Aaah, the trip to Bethlehem! Saddle up the mule, Joe, and let's get a move on! A couple of hours later....after being delayed by Mary's insistence on some last minute Christmas shopping in the biggest market this side of the Euphrates,the Jerusalem Jamboree....their reservation at The Inn of Bethlehem had been cancelled due to late arrival. After Joseph gave Mary "the look"...
I don't know how you picture the trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem for Mary and Joseph but I'm sure that you have a difficult time leaving the influence of your life experiences and really understanding the trip Mary and Joseph made. Maybe it's because we do relate to the paying taxes part.
An article by Malachi Martin,"The way to the first Christmas", set this here delusional drugstore cowgirl back on her heels, with the spurs a spinning!
If you can find the article which was first published in Guideposts Magazine, read it. Highlight include: length of journey 20 days, travelled with a merchant's caravan going through Samaria, no travelling on the Sabbaths, places they were going past that Jesus would visit during His years of public ministry,and they needed an exit visa to leave Jerusalem. And of course, I recommend a fresh read through of Luke 2.
Here's hoping Christmas comes to you today for it comes everyday when we look to the blessings of God's love.
Mimi D
