John 7:40-52

Psalm 89:1-4, 19-26          Judges 13:2-24          John 7:40-52

                  Why do women always make fun of men who won’t ask for directions? And why do men enjoy getting lost? Maybe you have seen that bumper sticker that says ‘all who wander are not lost.’ Some folks just wander. Personally, I have been known to wander a bit. I go north when it should have been south. I have missed an exit or two in my day. I have even (God forbid) broken the man rule and stopped at a gas station for directions. But the statute of limitations has expired on that one. Thanks be to God for GPS!

Ok, so you are not lost. But some get lost and can’t find their way. Whatever we do, we do not want to get lost on The Road to the Manger. We want to arrive safely. But to do that, we need to reconfirm where we are going.

In the Gospel of John the people become distressed because some are saying that Jesus is the Messiah. Others object with great passion because they know his home town is Nazareth in Galilee.  Everyone knows that the Messiah will not come from Galilee! It has been written for centuries that the Messiah would come from the City of David! It is Bethlehem that will bring forth the Christ, not Galilee.  This man Jesus cannot be the one because his home town is Nazareth.

Little did they know! Their spiritual GPS was off quite a bit. They would have been wise to stop, ask, and get their bearings. And that is what we need to do as well. Let’s get our bearings straight.  Where are we going as we walk together on The Road to the Manger?  No need to stop at a gas station. A quick stop at any third grade Sunday School classroom and they can tell us for sure. We are going to Bethlehem, the City of David, where Jesus was born to Mary and Joseph.

You can’t miss it. Just turn right at the first crossroad, head downtown, look for the inn, and there you are. Watch out for the angels and the shepherds. They will be right there under the star.  Maybe we don’t need GPS after all. We just need to be obedient to the star. Are you ready to arrive?  One week from today will be our great celebration of Christmas Eve. Don’t miss it! Watch for the angels and the shepherds!