Have you ever thought of what Joseph might have been thinking?  Or Mary?  What were their emotions?  What do you think were their emotions?  Do you think that they understood what was happening?  Do you think peace ruled in their lives?

Today I contemplated the Shepherds and the Wisemen.  And my mind thought a little longer on the Wisemen.  I listened to this rendition of their journey   ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xJVwVUXkoo )       and it reminded me of my own journey over the last year.  They were told to follow the star and they did.  It wasn’t a day trip or even a month trip.  I imagine they were on the road for quite some time. They weren’t actually at the birth of Jesus because of the length of their journey, but they found him after his birth in the home of Mary and Joseph.   I imagine many along the way asked where they were headed.  I imagine many along the way wondered why their journey was important.  They didn’t know the length of their journey or their destination.  Did they tell everyone that they were searching for the King?  Did they always agree amongst themselves?  When they arrived at Jesus’s home, was it what they expected?  Here they were of noble status – yet they found themselves at the home of every day individuals, kneeling on a dirt floor, welcoming their King.  The true picture of what that day looked like was sure different from what is depicted at times.

I am not Wise.  I am not a man.  But I am on the same journey as the Wisemen. Jesus has already come into this world.  He has made His presence known.  His hand still guides the steps of His followers.  Like the Wisemen,  I have heard the voice telling me to go.  My eyes are fixed on that same star – the one that leads to the home of my Savior, my King.  And right now He has placed that star over Guatemala.  The journey is not always comfortable.  But the destination is worth it!

As you contemplate this Christmas season, put yourself in the shoes of someone else in the story 2000 years ago.  Mary in that stable holding a physical baby who was to become the Savior of the world.  Or the Shepherds who God chose to be at the manger scene, just hours before were doing the same thing that they did day in or day out.  Just like the shepherds, you have been chosen too to be a part of the story that God continues to write until the coming back to this earth of the Savior King.  And so this season, let’s celebrate with joy and expectation.

Merry Christmas!

” Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”  Hebrews 12:2