Scripture: Luke 2:3-4
Everyone went to their own cities to be enrolled. Since Joseph belonged to David’s house and family line, he went up from the city of Nazareth in Galilee to David’s city, called Bethlehem, in Judea.
Thought for the Day: Mary and Joseph do what is required of them according to the laws of Rome, yet such a journey would not have been easy even under the best of circumstances. Today, if you were called for jury duty, and you were nine months pregnant, a simple phone call could get it delayed or dismissed pretty easily. Within the Roman context, Luke does not provide an alternative for this young couple. Pregnancy will not give Mary and Joseph an excused absence from the census requirement. They must travel to the designated place. The destination and the journey to the destination are an integral part of the storytelling. It is a good reminder of how the everyday headaches brought on by demands well beyond our control do not necessarily interrupt the miracle-making of God.
Prayer: Keep me focused on Bethlehem and the manger, O God of the Journey. Keep me going even when certain unexpected requirements are burdensome and seem distracting from what is truly important. I ask this in the name of the one whose birth occurred under some pretty strange and exacting circumstances. Amen.
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