Sunday, December 8
THE JOURNEY
It is striking how deeply the coming of Christ is connected to the journey motif. It is, after all, about the “coming” of the Son of God from the realm of eternity to the realm of time and history. But the journey appears in other ways, too. Mary and Joseph journeyed to Bethlehem to register for the census, and soon after on to Egypt as refugees. Sages journeyed from the East in search of the King. Angels came from the glories of heaven to the hills of Judea. Shepherds left their flocks to journey into town. And the one whose life began as a journey of incarnation would live out his ministry in the context of travel: through Samaria; to Galilee; to Jerusalem; and ultimately, to Golgotha.
At the core of it all is an epic narrative of God’s Son who set aside glory and privilege to journey through life as a servant, laying down his life sacrificially before being raised to life as the first born of a new creation into which he invites those who would live as his disciples, his followers.
Growing up with my grandparents in rural East Texas, I looked forward to Christmas because all the extended family would come home to celebrate together. I never realized how appropriate it was for them to celebrate by means of a journey the coming of the Christ. We are all sojourners, aliens whose allegiance is to God and who press toward a destination made possible by a visit to our world that started in a manger.
Dr. Gerald Wright
Professor Emeritus of Intercultural Studies
Professor Emeritus of Intercultural Studies