The Journey
Today marks the end of the journey that is Advent. Advent is a church season in which we prepare to celebrate Christ’s birth. It’s a period of introspection and anticipation set aside to remember a time before Christ came to earth. Growing up, my family always observed Advent. We would daily gather around our wreath of candles, light them, and my dad would share a reading with us. It was a great way to pause from the busyness of our day to recalibrate and focus on the reason we celebrate Christmas. Each year we would choose a new study to guide us through our personal preparation for the birth of Christ. This year’s Advent season has shifted the way that I think about the Christmas story and my own engagement with it. As I examined each character in the story of the very first Christmas, I realized that as they prepared to meet Jesus, they were sent on their own personal journey. Just as Advent is a journey that prepares us to remember the birth of Christ, the very first Christmas was built with a series of journeys that led each character to the moment when they got to meet the Messiah.
First, we have Mary and Joseph who embarked on the journey of a life together. This turned into a second, more physical journey. The couple traveled to Bethlehem to register in a census. They traveled from Nazareth to Bethlehem (over 97 miles) and Mary was in her third trimester (Luke 2:1-5). This is without doubt one of the greatest journeys of all time, rivaled only by Christ’s journey to the cross. The second journey that we observe in the Christmas story is that of the shepherds. Luke 2:8-18 introduces them when they were still in the field, taking care of their sheep. Angels came to them and announced the birth of Christ. They sent them to Bethlehem to find a new baby, born among animals. Their journey was likely the simplest of the three that are central to this story, but it is no less significant. They traveled to welcome the Messiah into the world! Our third journey is that of the wise men. Their journey was by far the longest and the most extravagant. In fact, they traveled for so long that Jesus was likely no longer a baby when they finally got to meet him. (Matthew 2:1-12) They spent years of their lives searching for him so that they could present him with their precious gifts.
Much like those who were a part of the first Christmas celebration, we too have been on journeys that lead us to meeting the Christ child. Our own journeys include everything from our salvation to the refining work that is always happening in our lives to make us more like Christ. Sometimes we take short trips that change our lives just like the shepherds. Other times our paths feel a bit more challenging like Mary and Joseph’s would have been. Still, other times the trips we take require us to commit years of our lives searching for the treasure that awaits us.
I have been on a journey of my own. I have been wrestling with what type of work I am created for. What is my calling and how do I live it out? Recently I had my latest revelation about who I am and the work that I am created for. As I was reflecting on the journeys that surround the Christmas story, almost out of nowhere I came to understand a little more of how I am wired. I have a passion for sharing formative experiences with people so that they can move toward growth. While I am far from finished with my journey of discovering my calling, realizing I might never have the complete picture, I am a little closer and with each step I better understand who I was created to be.
Reflection Question:
In this season of Advent, what journeys have you become aware of in your own life?
