Today is the twenty third day of Advent. Each day I will post a short blog aimed at kids that will help tell God’s story from the beginning to the birth of Jesus. And each day Meghan, my wife, will make a Christmas Tree ornament that helps us to remember the day’s Advent lesson. If you want to make them along with us all you will need is some felt, some glue, and some ribbon.I hope you will join us each day this Advent.You can catch up on any post you may have missed by clicking here.

On Saturday Meghan and I took a semi-impromptu trip with the kids. We went to visit most of Meghan’s family who live a solid 2 1/2 hours drive away. To make this journey with three kids we loaded up our mini-van with all the travel essentials like; two borrowed iPad minis, 1 DS with four games, 1 LeapPad with 6 games and one 3DS (that last one was for me). These gadgets kept the kids entertained the whole drive there and back.

I am not a huge traveler. But I can’t imagine taking a long journey electronic free. I always have something to keep myself, and the kids busy.

Maybe that is why when I read the journey that Joseph and Mary had to take I am always a little amazed. Nazareth is about 80 miles from Jerusalem. But car that’s not so bad. If you are on a highway you are only looking at about an hour and a half drive. Joseph and Mary didn’t have that luxury. That 80 mile journey is a four day trip at the best of times, and that isn’t accounting for the fact that Mary was late into her third trimester.

So why take such an unpleasant journey at that time? On the surface it seems like they took the journey because Caesar told them too. Everyone had to return to their clan lands to register for a census. That makes it seem like poor Mary and Joseph were the victims of circumstance. However that wasn’t the real reason they journeyed.

God promised the Messiah, the saviour would be born in Bethlehem. And this was the way he got too people living in Nazareth to have their baby in Bethlehem, Even though things seemed out of control God was with them making sure things proceeded as he planned.

Today on the twenty third day of Advent we remember that God guilds us on our journeys too.