Bethlehem or Bust!

Greetings Warriors and Scribes of the King!

I hope this holiday season is going well for you. I have had quite a busy time. Last week I had the pleasure of working alongside believers from about 33 churches of varying backgrounds in presenting “The Journey to Bethlehem“.

This was an interactive theatrical event that lasted for 3 nights. We bused people from a church to a park where 2 guides would walk them down a trail to meet the magi, shepherds, a scribe named Morticai, and eventually to Bethlehem and then the manger. They were harassed by roman soldiers along the way. Some little kids were terrified by the soldiers. Others, both young and old, were harassed even more because they would not stop laughing. We then bused them back to the same church for cookies and hot cocoa. I was one of the guides. Over the 3 nights over 2,500 people experienced this. We had thousands of cookies donated, most of which were actually homemade by families and church groups (that is a lot of baking!).

One of the things we overlook in the story of Jesus birth was the travel. We forget that it was not safe for Mary and Joseph because of animals, robbers, and even Romans. I would not be surprised if Mary and Joseph were able to travel in a group because so many people needed to travel for the census, but I don’t know for sure as people would have been going to many different cities.

In all this danger, Mary was about to give birth. So she was uncomfortable to begin with. Then, you have to realize that Mary would not have been counted in the census because women were not counted. All that way and she wasn’t even counted; although she was taxed (Romans loved their money).

Is there something God is challenging you to do that does not seem normal or safe? Maybe he wants you to volunteer somewhere that is out of your comfort zone. Not all things God calls us to are dangerous, in fact many are not. But sometimes they are. God protected Mary and Joseph by sending them down to Egypt when the children were about to be killed. He actually used a dream to get them moving. You may not be charged with the care of God’s only baby boy, but you are under His protection when you obey Him. Instead of steering away from danger, trust Him in the danger. Sometimes He’ll steer you away, but other times He’ll just walk with you.

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