Monday the 21st

Luke 2:4-5

⁴So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. ⁵He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.

 

Today would roughly be the day that Joseph loaded up with Mary and headed to Bethlehem. It is about an 80 mile trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem. Most of the groups traveled about 20 miles a day. On the last few days leading up to Christmas, I think about that trip a lot. 4 days on the road…and I do mean on the road. No car, just a donkey….one donkey…..and as they travel they have an abundance of one thing…..time. Time to walk, time to see the land….and oh yeah, time to think. Plenty of time to think about all that had transpired, and all that lie ahead of them. This time of year we are all on the road to Bethlehem aren’t we? The days slow down, we have the year behind us, and a new one rolling towards us. Plenty of time to think what have we accomplished and all that we still have undone….and just like Mary we too are carrying Christ with us on our trip. We too have to think about how we will care for Him, how we will protect Him, how we will live with Him. When we look back on the year do we see that we have prepared a place in our lives for Christ to live? In the coming year do we have a plan in place to keep Christ alive and well in our home? As this short week gets underway think of it as your trip to Bethlehem, Christ is coming into the world, and the world will be forever changed. Likewise, for us this time is a chance for a new beginning. We too have been changed forever. As you walk along the path this week, take the time to look behind you, and to look forward. Where will Christ’s place be in your life in the coming year?

 

Rejoice,

Brian