IT WASN’T EASY
The trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem was long and dangerous. There were no airplanes, buses, cars or bicycles for Mary and Joseph. Rocky hills to climb. Rivers to cross. Miles and miles and miles to walk or perhaps ride on an uncomfortable donkey.
And to make matters worse, Mary was pregnant, very pregnant. Can you imagine?
Then, no place for them to stay for the night, except this little shed or cave where the animals stayed.
Not the way it was supposed to be. Not the way we would have written this story. A poor young couple. An arduous journey. No room in the inn. Giving birth in a stable in a tiny, backwoods town.
What a way for the Son of God to arrive in our world! What a way indeed! Just the way God planned it. And God sent a sky-filling host of angels to announce this birth, “For unto you is born this night in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ, the Lord.” Halleluia!