Israel's proud armies but were the first to be carried into exile.

Mary just wasn't just some peasant girl either. She was a Levite. No land, priestly tribe, living in a garrison town that Israel loved to hate. Think Fayetteville, NC. Think Wahiawa, HI. Think every military town that you've just driven through. And Jesus, his name's Joshua, as in military commander, son of a military dependent, born in the home of the warrior.

For 2,000 years, civilian theology has scrubbed the military context out of the Christmas story. We've turned the incarnation into something safe, something domesticated. But the text tells a different story if you're willing to read it without someone else's civilian bias.

I'm Logan Martin Isaac and on December 15th I'm leading Oh Little Town of Bethlehem, an Advent study that recovers the overlooked military context of Christ's birth. We'll explore how Bethlehem translates to House of the Fighter and how Mary and Joshua were military dependants. how Galilee was the disgraced military district where Jesus chose to begin his ministry and spent most of his time. This study invites veterans, military families, and civilian allies to see their experience reflected in circumstances surrounding the incarnation. In person in Albany, Oregon, a remote option is available, but you do need to RSVP at https://pewpewhq.com/events/2025-advent.

I'll see you there. Semper fam.