Small Town, Big Story

Phillips Brooks was the minister of Holy Trinity Church in Philadelphia and visited Bethlehem in December of 1865. When Pastor Brooks traveled to the Holy Land, the journey included a horseback ride from Jerusalem to Bethlehem on Christmas Eve. Back then, it truly was a small village, far removed from the bustling city it would later become. By nightfall, he was in the field where, according to tradition, the shepherds heard the angelic announcement. Then he attended the Christmas Ev...