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In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. (Luke 2:1-4)

My daughter and I recently hiked in Lynn Canyon, in North Vancouver. She wanted to see the twin falls. We walked up and down wooden steps; we walked along stone and dirt paths; we walked across footbridges.

The walk demanded some focus – the steps were sometimes steep, the path sometimes uneven, and the boardwalks sometimes slippery – but seeing the scenery, looking at the trees and plants, and watching the falls were worth the effort.

Have you ever wondered what the journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem was like for Mary and Joseph?

Nazareth is about 145-150 kilometres from Bethlehem. The most direct route from Galilee goes through Samaria. After Samaria, the road toward Jerusalem follows the western hills of the Judean desert. Once near Jerusalem, it’s about 12 kilometres further south to Bethlehem.

The journey would have been arduous. Robbers might ambush them. Accommodation could be difficult, especially for a young Jewish couple journeying through Samaria – remember Jews and Samaritans hated one another. And there was the elevation. Nazareth is about 560 metres above sea level. Bethlehem is 780 metres above sea level. Travellers faced an upward climb. No wonder Luke accurately says in verse 4 that Mary and Joseph “went up” to Bethlehem. And on top of these, at every step of the journey, Mary experienced the inevitable discomfort of pregnancy.

My daughter and I had a relatively easy walk in Lynn Canyon. We paused when we wanted. We saw the plants. We looked up at the sky. We stopped to look at the scenery. And we saw the falls with their constant roar. Even though we had to climb up and down steps, we had a wonderful walk.

Mary and Joseph made a journey they had not planned, at a time when it was most inconvenient, on a path that demanded much effort and cost great discomfort, to a destination they were probably unfamiliar with. This was not a wonderful walk for them with fabulous scenery and easy pauses on the way. But it was God’s plan – for in Bethlehem Jesus, the Saviour of the world was to be born.

Take a moment to remember Mary and Joseph. Give thanks for their endurance and willingness to fulfil God’s purposes. And this Advent, may you have endurance and grace to walk in the way of Jesus.

視頻大意翻譯 (video Chinese translation):

嗨!

路加福音2:1-4說道:

當那些日子、該撒亞古士督有旨意下來、叫天下人民都報名上冊。這是居里扭作敘利亞巡撫的時候、頭一次行報名上冊的事。約瑟也從加利利的拿撒勒城上猶太去、到了大衛的城、名叫伯利恆、因他本是大衛一族一家的人．

我女兒和我最近到北溫Lynn 峽谷健行。她想要看看那個雙子瀑布。查過地圖後我們就出發了。我們在木頭台階上上上下下，沿著石頭和泥濘的小路走;我們走過人行天橋。

是的，步行需要一些注意力—台階有時陡峭，小路有時不平坦，木板路有時會因潮濕而濕滑—但看到風景、樹木、植物和看瀑布，這一切都是值得的。

你有沒有想過馬利亞和約瑟從拿撒勒到伯利恆的旅程是怎樣的？

拿撒勒距離伯利恆約 145-150 公里。從加利利出發，最直接的路線是經過撒馬利亞。過了撒瑪利亞，通往耶路撒冷的道路沿著猶太沙漠的西山。一旦靠近耶路撒冷，再往南約 12 公里即可到達伯利恆。

這段旅程會很艱辛。強盜可能會伏擊他們。住宿可能很困難，尤其是對於一對穿越撒馬利亞的年輕猶太夫婦來說—請記住，猶太人和撒瑪利亞人彼此憎恨。然後是海拔高度。拿撒勒海拔約 560 米。伯利恆海拔 780 米。旅行者面臨著往上爬升。難怪路加在第4節準確地說，馬利亞和約瑟 「上」 伯利恆去了。最重要的是，在旅程的每一步，馬利亞都經歷了懷孕不可避免的不適。

我和女兒在 Lynn Canyon 的走路相對輕鬆。我們注意到了這些植物。我們抬頭望著天空。我們想停下來就停下來。我們停下來看看風景。我們看到並聽到了瀑布不斷的咆哮聲。儘管我們不得不爬上爬下台階，但我們走得很愉快。

馬利亞和約瑟在最不方便的時候，踏上了一段他們沒有計劃的旅程，這條路需要付出很多努力，而且要付出很大的不舒服，才能到達一個他們可能不熟悉的目的地。這對他們來說並不是一次美妙的步行，風景優美，途中很容易停下來。但這是神的計劃—因為在伯利恆耶穌里，世界的救世主將誕生。

花點時間記住馬利亞和約瑟。感謝他們的忍耐和實現上帝旨意的意願。而這降臨期，願你有忍耐和恩典，走在耶穌的道路上。

讓我們禱告。

Grace and peace

Pastor Callum