No Visa
Christopher B. Harbin
Matthew 2:13-23
Getting ready to move to Brazil with Karen, we had to go through a time-consuming ordeal to get visas ahead of our move. There were all sorts of documents to acquire and gather, forms to fill out, papers to express mail to one location or another, and all on a tight schedule. Vaccination records, birth certificates, marriage certificate, school transcripts, ordination certificate, diplomas, resume, statement of purpose, and declaration of how we would support ourselves all had to be translated, authenticated, and submitted to this or that office by a certain date. Part of the process was designed to be sure that we had the backing we needed to fulfill our assignment and not become a burden on the Brazilian economy. How would we respond to God moving us to a new country with no advance planning at all?
Mary did not have a jogging stroller. There was no pack-and-play to cart along for Jesus' safe exploration. Joseph did not drive an SUV with video screens on the backs of the seats. There were no moving boxes, U-haul trailer, or any means to carry their luggage. They did not load up on disposable diapers for the trip. For Mary, Joseph, and Jesus, going to Egypt to escape Herod was no simple excursion. They were not on their way to visit the pyramids and stay in a luxury resort. Theirs was more likely a journey of some ten miles per day when they did not stop to seek some kind of labor along the way to pay for food and lodging.
There are things we take for granted from our society that we try to impose upon a culture and context from 2,000 years ago, that just don't fit. We hear about travel and somehow relate a journey of months to a day's drive we might make on an Interstate highway. Oh, we picture people walking, but we somehow merge a walk in the park with picking up to move by foot as refugees to a new country. In our minds, it's kind of like Joseph taking the family to Egypt were the equivalent to a leisure ...
Christopher B. Harbin
Matthew 2:13-23
Getting ready to move to Brazil with Karen, we had to go through a time-consuming ordeal to get visas ahead of our move. There were all sorts of documents to acquire and gather, forms to fill out, papers to express mail to one location or another, and all on a tight schedule. Vaccination records, birth certificates, marriage certificate, school transcripts, ordination certificate, diplomas, resume, statement of purpose, and declaration of how we would support ourselves all had to be translated, authenticated, and submitted to this or that office by a certain date. Part of the process was designed to be sure that we had the backing we needed to fulfill our assignment and not become a burden on the Brazilian economy. How would we respond to God moving us to a new country with no advance planning at all?
Mary did not have a jogging stroller. There was no pack-and-play to cart along for Jesus' safe exploration. Joseph did not drive an SUV with video screens on the backs of the seats. There were no moving boxes, U-haul trailer, or any means to carry their luggage. They did not load up on disposable diapers for the trip. For Mary, Joseph, and Jesus, going to Egypt to escape Herod was no simple excursion. They were not on their way to visit the pyramids and stay in a luxury resort. Theirs was more likely a journey of some ten miles per day when they did not stop to seek some kind of labor along the way to pay for food and lodging.
There are things we take for granted from our society that we try to impose upon a culture and context from 2,000 years ago, that just don't fit. We hear about travel and somehow relate a journey of months to a day's drive we might make on an Interstate highway. Oh, we picture people walking, but we somehow merge a walk in the park with picking up to move by foot as refugees to a new country. In our minds, it's kind of like Joseph taking the family to Egypt were the equivalent to a leisure ...
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