Before Mary had a baby and before the shepherds and wise men followed the light, Joseph took a journey with his very pregnant wife. They journeyed from Nazareth to Bethlehem in obeyance of a governmental edict to be registered and to be taxed.
Due to governmental edict thousands of very pregnant women, young children and old men have taken unexpected journeys. Unexpected journeys in Israel because of the brutal and senseless October 7th Hamas attacks. Unexpected journeys in Gaza as Israeli airstrikes have reduced Palestinian neighborhoods to rubble. Unexpected journeys in Ukraine as an invading Russian army seeks territory in Vladimir Putin madding war.
Along our southern border thousands have arrived on an expected journey. An expected journey to escape political oppression, an expected journey for economic opportunity, an expected journey for freedom. However, by edict of our government we have not treated them well.
Jesus in Matthew 25:31-46 describes how he will judge the nations in his second coming. Jesus will gather all nations separating them on his left and right. The nations on the right will be blessed and will inherit the kingdom of the Lord. They will be blessed because when God’s people were hungry, they were given food, when they were thirsty, they were given drink and when they were strangers to a new land they were welcomed.
The journey of Mary and Joseph was expected not because of a governmental edict but because God loved us so much that he gave us Jesus. Who is teaching us to support and love our neighbors on their expected or unexpected journeys.
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