Christmas

The Longest Journey – Part 2

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For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  John 3:16 NKJV

After the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, the wise men returned to their country, the shepherds to their fields and Mary and Joseph to Nazareth. But the journey of Jesus was only half completed on that night. The first leg of His journey brought Jesus to our world. But from His first cry in the manger to His last breath on Calvary’s cross Jesus traveled the second mile to take away our sins.

Bethlehem’s story is only half told if we leave the side of the manger with soft warm feelings. If we are simply amazed at how God could have allowed Himself be born as a fragile baby boy we only know the half of Jesus’ journey.

 

The path from Bethlehem’s stable to Golgotha’s hill was farther even than from heaven to earth. Jesus had no one for comfortKIMG2589 but the Holy Spirit, no one to understand but His Father in heaven and no one to suffer with Him but two thieves crucified by His side. Yet in the garden He prayed for us, from the cross He forgave us, prayed for us and by His final breath, gave His life for our sins. In thankful astonishment let’s remember His long journey then fall in step behind our Lord to see what journey He has chosen for us this Christmas.

The Longest Journey – Part 1

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  But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law Galatians 4:4 ESV

On the night Jesus was born the shepherds had followed long dark pathways down from the hills where they had been watching the flocks. Joseph and Mary had wearily journeyed all the way from Nazareth to Bethlehem at just this right time. Farthest of all came the wise men who had journeyed all the way from the east. But of all who were there in Bethlehem no one had traveled father than the one for whom they came.

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The shepherds came at the time they heard the angels. The wise men journeyed at the time they saw His star appear. Mary and Joseph arrived when the time was completed for the birth of the child. How interesting that Jesus also came at just the right time,

 

It was at His chosen hour that God sent His Son. It was the longest journey from the place of the pure love of God to a world where King Herod ordered the execution of innocent children. It was an enormous distance from the halls of worshiping angels to a stable with the snorting of cattle and the rustle of mice in the hay. But at God’s exact day and hour Jesus came. He could wait no longer. Our dark and cold world awaited Him as angels stood on tip-toe to witness His birth. He came as hope when all our hopes had been wrapped in night. He arrived in the natural pains of child birth and but He opened His eyes His journey was only just beginning.

What Will We Give?

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And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshiped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh.  Matthew 2:11 KJV

 At Fort Knox in Kentucky the U.S. government stores over 9 million pounds of gold bullion. As you can imagine this is one of the most secure facilities anywhere on the planet. That gold has been there for over 90 years. Nothing more has gone in and nothing has been taken out. That is the way things are with the treasures of this life. They are kept under lock and key and rarely used. But at the birth of Jesus Christ things changed if only for one night. Men who had saved up immense riches risked everything to bring them to Bethlehem.

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They risked their lives on the dangerous and difficult journey from their far homeland. They willingly risked the wrath of King Herod whose soldiers were standing by ready to descend onto the helpless village. But nothing of their treasure, nothing of their comfort or safety mattered to them on that evening. All they could see was the star they had followed standing over the place and the opened their treasures and worshiped Him!