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Once again we enter a busy but exciting time of year. In the weeks ahead we begin preparing, shopping and working to get everything ready by Christmas Day. In the midst of all this activity we might remember that to really find Christmas we must go to Bethlehem.

For Mary that road must have been long and tiring for soon after her arrival in Bethlehem she gave birth to her child. The shepherds knew the distance to town, yet they left their flocks and hurried there. The wise men knew it would be far but were willing to travel the distance seeking a new King.

How far is it to Bethlehem? Madeline Sweeny Miller once wrote:

It isn’t far to Bethlehem town!

It’s anywhere that Christ comes down

And finds in people’s friendly face

A welcome and abiding place.

The road to Bethlehem runs right through

The homes of folks like me and you.

It really isn’t far to Bethlehem but it is very east to allow many things to keep us away or block the road before us.

I remember the year my mother’s health took a turn for the worse. It was early December and many of our plans for the season were put on hold. Her life came to an end later that month and her memorial service was held two day before Christmas Eve. The following day Sharon and I were just beginning to wrap most of our gifts. One of our traditions is to have nice, hand tied bows on the packages. It was that year we decided to have “Christmas without the bows.”

I think that was our journey to Bethlehem. It gave us the opportunity to celebrate the season with more attention and focus on the reason for the season, the Christ child born in a simple stable.

My prayer is that this Christmas Season will lead us all to a fresh and renewed journey to Bethlehem as we celebrate the birth of our King and Savior.