OUR HOPE ARRIVES!

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register.

So 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. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

Luke 2:1-7

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

It’s Christmas day, a day that typically involves a lot of advance preparation for giving and instant gratification through receiving. It’s a day when families typically gather to celebrate together with an exchange of presents and sometimes a nice meal.

And then, like that, it’s over.

People return back to their routines and before long, Christmas is just a distant memory, another holiday in the rear view mirror of life.

Wouldn’t it be great to get a gift on Christmas that would be sustainable, one that would last for your entire lifetime? Wouldn’t that be a gift you would love to receive on Christmas?

Well, the good news is that there is a gift such as this, a gift that has actually existed for well over 2,000 years now.

That gift was hope and it arrived in all its glory, not in a place of prestige and royalty but in a lowly manger in the Judean town of Bethlehem. Let’s go back in time to see how it all happened.

First, we need to set the impetus that sent a very pregnant Mary and her husband Joseph to Bethlehem in the first place. You see, both were residents of the Galilean town of Nazareth when the Roman Emperor, Caesar Augustus, issued his decree for a census to be taken of the entire roman world. This census served two purposes.

First, the emperor wanted a count of Romans so he knew the number of men who would comprise his fighting forces. The Jews were exempt from service in the Roman military and so it was only the Roman count mattered to Caesar Augustus.

The other reason the census was ordered was to know how many people should be paying taxes, the primary source of revenue for the Roman Empire. Unlike the aspect of military service, the Jews were expected to pay up just as were the Romans and certain Jews were on the payroll of the emperor to collect from their peers. If you study the Gospels, you’ll know that these Jewish tax collectors were despised by their fellow Jews because often they acted unscrupulously, levying more than what was really owed and then pocketing the difference.

With this background in place, we find Joseph and Mary having to travel to Bethlehem, also referred to as the City of David, because Joseph’s family lineage was connected to the house of Israel’s great former king. The scriptures don’t get into detail about the actual journey but it would have been tough for anyone, let alone a woman nearing the time to deliver a child. It is estimated that the trip was 80 miles across terrain that included elevation (“went up from the town of Nazareth”) in the Judean mountains. We don’t know how many days it tool Joseph and Mary to get to Bethlehem (you’ll find estimates anywhere from four to ten days) but the important fact is that they did make it and did so safely. Indeed, God was with them as He was ready to bring hope (and joy) to the world.

We’re not sure how long Joseph and Mary were in town but they weren’t the only ones there. Many Jews were in the line of David and has descended on Bethlehem to be registered. The guest houses (think biblical hotels or BnB’s) were all full and so Joseph and Mary found shelter in a structure that housed animals, hardly the place you would expect the very Son of God to be born but that’s exactly what happened. Mary delivered her firstborn child, the divine son conceived by the Holy Spirit and the very power of the God Most High. She wrapped the baby and placed him in a trough used to feed the animals.

Note there wasn’t fanfare. There was no great Bethlehem audience gathered as their long awaited Messiah had come. Joseph and Mary experienced the blessing together, only in the company of the animals they shared space with. It had been a long journey but God rewarded them with the best gift ever.

On that day, Jesus became our best gift ever as well. For…

“God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.” John 3:16-17

Through the baby Jesus, born this Christmas day, we have received the gift of hope, now and forever. All we need to do is believe in Him, receiving Him as the Savior of our lives.

Blessings to you and yours always, and Merry Christmas from The Christian Walk!

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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Send any prayer requests to Gods4all@aol.com