It must have been a long, tiring, and for Mary, anxious
journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem for the census. No cars, trains or buses to
ease the journey. No Holiday Inns or Premier Inns for cheap accommodation as a
stop-over en-route. Just a hard slog to an unknown town, all for the sake of a
census. Just think how much lost earnings Joseph would have suffered while
being away. Just think how many misgivings he would have clung to about his pregnant
bride-to-be.
From a distant eastern land, a
group of star-gazers journeyed westwards, inspired by the appearance of an
astrological phenomenon which suggested a new king was to be born. Stopping off
in Jerusalem seeking clearer guidance as to the exact location of the
birthplace, they met a neurotic Herod who summoned his advisers and sent the
star-gazers away to Bethlehem – the birthplace of King David and the expected
birthplace of the Messiah. Imagine the anxiety in Herod’s heart at the threat
of a successor to the throne he currently occupied.
After welcoming the star-gazers
and receiving their amazing gifts, Joseph is warned in a dream to escape to
Egypt – away from a child-slaughtering Herod who was enraged by the trickery of
the star-gazers. Another long journey to another unknown destination for Mary,
Joseph and the young Christ-child.
Journeys are an essential part of life.
Some people journey more than others and see more of the world. But life is
never static – neither is our faith journey. I wonder how many adults will
approach this Christmas with the childhood faith and naivety of their earlier
years. I wonder how many of them have failed to journey onwards in their faith.
I wonder how many of them have failed to recognise that for faith to be real,
it too has to journey onwards – beyond our childhood naivety to the realities
of a harsh, violent and often tragic world. Childhood faith will not sustain
people as they grow older unless they mature spiritually as well as physically
and mentally.
Today we look upon faith more as a
journey than a one-off encounter with God. Without decrying the importance of
our encounters with God through his Spirit, to simply look back at an
experience that happened many years ago will soon reduce faith to a distant and
fading memory rather than an everyday, living reality. Our testimony will
simply be a history lesson rather than a dynamic retelling of what God means to
us today.
Journeying in our faith extends
our faith. The journey which Mary and Joseph made to Bethlehem opened their
eyes to the reality of adult life and parenthood in a hostile world. And yet we
are told that Mary remained faithful and obedient to God. The journey from the
East in search of the new-born King will have opened the eyes of the
star-gazers to the tyranny of Herod and the prospect of a new kingdom-rule
promised centuries before in the Hebrew scriptures and glimpsed in the baby in
the manger. The journey of Mary, Joseph and the Christ-child to Egypt will have
opened their eyes to the harsh reality of being refugees in a foreign land.
And yet – God was in all of this,
working out his plan for the salvation of the world. Has your faith journey
moved you beyond your childhood experience of Christmas into a mature, dynamic,
everyday faith which equips you for the challenges of everyday life in the 21st
century in a country full of disillusioned people, struggling leaders,
addiction, materialism, hedonism and threats of war across the globe? For
Christians to be a relevant force in society, we need to outgrow our childhood
faith and develop maturity in a world that is increasingly godless and
desperately searching for answers to the big questions. These answers can be
found in and through the Christ-child.
For many of us, Christmas will be
a time of happiness, family, gifts and relaxation. For others it will be a trip
to a drop-in centre, hostel or foodbank in order to access the essentials for
survival. Let’s not forget that Jesus, in his early years, knew what it was to
be homeless, friendless and a refugee in a foreign land. When we see such
people this Christmas, let’s not forget that we are looking at people who walk
in the steps of the Messiah – looking for somewhere that they can call home.
May the real meaning of Christmas
delight and sustain you, preparing you with joy for the year to come and all it
may bring.
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