Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Over the past three weeks, we have been on a journey of seeing the Christmas story through the eyes of Joseph.  On the first Sunday of Advent, we were invited to consider the Advent Question: How is God’s spirit shaping me into Christ’s likeness? On the second Sunday of Advent, we looked at the character of Joseph, how he extended mercy to Mary.  Together we learned what steps we take to forgive someone.  Lasty Sunday was focused on the theme of Joy.  We discovered that joy is found in responding to God’s call in our lives.  I invited our faith community to consider if God is calling us to raise children who are not our own, just as Joseph served as Jesus’ earthly stepfather.  This Sunday is the fourth Sunday of Advent, which means our Advent journey is almost complete.  In one week, we will join at 7:00 p.m. for our Christmas Eve Service.

This Sunday we turn to the story of Joseph and Mary traveling from Nazareth to Bethlehem as told in the Gospel of Luke chapter 2.  They traveled to Bethlehem, not because they wanted to, but because there was a Roman census.  In his book, Faithful Adam Hamilton points out that the penalties for failure to appear for a census were severe.  Therefore, Joseph was forced to comply and take this journey even though his wife was pregnant.

In this story, we find an image that may speak to many of us.  The image is taking a journey we did not or do not want to take.  What feelings do we have when we have been on such a journey?  What do we feel about God in the middle of such a journey?  How has God been present to us in those journeys?

These are just a few questions we can consider as we ponder this image reflected in the story of Joseph and Mary on their journey to Bethlehem.

See you on Sunday,

Pastor David