The Journey (Adam Hamilton)

Short meditation on the events leading up to the birth of Jesus. Emotional, touching at times, but for me, marred by too much imediacy ("how do you think Mary would have felt", etc, when realy, how can we possibly know that?).

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Quotes:

Much of the Old Testament was written predicting, or in response to, the destruction of Israel. The northern half of the country was destroyed by the Assyrian Empire in 722 B.C. The southern half of the country, known as Judah, was destroyed by the Babylonian Empire in 587 or 586 B.C.

Kecharitomene is literally "one who has been filled with grace."

virginal conception is not mentioned by the apostle Paul or in the Gospels of Mark and John

Luke's begins in Nazareth with Mary. Matthew's story is set in Bethlehem. People tend to merge these accounts, which makes for a less-than-accurate view of what took place.

Joseph and Mary's engagement was most likely long-distance,

Unlike Nazareth, which was virtually unknown, Bethlehem was a well-known town. Though not large, it was known as the place where Rachel had died giving birth to Benjamin.
Bethlehem was also the setting of the Book of Ruth.
Yet it should be noted that even in the days of Joseph, the town of Bethlehem was primarily a working-class town of people who served the needs of those with resources in Jerusalem. Once more we find that God demonstrates a propensity to choose and use people who live in relative obscurity and whose lives and spirits reflect true humility.

"Jesus, like that first Immanuel, was a sign sent by God that you might know God is with you, that you might know he will never leave you, that you might know he will deliver you! What happened in the days of Isaiah is happening again!"

In so many ways today's Palestinians are modern-day Samaritans. Much of the West Bank was Samaria in the time of Jesus. The conflict between Jews and Palestinians defines life in the Holy Land today. Like so many first-century Jews, American Christians avoid passing through the West Bank territories or staying in West Bank towns like Bethlehem while visiting the Holy Land. Few of us have taken the time to understand the conflict.