Saturday, March 2, 2013

THE TRIP TO TOWN by Barbara Chadwick


When I was a little girl my mother would sometimes go shopping. She would drive about five miles to town. We never felt sad that we couldn’t go because she would always bring back a little white bag of candy for us. What joy!

Today when Kenneth and I go to town (53 miles over mountain roads) we make sure the backpack (of emergency stuff that our daughter-in-law Deanna put together for us) is in the car. We make a lunch and wrap up warmly with our coats. We bring back bags and bags of groceries.

Jesus family went every year to Jerusalem for the Passover Celebration. Imagine the excitement of the preparation – the food, extra clothes, whatever the animals would need.  It is 64.43 miles from Nazareth to Jerusalem so it was a journey of two or three days of walking. They traveled in a group of other people.

Then imagine the excitement of getting near the big city with the throngs of other people coming for this gala event!

When Jesus was not found after the first day of travel home, His parents went back to Jerusalem looking for Him.  After three days they found Him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions….   They asked Him why He stayed there in Jerusalem while they left and He replied. Why were you searching for me? Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house? Luke 2:46-49

Don’t you wish we were all that eager to read God’s Word and learn from those who have traveled with Jesus longer than we have? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could say with David,  I was glad when they said unto me let us go into the house of the Lord. Psalm 122:1

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