The Rocky Road to Christmas
Luke 2:4-5 So Joseph left Nazareth, a town in Galilee, and went to the town of Bethlehem in Judea. It was known as the town of David. Joseph went there because he was from the family of David. Joseph registered with Mary because she was engaged to marry him. (She was now pregnant.)
How do you celebrate Christmas, when you’re not travelling all that well through life? When things aren’t going well. When everybody else seems to be happy, but you’re not.
For many people the road to Christmas is a rocky one. Life’s not always what it’s meant to be. Things don’t always turn out the way we’d hoped. And so Christmas magnifies the pain and the disappointment.
Everyone else seems to be looking forward to a happy, clappy Christmas with their family, and yet perhaps you find yourself feeling lost and alone – I’ve certainly spent a few Christmases like that in my life. And when you’re in that place, it’s easy to imagine that clearly, this whole Christmas celebration thing isn’t for you. “Sure, God put it there for others, just not for me!”
But nothing, nothing could be further from the truth. Let’s just go back to that first Christmas for a moment.
Luke 2:4-5 So Joseph left Nazareth, a town in Galilee, and went to the town of Bethlehem in Judea. It was known as the town of David. Joseph went there because he was from the family of David. Joseph registered with Mary because she was engaged to marry him. (She was now pregnant.)
This young couple – Mary and Joseph – engaged; but she’s pregnant. An arduous, uncomfortable, two-week journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem. Remember, Mary’s eight and a half months pregnant – imagine how delightful a trip that must have been. They had no idea along that uncomfortable journey whether they’d make it in time, or if there’d be somewhere for them to stay when they got there.
No, the road to that first Christmas was a rocky one. And that’s what makes Christmas real for me. It’s not some nice, soft, little fluffy kid’s pantomime. Christmas is life. Real life.
That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.
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