Cartoon of two boys in car seats. The older boy says, “Brace yourself! This is at least a four dvd trip.”

I based this cartoon on Luke 2:1-5

 ^1-5About that time Caesar Augustus ordered a census to be taken throughout the Empire. This was the first census when Quirinius was governor of Syria. Everyone had to travel to his own ancestral hometown to be accounted for. So Joseph went from the Galilean town of Nazareth up to Bethlehem in Judah, David’s town, for the census. As a descendant of David, he had to go there. He went with Mary, his fiancée, who was pregnant. (Luke 2:1-5, The Message)

 There’s nothing like a long trip, is there? It’s nice we have modern luxuries like dvd players and video games these days, but when you have an eight hour trip ahead of you, you’re still going to feel like it will take forever.

God had a plan for Joseph and Mary as they made the long trek from Nazareth to Bethlehem. It was seventy to ninety miles, depending on the route they took. It could have taken three to seven days, especially with an expectant mother. The couple may have been wondering what this was all about.

Yet it worked perfectly with prophecy. Micah 5:2 said the Messiah would come from Bethlehem. Yet, Isaiah 9:2 said he would come from Galilee. There was a plan all along.

May you have a merry Christmas this year, and find a way to enjoy your trip as you go over the river and through the woods to grandmother’s house.