Yesterday, the house that burned last June fell down into big piles of burned timber and junk. At least, that is what it looked like to me as there was no demolition equipment there when I left for work and none when I returned. Something that took weeks or months to build fell apart in a day. Actually two days when we count the day half of it burned away. I wonder if Mary or Joseph had similar feelings when they took off for Bethlehem that day back when the BC's were running down toward zero. Mary carried the child that would change calendars forever. No, no, she wasn't worried about years on the calendar.
We know from the Bible that Mary and Joseph would not return for some time to the region where they grew up, and even at their return Joseph would be redirected to Nazareth. Did Joseph have a house prepared for the culmination of their engagement? Probably. Before the angel arrived to give the good news, did Mary think that she would raise children and grow old in that same house? It may well be. Did either of them expect to spend some time in Egypt? Probably not. How many homes did Joseph leave behind in former towns? We don't know for sure.
The Bible doesn't give us each and every thought of each day in the life of Joseph and Mary. We see a journey of faith forced upon them by an occupying government far away in Rome. They only just made it to Bethlehem in time for the birth. They set up house and home in Bethlehem, then a dream warned Joseph to flee by night to Egypt. Did they young couple have family in Egypt? Maybe. Did they know anyone there? Probably not. Yet, they had God through His angels directing their steps in dreams. They were, to borrow a phrase from Gabriel, overshadowed by the power of the Most High. I'm glad Joseph and Mary chose to believe.
Have a great Christmas in Christ!Bucky
No comments:
Post a Comment