The journey for Mary and Joseph is almost complete. What began in Nazareth as a journey of a caring husband with his pregnant wife -what began as a journey from one non-descript village after another -what began with their Bethlehem destination firmly in mind-is now coming to an end. They have covered terrain packed with the history of their people. They had passed by people who would be mightily impacted by their Son. Their journey was almost complete. They were coming into Bethlehem.
Not many in Bethlehem were ready for them. The citizens were not ready. The people at the inn were not ready. The spiritual leaders in Jerusalem were not ready. The promise was a long time coming. Many looked for that day. Only Mary and Joseph knew that soon, very soon, the Savior of the world would be born into the world!
The villages we come from and where we will celebrate may be insignificant. But what we will do in those villages will be very significant. It's rather easy to excuse the residents and visitors of Bethlehem for not being prepared to receive the Savior of the world. We, however, have no such excuse. Even if everything else isn't ready-gifts, decorations, meal provisions, travel arrangements, and the like, we can still be prepared to celebrate the incarnation of the Christ, God in the flesh, who has come into our world, our lives, and the lives of those we love.
Ready or not, the Christ is coming.
THE PRAYER: O Advent Lord, bless our last-minute preparations to receive You into our world, our lives, and our hearts. Amen.
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