THE FIRST TRIP TO BETHLEHEM

Once upon a time—way back when the country of Israel was being led by judges— there was a famine in the Middle East. A man from Bethlehem (named Elimelech) left his home and moved to the country of Moab where there was food.  He took his wife, Naomi, and their two sons.

Not long after arriving in Moab, Elimelech died!  When the sons matured, they married Moabite women.  But after ten years, both sons died too. 

Naomi decided that her best chance for survival depended on her returning to Bethlehem where family might support her.  She tried to set her daughters-in-law free to seek other husbands and stay in Moab.  But one of these women, Ruth, was extremely dedicated to her mother-in-law and insisted on returning to Bethlehem with her.

Upon their arrival in Bethlehem, the town started buzzing over what all had happened to Naomi.  It was harvest time, so Ruth went out to follow the field workers (with their permission) and try to gather some of the grain that was left behind. 

It so happened that she worked in the fields of a man named Boaz who was a relative of her father-in-law, Elimelech.  When Boaz happened by, he quickly noticed Ruth because she was beautiful and also a very dedicated worker.  He told his men to protect her and to leave bundles of grain for her to pick up.  He spoke to Ruth and told her to work only in his fields where she would be safe! 

At the end of the day, Ruth was very excited at the amount of grain she had gleaned.  She reported to Naomi of Boaz’s kindness. 

The next day, Boaz showed up again and invited Ruth to eat with him and his men.  He told her to drink of their water when she became thirsty.  He reminded her to work in his fields only and complimented her for her kindness in staying with Naomi and leaving her homeland.  Ruth was overwhelmed with his generosity and kindness. 

Boaz instructed his men again to leave plenty of grain for her to pick up.  He encouraged them to give her special treatment. 

When Ruth reported all this to her mother-in-law, Naomi explained that Boaz was one of her husband’s ‘kinsman redeemers’.  At that time and in that culture, this meant that Boaz was one of several in Bethlehem who had the opportunity to accept responsibility for Elimelech’s family. 

Since harvest was nearing an end, Naomi gave Ruth a special assignment.  She was to bathe, put on perfume, get dressed up and go to the place where the grain was processed.  Naomi told Ruth to watch when Boaz slipped off to sleep.  Then she was to go and lay at his feet and sleep there.  This would signal to Boaz that she was available for marriage.  Ruth did exactly as she was instructed.

Boaz seemed greatly pleased with her actions and told her to return to Naomi the next morning.  He filled her shawl with grain when she left.  When she saw Naomi, she reported all that had happened.  Naomi told her that Boaz would take care of the legal responsibilities that very day.  And he did!

He sought out the only other ‘kinsman redeemer’ and called some elders together to witness their agreement.  Because the other man was already married, he only saw Naomi and Ruth as a liability.  Therefore, he legally passed his rights to Boaz.  Boaz was now free to assume responsibility for all that had belonged to Elimelech.

Boaz immediately married Ruth and together they cared for Naomi.  Very soon, by God’s grace, Ruth conceived and bore a son.  The women of Bethlehem marveled at how God had changed Naomi’s fortune!  Naomi became the babysitter for this new child!  Boaz and Ruth named him Obed.

That child, born in Bethlehem 1300 years before Jesus was born, may seem insignificant to us.  But later, Obed grew up and married and had a son;  he named his son, Jesse.  Then Jesse grew up and married and had seven sons;  he named his youngest, David. 

This David, to everyone’s surprise, became the King of Israel!  He was also the one who received the promise from God that eventually the Messiah would come from his family line. 

And when the fullness of time arrived, God spoke to another young woman, named Mary.  He also spoke to her boyfriend, Joseph, and confirmed to them that Mary would give birth (as a virgin) to the Messiah.  They were both descendants from the line of King David!  They were instructed to name their baby boy, Jesus – which means Savior! 

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We all love good stories!  This is a true story recorded for us in God’s Holy Word!  You can find it tucked away in a short book that carries the name of its heroin, Ruth. 

I want to draw one key point from this drama:  God Prepares In Advance!

In about three months, I plan to embark on one of the greatest adventures of my life! 

When I was in my early 20’s, I began to hear about a relatively new hiking trail that began in Georgia and ran over 300 mountains and meandered through the Appalachian Mountains all the way to central Maine!  I was captivated by this concept.

However, I was newly married and heavily involved in educational pursuits that were preparing me for a life of pastoral ministry!  There was NO WAY that I could take 3-6 months off to go for a long walk in the woods!  So, it became a dream for me.  Frequently, I would think about what it would be like to hike the Appalachian Trail.  Thousands of times over the next forty years, I would dream about embarking on this adventure.

But, life happens!  Kids were born.  Ministry became my life!  Family, church responsibilities and educational pursuits filled my years!  Hiking the AT was relegated to nothing more than a dream.

Actually, after forty years in the ministry, I arranged with the New Middletown FMC to have a ‘Sabbatical Leave’ for six months.  My plan was to hike the AT (in the spring of 2012) and fulfill my dream! 

But, it never happened.  Instead, Debbie and I packed up all our belongings and left for China to teach English.  Our three years of missionary work there became the three most enjoyable, exciting and gratifying years of my life! 

However, I did harbor a little disappointment that my AT dream had been canceled. 

I retired at the end of May.  We’ve created a new home for ourselves in Enon Valley, Pennsylvania.  And with my wife, Debbie’s blessing, I am now actively planning that AT adventure. 

In just a little over three months from now, I will board a plane for Atlanta, Georgia.  Then I’ll shuttle to Dahlonega, Georgia.  Then, I’ll shuttle again to Amacola Falls where I will start my 2,150 mile hike!

So, as you can imagine, my life is seriously picking up speed as I prepare for this trek. 

o  Gear is being purchased and tested

o  Food is being prepared

o  Drop boxes are being planned

o  Training is taking place

o  Debbie is learning to drive our new riding mower.  I’m also helping her learn about other responsibilities that I carry in our home.

We’re both on a steep learning curve as I plan to leave for approximately six months.  Hiking the AT is not something you just decide to do quickly!  It requires preparation!

But my preparation is insignificant compared to God’s! 

It’s nearly impossible for us to imagine preparing 1300 years in advance!  And actually, God had prepared even much earlier than that. 

Listen to Ephesians 1:3-6 from The Message:

How blessed is God! And what a blessing he is! He’s the Father of our Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in Him. Long before He laid down earth’s foundations, He had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of His love, to be made whole and holy by His love. Long, long ago He decided to adopt us into His family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure He took in planning this!) He wanted us to enter into the celebration of His lavish gift-giving by the hand of His beloved Son.

We are not capable of conceiving the complexity and completeness of God’s advance planning!  His planning infiltrates our lives!  God  cares enough to prepare!

My Mom was very serious about observing The Lord’s Day.  She would work on Saturday evenings to do as much meal prep as possible to reduce her efforts on Sunday.  Every Saturday night of my first seventeen years, she had peeled potatoes covered in water and sitting in the pot ready to be cooked the next day.  She prepared to observe her Sabbath!

Listen!  You’re getting the message, I know you are!   Good things happen because someone prepares! 

When I was a kid, Christmas morning was a time of unbelievable fun and excitement.  Most Christmases, I would receive at least one gift that sent me on a hunt.  I would open a package and find a note that would tell me to look under my bed.  Another package – another note to look somewhere else.  And on and on and on.  But eventually, the hand-written notes led me to a gift that brought me great joy! 

But this joy was the result of someone’s preparation and planning.  One year, I kept those notes and tucked them away.  I found them years later as an adult.  As I studied them again, I noticed that they were written on paper from my Dad’s shop!  I also noted that they were written in his script!  It was my father (not my mother) who was the mysterious Santa! 

My father wasn’t very hands-on.  He wasn’t very affectionate and didn’t spend much time with me.  But as a young adult, I realized that my father loved me enough to prepare, wrap and hide these gifts!  I felt very loved! 

Preparation is important! 

Imagine God’s excitement as He watched Naomi and Ruth moving back to Bethlehem!  Imagine His joy as He saw Boaz’s interest develop in Ruth!  Imagine His smile as Obed was born and cradled in his Grandma Naomi’s arms! 

Imagine God sitting in the Heaven’s looking forward to a day 1300 years later when another baby boy would be born in Bethlehem to a young, obscure couple! 

Advent is the season of preparation! 

The call of Advent is twofold:

FIRST,

We are called to remember the birth of the One who saved us from our sins and has given us the hope of everlasting life!

SECOND,

We are challenged to look forward to His Second Coming!  This challenge causes us to reflect on how we are living our lives.  We are called to live in such a way that we can secure our eternity AND influence as many others as we can to accept Jesus as their Savior and live for His purposes.

So, how about it today?

There's still a little time before Christmas! 

Don’t let Him be omitted from your preparations for His Birthday!  Take control of your life!  Don’t allow Him to be squeezed out!  Hallmark movies are great, but they RARELY communicate the message of a Savior born to rescue a fallen world!

Prepare yourself!  Prepare your family!  Help prepare those around you. 

Recently, Debbie and I ate using coupons at Burger King!  Another retired couple sat in the booth next to us and we exchanged laughter about using the great coupons!  As they got up to leave, the gentleman wished us “Happy Holidays!”.  Debbie wished him a “Merry Christmas!”.  He clearly noticed her greeting and you could see the wheels turning in his mind.  Finally, he looked directly at her and said, “You’re right!  Merry Christmas!” 

You can and do impact others - consider that thought...

You might enjoy this link to a wonderful song by Christine Dente:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MelsSzlgDVI