Luke 2:1-7
I remember in college when I left to go on my internship. The drive was fretful in the blowing snow and wind–so much so that the car we were towing swung underneath a semi and came out before hitting anything–but I remember how peaceful it fely because my dad was driving. I knew I was safe. There was peace in the middle of crazy chaos on the roads; I calm down when remember it. My dad’s chaotic journey became peaceful for me. I wonder if that’s how Joseph remembered Jesus’ birth?
I don’t see peace in this passage. In fact, I see the opposite: chaos. But like Pastor Justin shared with us last week that Jesus’ light shines brightest in the dark, the peace of God may be best seen in the chaos of life. Consider the set up to this story. An unknown couple travels on an unwanted journey, at an inconvenient and unusually busy time, to visit a tiny insignificant town, now bustling under the order of the census. Its claim to fame was the birthplace of a king from history that happened to be the ancestor of Joseph. It’s an island in a sea of busy-ness. A rest stop on the road of more important things. Then Peace arrived, amid chaos, all focused inside this little forgettable town of Bethlehem.
A Long Journey to Bring Peace
The journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem, if walked today, would span about 90 miles. At a rushed pace it would take 4 full days to get there. They may have been able to hold a pace like that if whips were at their backs, but in Mary’s condition, and the fact that this was literally a trip to fill out a government form, I bet this trip took closer to a full week. The only thing to quicken their pace would have been running out of food. Not only would the physical demands be extreme, but this was also a trip that no one wanted to take! How much of a hurry would you be if the DMV forced you to come in and sign forms; and we only live a few miles away – a distance we travel by car! Mary & Joseph had to brave 90 miles over rocky, hilly, rough terrain that would have been wrought with perils and pitfalls. All this for a census.
Yet, it is this census that holds the key to the power of this destination – it is Joseph’s ancestral homeland, his home of origin. While there is no need today to travel for a census, Joseph coming from Bethlehem connects him to the lineage of King David. God promises that “the scepter will never depart from Judah” (Gen 49:10) and His promise to David to always have a son of his on the throne of Israel. Joseph is in that! The 90 miles made for a treacherous journey, but it was a journey of utmost significance because this child was being born into the lineage of the king – the one who is tasked to bring peace to the people, which is exactly what Jesus does.
A Pregnant Virgin to Deliver the King
Movies like to add intensity by showing Mary as ready to deliver on the trip, but we don’t know if that’s accurate. It was highly likely during her third trimester, so the journey was massively painful and difficult. She felt every step. Conventional wisdom tells us today that you shouldn’t travel much, or at all during your third trimester. Their journey was full of risk! Mary knew from the start that her mission would be arduous and painful. God did not call her to comfort, but to importance. In fact, her pain would literally be our comfort. She carried the Savior to the starting line where He could then bear the worst of this world’s evil for our sake. This world causes trouble for Christ-followers, John 16:33 promises us that like Mary, our life is difficult, but our purpose is worth it. Peace came through the difficulty. And remember, the promise of advent is that He is coming again, this time with permanent peace! Yet despite the fact that we have His peace and know at His return it will be permanent, we still have a difficult challenge to deliver it to others.
A Last Resort for Sin’s Defeat
If dad were to look back on the trip out of MN, he may say that nothing went as planned on that trip. Nothing went the way Joseph wanted it to either. The engagement, the unexpected trip, and the final insult of having to sleep in a stable. I could imagine how defeated I would have felt if I were him – trying so hard to do the right thing, but nothing goes your way. Discuss Mets’ season implosion from last year – nothing went right. Joseph was at the end of his rope and felt as though sin was winning, but that stable, those animals, were witness to the greatest event in human history – the arrival of the Messiah! The arrival of God Himself! He’s here! The creator of the world, the giver and bringer of peace didn’t send it to us, but came to us Himself, gift in hand, and spread it out for the whole world. God showed up and sin took its last breaths.
Next Steps
No matter how long or difficult the journey to Bethlehem was, God saw the effort as nothing compared to the peace He brought us. You experience it yourself by doing the following:
- Receive His gift of peace and step out of the chaos into His arms.
- Let go of your desire for comfort and step into God’s purpose.
- Give your presence this season to someone who doesn’t deserve it.
The incarnation—happening in the sleepy berg of Bethlehem—brought real peace into this world. Peace came into the chaos and turned it all around. Live in that peace by giving it away – especially to those who don’t deserve it – as neither do you or me.
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