Calmer Way to Christmas Devotion #4

(Note: On a new toll-free recorded message center (877-470-1910, ext 1) for the church I serve I am making available 24 personally-written daily Advent Devotions as part of a "Calmer Way to Christmas" series. Each of the first 20 of these 24 devotions is based on verses from the Gospel of Luke's version of the Christmas story. During this Advent Season I've decided to suspend my normal devotional practice and post the transcripts of these "Calmer Way to Christmas" Advent devotions instead. Below is today's installment. If you wish to listen to the devotion instead, simply call the number above and then choose extension 1.)

Luke 2:4
Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David.

The other night, near midnight, I went to pick out our son from a friend’s house. Just as I headed out the door to the car it started to rain and I got rather wet. I remember thinking to myself, “it wasn’t raining a minute ago. couldn’t this rain have held off for 30 more seconds?” As I started driving it really started pouring. I’m talking a flat out slow-the-car-down-so-you-don’t-hydoplane-off-the-road kind of downpour. I remember thinking “this is nuts… …it’s late…I’m tired…I should be home in bed…why am I doing this?”

Then I remembered. “Oh yeah, I’m doing this because our son is, to sum it up with one word: family.”

Now no family is perfect, but family is our starting point in life. It’s our base camp from which we depart and often return. Even if we don’t return by choice or circumstance, it’s part of who we are and the reason we sometimes wake up with concern in the night or well-up with a tear of joy at a special event. I thought to myself that night, “you know, it won’t be long until this precious son of ours has his own license and he won’t need me to pick him up anymore and then there will be times when I will wish like crazy that I could go out and drive him home in the pouring rain rather than worry about him being out there all by himself.

In similar fashion, the trip that Joseph had to take those many years ago was almost certainly a major inconvenience. It’s doubtful that he travelled through much rain in that region, but I would imagine he probably ran into other issues as he travelled. But travel he did. Why? Because of family. The Bible tells us he went “because was descended from the house and family of David.” The Emperor may have ordered the census, but it was David’s family heritage that determined where he would ultimately need to go.

The calmer way to Christmas always seeks to see how our journeys through life, regardless of how inconvenient, can still be well worth our time.