God's Master Plan
As we enter the month of December, we are motivated to ponder on the Christmas story. In Luke 2 we see a decree for census being made from Caesar Augustus, a Roman Emperor. This forces Joseph and Mary to travel a difficult journey from Northern Israel town of Nazareth to the Southern Israel town of Bethlehem. The Christmas story unfolds with the birth of Jesus followed by angels pronouncing the birth of Jesus and shepherds rejoicing at the good news. In Luke 2:22 we see Jesus being presented at the temple to the Lord, where Simeon and Anna come to worship Jesus. This appears to be a nice story. However, if we look at its details, we will be amazed at how a Master Plan is being unveiled. The distance from Nazareth to Jerusalem, as the crow flies, is about 63 miles. Now having walked through the rugged terrain of Israel, I can fully comprehend that the walking distance is much more than 63 miles. This journey for Joseph and Mary must have a taken at least 4-5 days, espec