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<\/a>Advent is about faith \u2014 trusting that God will fulfill his purposes for us even when the way forward seems like a dead end.\u00a0The \u201cBethlehem Candle\u201d that many churches light the second week of Advent reflects a lifestyle of faith and highlights Mary and Joseph\u2019s sojourn to Bethlehem.<\/p>\n
Mary and Joseph were told by an angel that they would become the parents of the Messiah, who would bring down the mighty and deliver God\u2019s people from bondage. No doubt, this couple found it difficult to process the amazing though unbelievable and troubling news that Mary would give birth to the Messiah while still a virgin. Add to this angelic announcement the realization that Mary would likely give birth on or shortly after the arduous journey to Bethlehem resulting from Caesar\u2019s edict that everyone must travel to their ancestral homes for a census. Talk about poor timing. To add insult to injury, they found out there were no vacancies upon their arrival. It sure didn\u2019t look like God was going to fulfill his purposes for them.<\/p>\n
Perhaps you can relate. Perhaps you have discerned that God has called you to take the step of faith and depart on a mission. And yet, everything about the trip appears out of sorts. You encounter roadblocks and detours. You get lost. You have a flat tire. You run out of money. You\u2019ve reached a dead end.<\/p>\n
Just think, if Mary had not been stretched in her faith from conception to the Messiah\u2019s birth in a dead end place like Bethlehem, and throughout her years with Jesus, she may not have been able to keep going when Jesus was taken from her in death by crucifixion. Certainly, the way forward seemed like a dead end. But Mary\u2019s journey of faith did not end there. She was with Jesus\u2019 followers after his resurrection and ascension and journeyed with them in faith, knowing she would see him again in glory.<\/p>\n
This week, as you face obstacles that mess with what you believe are God-ordained plans, stop to consider how you are being stretched in faith and faithfulness through the ordeal. As with Mary, and even Jesus, whom Hebrews says learned obedience through what he suffered, know that the destination of our faith journey is not only about getting to a certain place or achieving certain goals. The faith journey is also about becoming a faithful person who continues to be stretched to discern God at work in dead end places while bearing crosses, holding firmly to Jesus, the promised One, along the way.<\/p>\n
I wrote about the subject of faith and Mary and Joseph\u2019s journey to Bethlehem in my new book on the church year titled\u00a0Setting the Spiritual Clock: Sacred Time Breaking Through the Secular Eclipse<\/a><\/em>. You can find the sampler providing an overview of the volume\u00a0here at this link<\/a>. Below is a flyer with a discount code for the book. Please contact the publisher at the email address or phone number included at the bottom of the flyer and be sure to provide the discount code of ADVENT20 to receive a 40% discount good until Christmas. Advent is about faith \u2014 trusting that God will fulfill his purposes for us even when the way forward seems like a dead end.\u00a0The \u201cBethlehem Candle\u201d that many churches light the second week of Advent reflects a lifestyle of faith and highlights Mary and Joseph\u2019s sojourn to Bethlehem. Mary and Joseph were told by an […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1284,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10677","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"