How Broken Glass Became Christmas Hope in Bethlehem | Rick Steves

In the debut episode of a new occasional series, The Day1 Interview, I had the honor of sitting down with Rick Steves, longtime travel teacher, storyteller, and Lutheran Christian, for a conversation about faith lived in the world. Rather than offering abstract theology, Rick shares a story that lingers long after the telling. A story of broken glass, Christmas trees, and an eternal light that refuses to go out.

Rick has spent decades helping people see the world with curiosity and care, but in this moment, he invited us into something quieter and far more fragile. He speaks about Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb, longtime pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem, and about a Christmas shaped not by sentimentality, but by courage.

In Advent, we return again and again to the question of light. Not abstract light. Not metaphorical light. But light that shines precisely where we wish it did not have to. Rick’s story is a reminder that Christian witness is not about escaping darkness, but about choosing to reflect light anyway.

If you want to learn more about Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb’s work as a theologian and peace-builder in Bethlehem, his leadership at the Dar al-Kalima University College of Arts and Culture offers a deeper window into the faith that shaped this moment.

Watch the Clip

Transcript

Rev. Dr. Katie Givens Kime
So every year, Rick, the Christmas story meets us again in whatever darkness we are living through, personal or global. So where have you seen light breaking through lately?

Rick Steves
I like to be inspired by people of great faith, and somebody that really connects with me is Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb. For 30 years, he was the pastor at Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem, and he's an amazing guy.

And he's committed his whole life to peace and justice in the West Bank and Palestine, and he's a Christian leader, and Palestine has a Christian community. It's tough for Christians in the Holy Land now.

Rev. Dr. Katie Givens Kime
Yes, it is.

Rick Steves
But Palestine, actually, in the West Bank, there's a law they've incorporated into their society—safeguards. So they always have Christians and people in positions of power, and the mayor of Bethlehem will always be a Christian. That's just the law.

You have to be a Christian to be the mayor of Bethlehem. If there's one Christian left in Bethlehem, that's the mayor. And Mitri has this beautiful church and a beautiful school, and a beautiful program, bringing kids from different parts of the community together, peacefully, giving them something joyful and something promising, and something not war-torn, like so many Palestinians are living through right now.

And in his church, once with an incursion—you know, and Israel's got its reasonable concerns about its safety, and I'm all for Israeli safety and all that kind of stuff—but the Israelis broke the windows as they were crashing through his school in the chapel.

And all that stained glass fell down and broke, and Mitri gathered the broken shards of that glass. And the next Christmas, this was the ornaments of Christmas on the Christmas tree. That's what Mitri does.

He takes the broken shards of his windows and he hangs them on the Christmas tree the next year. In a spirit of "let's just live together" and "let's focus on what's right," you know, and celebrate our differences.

And that's—I've never told that story, and I've never kind of cried when I said it. But that is inspiring to me, and I get to stumble on those kinds of things because I'm out there, you know, just doing my travels.

And there's so many of those just beautiful people. The world's filled with beautiful people in the places you'd expect to find the least.

Reflection

Advent does not deny the darkness. It names it. Yet it insists that darkness is never the final word. Rick’s story of broken stained glass becoming Christmas ornaments offers a living illustration of the Gospel’s quiet defiance: light still shines.

For preachers and theology educators, this moment invites reflection on Christian witness as something embodied, not abstract. Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb’s response was not a sermon delivered from safety, but a practice shaped by hope. Broken pieces were not discarded. They were lifted, reframed, and allowed to reflect light again.

This story echoes the heart of Advent theolog, that God’s light enters the world not through power, but through vulnerability. The manger instead of the palace. Broken shards instead of perfect panes. Faith practiced as presence.

Consider these questions as you reflect:
- Where have you seen light breaking through in places marked by loss or division?
- What broken pieces in your own context might still reflect God’s light?
- How might Christian witness look different if it focused more on presence than persuasion?

Explore the Full Sermon and Conversation

Rick Steves’ story is part of a wider conversation. Listen to Rick Steves: The Day Interview and a sermon offered by Rev. Dr. Katie Givens Kime entitled "Keep on Travelin'!" in this special episode of Day1.

Explore Rev. Dr. Katie Givens Kime’s full sermon from episode 4213 >>>