Tuesday, December 30 - Luke 2:1-7

Willie Nelson, a country singer, sang about being “on the road again” and so it is that we find ourselves headed once more to Bethlehem. This time we might see it in a different light that on December 24.

They were on an unexpected and unwanted journey. It wasn’t their choosing and it certainly wasn’t convenient. I would imagine it “took the edge off their usual good humor” and put them on edge with each other. These were two very real human beings. They would have been worn and weary by the time they got to Bethlehem. Imagine their frustration when there was no room. Mary, uncomfortable as she was, in her ninth month of pregnancy now feels the first of what would become many contractions signaling the impending birth of her first born child. No, not here, not in a messy stable with cattle for midwives. Yes, here! “Here” is where life happens. It happens amidst the inconvenient, unplanned, unwanted, messiness of our days whether we are ready or not.

What does Mary do? She faces the “here” and does what needs to be done. She and Joseph are being faithful to what God has asked them to do in spite of the “less than optimal” circumstances. That’s what faithful people do.

I wonder sometimes how I would have faired back then. Was it easier or harder to be faithful to God in those days? I don’t know. What I do know is that it can be awfully challenging to me to be faithful everyday. Things rarely go as planned, things get messy in my life and the lives of those I serve through the church. Sometimes I’m sure I get side-tracked and even off track in my faithfulness.

Prayer: God of Mary & Joseph and all the rest of us real people, may we today live in such a way to honor you in our own Bethlehem journeys. Amen

Blessings,
Pastor Ken