I've basically been living out of a suitcase for the past month. Pack for Thanksgiving. Unpack from Thanksgiving. Pack for Cran Hill. Unpack from Cran Hill. Pack for Bonaire. Unpack from Bonaire. It's gotten so bad that I find myself using travel size containers for my personal hygiene. Right now my life is a road trip.
Which of course makes a ton of sense because if you've been in relationship with God for any period of time you know . . . God is the God of the road trip.
Abraham had to pack up his things and move to the land of Haran. Joseph, after being captured and sold by his brothers, travelled off to Egypt. David, while a biblical hero for many, was also a man with the travel agent on his speed dial. He was constantly on the move. Jeremiah, even though he didn't want to travel, was told by God "to go with this people." And go he did, also to the land of Egypt.
God's movement of people wasn't just for the individual. It involved whole communities as well. People familiar with the biblical language know the meaning of words like Exodus and Exile. What we sometimes forget is that it meant significant travel. In the Exodus, the people of God packed up their things in haste and moved out of the land of Egypt and headed off somewhere to a place called "the Promised Land." No GPS, or Garmin, or Map Quest directions . . . just a cloud and pillar of fire and a man with a staff. In the Exile, the people of God were forced to move by people other than God called Assyrians and Babylonians, moved out of their land into a land they were unfamiliar with.
So when we come to Christmas, are we surprised that God uses a road trip to bring about his salvation story?
Mary and Joseph leave Galilee and Nazareth and head toward Bethlehem. While some people like a donkey in the story because there is no way in our culture of medical progress that we would allow a pregnant lady to walk that far . . . the biblical text doesn't give any indication of a donkey. Donkey's were for rich people and Mary and Joseph certainly were not rich. Personally, I think Mary and Joseph walked.
When they get to Bethlehem there is no room from them in the inn. Apparently they hadn't checked their reservation with confirmation numbers. I guess, when you're giving birth to the Son of God, it's easy to overlook these things. Still, they find a place to stay . . . in the stable where sheep and other animals eat and find shelter. I can only imagine the type of review Mary and Joseph would offer on Trip Advisor about their stay in Bethlehem.
While we search for "a warm sweater with a cup of hot cocoa gathered around the Christmas tree" type of experience for our celebrations of Jesus' birth . . . sometimes we need to remember that God is the God of the road trip. To remember that Mary and Joseph were probably exhausted from their travel, just wanted to sleep in their own beds and were sick and tired of living out of suitcases . . . all in the middle of giving birth to a baby. To remember that wise men came from the east following a star. To remember that Shepherds ran from what they knew to what they didn't know and when they went back they were completely different people. To remember that Mary and Joseph didn't stay in Bethlehem very long until they were headed off to Jerusalem for Jesus' circumcision and then to Egypt to avoid Herod's jealousy. Is it any wonder that later in Jesus' ministry that he said "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has no where to lay his head." His life had been and is a road trip.
Right now, I find myself there. Living out of suitcases, traveling from place to place, sharing life with people who speak different languages and live in different rhythms. I don't feel settled or comfortable or confident from day to day. It's all new. And maybe, just maybe, that's the point. That when we are in relationship with God, when we are traveling down the gospel road, when we are following the cloud or the pillar or the star or the angel's message or the prophecy of God . . . that this is all new because we are being made new . . . made new in Christ Jesus.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go pack for Orlando.
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