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Introduction
This morning we begin a Christmas mini-series of message centered around Bethlehem.
Of all the places in the world, God chose the most unlikely of all place to send the Messiah.
Bethlehem was nothing more than remote village.
Why would anyone care to go there?
More importantly, why would the Creator of the Universe choose a small village that was home to just a few humble shepherds and their families?
Bethlehem’s only real claim to fame was it was the hometown of King David.
There was nothing distinctive or even glamorous about this common village.
However, as we will discover throughout this month, the road to Bethlehem was the road that ultimately led to God!
There are several who took that road.
Mary and Joseph, as we already know, took that road.
We are going to focus more on them today in just a bit.
The shepherds, even thought Bethlehem was their home, also took that road as they had been out on the hillside tending to their sheep.
Later, after Christ’s birth, the Magi (wisemen) took the same road into Bethlehem.
Over the course of this month, we too are invited to take that same journey.
My prayer is as we do we will experience in a fresh and powerful way the eternal hope that lies waiting in a manger.
The prophet Isaiah said we must....
John the Baptist later echoed that same message.
So go with me back to the road the leads to Bethlehem.
Let us take the journey one more time through the eyes and experiences of those who already made the journey.
We begin by going back to the Mary and Josephs’ story and their wonderful journey to Bethlehem.
Mary’s Journey
We find the early stages of Mary’s journey recorded in Luke 1:26-38
If you go back and read verses 26 and 26, you will note that Mary’s journey was nothing extraordinary.
She was a young woman recently engaged to a wonderful young man named Joseph.
I would imagine, at this point in her life, her thoughts were only the upcoming wedding and the life she was about to begin with her fiancee.
There was nothing special about her circumstances.
She simply loved the Lord and was excited about being a wife and, at some point, a mom.
Her future was bright.
Then, suddenly and without any warning, an angel appears to her.
Scripture records that this angel’s name was Gabriel.
Immediately, Gabriel launches into the reason for his appearing.
And, just like that, Mary’s world is turned upside down.
You will note the description given of Mary in verse 27.
Mary was a virgin.
She was pure.
In fact, Gabriel testifies that she was “high favored” by God.
He, Jehovah, was with her.
She was blessed among women.
If any woman walked with God, it was Mary.
She love the Lord and desired to do all that she could in pleasing Him.
Now, she is confronted by an angel who goes on to say...
No sooner than these words came out of Gabriel’s mouth, Mary had already assessed her situation.
Note again her response.
Remember she is virgin.
She is engaged to Joseph.
Yet, here was an angel from the Lord saying that she was going be pregnant with a child.
As we all know and contrary to the idiots of today, children are born of a physical union between a man and woman.
She was a woman committed to purity before marriage.
Seeing she was not married and pure, how in the world was this suppose to happen.
Gabriel goes on to provide details about Mary’s cousin, Elisabeth, who was already with child.
However, what I want you to see is verse 37.
I will come back to that in just a moment.
For now, I want you to think about how Mary’s journey to Bethlehem began.
It began with all her plans interrupted and God asking her to endure shame, reproach, and humiliation.
Remember, in those days, any pregnancy outside of wedlock was taboo.
To those around her (her family and friends), it would seem that she was unfaithful to her future husband, Joseph.
She was given the greatest honor afforded to a woman, yet, at the same time, it brought upon her a social stigma associated with great shame.
How about Joseph?
How did his journey begin?
As we already know, he too was planning for the big wedding day.
His mind must have been on that day when the two of them were joined together.
Perhaps he was in the middle of building or purchasing them a home to live in.
He was just as excited about their future as Mary was.
Yet, his life and his plans were interrupted by all that happened with Mary.
We see his reaction to her predicament in Matthew 1.
Remember both are planning this wonderful wedding and life of marriage together.
As for Joseph, he had done everything just as it was required of him.
Everything was falling into place until the news came.
Mary is pregnant.
In that instant, his life is shattered and all his dreams came crashing to the ground.
Now there lay only two possible solutions.
You must remember that in Jewish culture an engagement was public and civil covenant of intended marriage.
It was just as binding as marriage.
Thus, he was left with a tough choice.
He could divorce Mary quietly and have her sent away until the baby was born.
He could divorce her publically, and subject her to an even greater degree of ridicule and humiliation, which, by the way, also came with the possibility of her being put to death.
You can read the Law of Moses on that subject in Deuteronomy 24.
What was he to do?
He too was a just man and wanted to do what was right by Mary.
As we know, while he is pondering how to handle all this, lo and behold, an angel from the Lord appears to him as well.
The angel affirms that Mary’s pregnancy is of the Holy Ghost.
God had handpicked her.
She would have a son.
Now note what the angel says in verse 23.
The angel says “they” will call his name Emmanuel.
In other words, Joseph was a part of this.
Just as much as God has chosen Mary to give birth, God also chose Joseph to be the man to raise the Messiah.
What does Joseph do?
He gets up and takes Mary as his wife.
By the way, now Joseph is assuming the same humiliation and shame placed on Mary.
He went against the socially accepted stigma of divorcing his wife.
Instead, he remains obedient to the Lord and willing takes on the responsibility given to him.
Now, let’s fast forward the events.
We are now at Luke 2. Mary is now coming to the end of her pregnancy.
Both are eagerly awaiting his arrival.
Word begins to circulate that good ole Caesar Augustus, the hated Roman Emperor, is demanding taxes be collected.
Now, as we know the collection of taxes was much different.
Nowadays, you can snail mail them in or you can simply go online from the comfort of your home to pay them.
It was not so in Joseph and Mary’s day.
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