And it came to pass ...

This Christmas, with travel restrictions imposed on us by what sometimes seems to be an increasingly imperial government, let's take time to remember a family who were forced to travel at Christmas by the emperor of the time, because he wanted to do a census for tax purposes. So Joseph had to go from Nazareth to Bethlehem with his heavily pregnant wife, only to find that all the hotels were full when they got there. Talk about a lack of planning on the part of the Roman Empire!

Then, about 2 years later, when the little family seem to have got a house at last, they had to do a moonlight flit to Egypt to avoid the murderous intentions of the local despot, Herod. It was a while before they could return and even then, not to their house in Bethlehem because the despot's son was now on the throne and they didn't feel safe. So it was back to Nazareth.

Fast forward nearly 30 years and the baby born in the manger was bringing light to the people who lived in darkness - the people of Galilee, near where he had been brought up. He healed their diseases and their minds. He brought good news - God in man, reconciling man to God. That didn't go down well with the ruling political/religious class so they had him crucified by the Romans on a trumped-up charge. The local tyrant and the Roman ruler became best friends over a job well done, or so they thought.

But the story is not over, even now. Rulers, empires, kings and politicians may rise but they also fall and through it all God's purpose is worked out. We see a part of the picture he is painting but he sees the whole. So take heart, this Christmas may not be what you had planned or wanted but God is still in charge and his love, embodied in a tiny baby, never fails.