Hope
Journey to Bethlehem 2 hope • Sermon • Submitted
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80-90 mile on foot, with a small pack mule. It would truly be an assent up to the high and holy place of Bethlehem. Bethlehem… a place of hope from the past. From the little town a shepherd boy was anointed king. That ruddy boy placed his hope in God and faced lions, bears, and giants. His heart was after God! That boy endured hardship after hardship, the byproduct of his hardship was prayer and praise to God. From his hiding place he wrote prayers and praise to God and God delivered David to the throne.
Bethlehem, not just a place of the past, but a place of promise and hope. The promise and the hope, deliverance, and future. A new son given. A son with the heart of God. Like David, there would be opposition. Like David he would endure. But better than David, he would be endlessly faithful and wholly surrendered to God’s will. He in fact would be Wonderful Counselor, Might God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6 (ESV)
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
OH Bethlehem!
Brimming with hopeful expectations. Fresh, rested, and ready with their supplies. They said goodbye to their friends and families, the land of their birth, everything they had grown up with. They set off , Their child was coming and they were in this together.
They were leaving EVERYTHING behind. Although they were full of hope, their hearts were heavy with heartache too. In order to welcome this new King, they say goodbye to their past and their comfort zone.
In order to encounter Jesus they and we must first decide to follow Him beyond what we know.
The journey to Jesus doesn't happen by accident; it's a commitment.
As they set out on there journey they contemplated there options. One a path toward the Jordan river. It was safer, but it was out of the way. The other path, a major trading route. Though the trading route well traveled, it also had many dangers. Additionally, they would have to encounter an ethnic group, a faction of people, enemies, that they and their jewish counter parts avoided, frankly at all costs. I imagine this decision lead to some anxiety.
Interestingly, recent Barna research, as of last month, indicates that anxiety is at a record high.
Either trail would be dangerous and long. But the governmental order for census had been decreed, so it was A JOURNEY TO BETHLEHEM!
There were two possible routes that Mary and Joseph could have taken. Last year we made our way through the eastern route along the Jordan River. Although this is a more roundabout way this is most likely the trail that the Jewish couple would have taken because… Samaria (the people we avoid)
But wouldn’t it be just like God to go straight through the middle of the people we argue with, the problems we have,
As you can see in the following diagrams, this route would have been incredibly strenuous. If you look at the elevation map you will also notice that the more their journey continued on, the higher in elevation they got. This would have been the same for either route they took.
Bethlehem is located at an elevation of about 775 meters (2,543 ft) above sea level. This is 30 meters (98 feet) higher than nearby Jerusalem.
“What does all of this mean for us today who are reading the story of this couple on their way to Bethlehem?
It means that the harder the journey became for Mary and Joseph, the closer they were to JESUS. It means that the road is hard, the journey is exhausting, but the destination is REDEMPTION. For them and for us.
“Therefore, we can take heart in the hardships and the suffering, find joy in the aches and pain. We are being refined every day to come to the final destination in life. The entire adventure is leading us to the moment that you meet Jesus face to face.” Emily (Spencer) Kane
Where does our, your story, intersect with the Journey to Bethlehem? The journey to Bethlehem is more than a sentimental religious story. If we lean in to the journey, it gives us the gear we need to for our Journey.
Our present circumstances say
Most of us begin journey optimist and idealistic, but options, circumstances, fears lead to distress.
A Song of Ascents.
I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?
My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, he who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord is your keeper;
the Lord is your shade on your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.
The Lord will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.
The Lord will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time forth and forevermore.
Our journey is uphill! I look up!
Where does my help come from?
Where does my help come from?
Truth statements about God:
The LORD is your Keeper!
The LORD is your Keeper!
The Lord is your keeper;
the Lord is your shade on your right hand.
6 Times the word KEEP or KEEPER IS Used…
The word is used of keepers of sheep, vineyards, doors,
The Lord is present to valuable things… YOU ARE VALUABLE TO GOD.
We might valuable like FREEDOM....
We might say like I would protect my home or possessions.
The ultimate, I would protect my loves ones… Spouse, Children.
For all of us facing anxiety and battling for hope, hear this reality. LOOK UP! YES, THE JOURNEY IS UP HILL.
THE LORD IS MY STABILITY!
THE LORD IS MY STABILITY!
He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
THE LORD IS ALWAYS PRESENT!
THE LORD IS ALWAYS PRESENT!
Behold, he who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
THE LORD IS MY PROTECTION AND PLAN!
THE LORD IS MY PROTECTION AND PLAN!
The Lord is your keeper;
the Lord is your shade on your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.
The Lord will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.
The Lord will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time forth and forevermore.
WHEN I AM ANXIOUS I WILL JOURNEY CLOSER TO JESUS.
WHEN I AM ANXIOUS I WILL JOURNEY CLOSER TO JESUS.
The harder the journey became for Mary and Joseph, the closer they were to JESUS.
It means that the road is hard, the journey is exhausting, but the destination is REDEMPTION. For them and for us.
TAKE A WALK WITH AND TOWARD HOPE.
TAKE A WALK WITH AND TOWARD HOPE.
: Slow Down Spirituality.
190,080 STEPS TOTAL
7,603.2 STEPS A DAY 0R. 3.6 MILES A DAY FOR THE NEXT 25 DAYS.
PROCLAIMING GOD’S ATTRIBUTES WILL DELIVER HOPE.
PROCLAIMING GOD’S ATTRIBUTES WILL DELIVER HOPE.
Creator of heaven and earth
Stable… Not moved by circumstances
Ever present… God’s not like us… He’s always got you.
He available be right beside you.
He can protect you, FOR HIS GREATER PLAN.
EXAMINE AXIETY WITH GOD AND HOPE WILL FOLLOW!
EXAMINE AXIETY WITH GOD AND HOPE WILL FOLLOW!
Acknowledge Your Fears
What hills are in front of me?
What are the instabilities I face?
What is making me lose sleep?
What is the heat zapping your strength?
What do you feel is threatening your way of life?
When I’m off emotionally… God KEEPS ME STABLE
When I’m sleepless, God is present.
When I’m weak, God is my strength.
When my way of life feels threatened, God’s plan is certain.
“What does all of this mean for us today who are reading the story of this couple on their way to Bethlehem?
It means that the harder the journey became for Mary and Joseph, the closer they were to JESUS. It means that the road is hard, the journey is exhausting, but the destination is REDEMPTION. For them and for us.
“Therefore, we can take heart in the hardships and the suffering, find joy in the aches and pain. We are being refined every day to come to the final destination in life. The entire adventure is leading us to the moment that you meet Jesus face to face.” Emily (Spencer) Kane