On The Way to Bethlehem – Jerusalem – Part II
Sermon Title: On the Way to Bethlehem – A Longing in Rome
Good News Statement: Jesus’ birth shows us our own Advent Journey
Preached: Sunday, December 8th, 2024 at Dogwood Prairie UMC & Seed Chapel UMC
Pastor Daniel G. Skelton, M.Div.
Scripture (NRSVUE): Luke 1:5-17 Today’s scripture reading comes from the Gospel of Luke who shares an encounter with two elder people who waited and waited but were given a chance-of-a-lifetime. This story encourages to ask ourselves, “What do we wait for and how does our waiting lead to peace?” Our scripture reading is Luke Chapter One, Verses Five thru Seventeen. May the hearing and understanding of this scripture add a blessing to your life.
The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold
5 In the days of King Herod of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly order of Abijah. His wife was descended from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 Both of them were righteous before God, living blamelessly according to all the commandments and regulations of the Lord. 7 But they had no children because Elizabeth was barren, and both were getting on in years.
8 Once when he was serving as priest before God during his section’s turn of duty, 9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the sanctuary of the Lord to offer incense. 10 Now at the time of the incense offering, the whole assembly of the people was praying outside. 11 Then there appeared to him an angel of the Lord, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was terrified, and fear overwhelmed him. 13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John. 14 You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He must never drink wine or strong drink; even before his birth he will be filled with the Holy Spirit. 16 He will turn many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 With the spirit and power of Elijah he will go before him, to turn the hearts of parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
This is the Word of God for the People of God; And all God’s people said, “Thanks be to God.”
Introduction:
Any important journey requires planning, preparation, and patience. Questions such as the following are often asked: How will we travel? Will we break up the trip along the way? What will be our route? What kind of weather should we expect? What clothing should we have? Will we need travel documents or even other currency? How long will we be gone for? Who is going to take care of the animals? Who should we notify that we are taking a trip?
Many of us associate the Christmas season with the birth of Jesus Christ, with festive colorful lights adorning the outline of our homes, with certain carols and songs, with photos sent and received in the mail, with packages wrapped in decorative paper and color-coordinated bows, with the smells of evergreen needles, with a tree decorated with memories upon every branch, and with certain iconic commercials. This time of year, the Christmas season is seen in almost everything and everywhere. However, there are many people out in this world that don’t necessarily associate Christmas with the things previously mentioned, but instead associate Christmas with travel.
As a matter of fact, according to a FOX News report from 2023 around this time, it reported that “The Vacationer, a travel agency specializing in theme park excursions, cruises and resort vacations, reported that its survey found more than 50% of respondents plan to travel during the Thanksgiving and Christmas period, suggesting that this holiday season will be one of the busiest.”[1] Later on in the article it noted, “In 2023, AAA projected that 55.4 million people would travel for Thanksgiving and another 115.2 million would travel for the Christmas period—the second-highest amount since 2000.”[2] I recently read that this number is projected to increase for this year. Shannon Thompson, with Elite Travel, said their travel agency has seen an over “20% increase in people traveling for 2024.”[3]
For many people, the anticipation of a journey is half the fun. Doing all this work—the planning and preparation—builds excitement about the places you will see and experiences you hope to have. No matter how much we plan, one thing is for certain, we never return from a journey the same. No matter how much planning and preparation we tend to do before leaving for any sort of journey, something during the journey changes us. As a matter of fact, our journeys shape us. We learn from them. We form and deepen relationships along the way. We have unexpected encounters that move us and provide memories that last the rest of our lives. Have you ever gone on a journey that changed your life or at least opened your eyes to something new?
“It is no wonder that the word journey is used as a metaphor for the spiritual life,” shares author Rob Fuquay in his book On the Way to Bethlehem: An Advent Study. During our spiritual life—our walk with Christ—our life is changed much like it is when we take a vacation. From beginning to end, the Bible is a collection of journeys. God called Abraham to leave his home in the land of Ur of the Chaldeans and make his way to a place God would show him—a place where Islam, Judaism, and Christianity could trace their histories to. Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt into the wilderness where they journeyed for forty years: fraught with life-threatening obstacles and life-altering decisions, but yet were given the Promised Land. The residents of Jerusalem journeyed to Babylon defeated and hopeless but were given a new hope and a new desire to live faithfully once they returned to Jerusalem. The disciples journeyed with Jesus throughout Israel for three years not knowing where they were going, not understanding what was happening, and not realizing that their lives were being changed. Lastly, the Apostle Paul journeyed throughout the Mediterranean world starting churches and spreading the good news of Jesus Christ, building churches and bringing hope to people of various nations, races, and languages.
The Bible ends by picturing a new heaven and earth, reminding us that when this life ends, all life doesn’t end. The journey continues and there are more adventures that wait. There are more adventures that change our spiritual life, that get us closer to following in the footsteps of Jesus. And during this specific season of life, of the year, our spiritual journey leads us to the place where the news given to a virgin named Mary by the angel Gabriel, a dream given to a carpenter named Joseph, and an empty stable and trough filled with hay, changed the world. This Advent Season, we embark on a journey of spiritual change: a journey to a small town known as Bethlehem. But along the way, we will encounter other places that help our spiritual life find the true meaning of Christmas: places such as Rome, Jerusalem, and Nazareth. The planning and preparation, for the anticipation and expectation of the arrival of Jesus, begins today. Are you ready for a journey? Are you ready to travel to Bethlehem? As the old saying goes, the journey is the destination
Each Sunday, we will travel to Bethlehem, making stops along the way. Today, our journey takes us from a controlling Rome to a city known as the “city of peace” where Jesus rode into town on a donkey with palm branches waving in the air and shouts of “Hosanna” echoing everywhere, where Jesus gathered with his disciples in an upper room for one last meal, and where Jesus’s disciples—afraid—appeared to them in a room after his resurrection. We have made it to Jerusalem, the city by which begs us to answer the following questions: “What are you waiting for? Are you in need of peace? Is there peace in Bethlehem waiting for you?” Let’s go…
Body:
How many of you need some peace during this holiday season? How many of you could use a little peace right here, right now, today? Amy Grant, a Christian song writer, once sang, “I need a silent night, a holy night to hear an angel voice through the chaos and the noise. I need a midnight clear, a little peace right here to end this crazy day with a silent night.”[4] I’m sure at some point during this holiday season many of you could use a silent night, a midnight clear, and a little peace right here that covers up the chaos and the noise. Peace, a simple five letter word but, yet, a word by which has a great impact on our life. Do you need some peace today? Are you willing to wait for that peace?
Thinking about peace, I did a little research. Did you know that since 2008, economists and sociologists (and many others) have been studying the status of peace in the world? Their research has demonstrated not only how peace affects a country, region, state, province, district, county, and community, but it has also concluded that peace is a major factor on how one lives their individual lives. From their research, the Global Peace Index experienced a genesis in 2008 reporting the status and state of peace in the world every year since. Before I share with you some of the results generated from this year’s Global Peace Index, I thought you might find it interesting to know the top ten peaceful countries in the world, in case you are planning a vacation in the near future.
Before listing the top ten peaceful countries, Luca Venture, an editor for Global Finance online, stated, “Peaceful societies enjoy greater income growth, stronger currencies and higher foreign investment—not to mention political stability and a greater sense of happiness among their citizens” (June 12, 2024).[5] Ventura later notes in his article, “While the institutions that manage societies—at least in terms of global averages—have generally improved and become more efficient and transparent, conflicts and violent protests stemming from opposing political views have increased across the world over the past decade, they accelerated during the Covid-19 pandemic, and have continued after. Peaceful societies are not weighed down by the costs and burdens of violence, political instability and corruption, and they are more productive, informed and educated.”[6]
The attitude of the people effects the level of peace within the country; and the current state of the country effects the level of peace amongst its citizens. And these top ten countries demonstrate how much peace can change the livelihood of an individual. Starting with number ten: Malaysia, Slovenia, Denmark, Portugal, Switzerland, Singapore, New Zealand, Austria, Ireland, and the most peaceful country is…Iceland.[7] Ventura notes, “Icelanders can sleep well at night: they live in the most peaceful nation in the world. No news is good news when it comes to tranquil Iceland: it is the 17th year in a row that it retains the number one spot—since the index began in 2008.”[8] Anybody interested in traveling to Iceland?
Did you notice that the United States was not mentioned as being one of the top ten peaceful countries? The United States might be highly ranked in terms of military might and presence, wealth, and job opportunities, but it is not highly ranked for its demonstration and level of peace. As a matter of fact, of the 163 countries surveyed, the United States ranked 132nd on the Global Peace Index. Now, that is certainly sending a strong message.
Aside from listing the top ten peaceful countries, the Global Peace Index of 2024, shared a few of its stats from this year’s report. For example: The average level of country peacefulness deteriorated by 0.56 percent in 2024. This is the fifth consecutive year that global peacefulness has decreased. In the past year, 65 countries recorded an improvement, while 97 countries recorded a deterioration in peacefulness. This is the most countries to deteriorate in a single year since the inception of the index in 2008. North America recorded the largest regional deterioration in peacefulness. Why? Well, this deterioration was driven by increases in violent crime, [political differences, and lack of acceptance].[9]
It is quite apparent and evident that peace is not what it used to be. It’s tragic to say that peace is no longer something that we make a priority, even though it is something upon which we seek and need every day of our life. This is why peace is demonstrated in the birth story of Jesus. God knew His creation needed peace, and the best way to do that was to become incarnate and walk this earth as a human, as Jesus Christ. During one of the busiest times of the year, God gifted us peace, an opportunity to wait, to breathe, and to take a step back. But are you allowing yourself to experience this peace? It’s in Jerusalem that this peace begins to guide us to Bethlehem.
Movement One: History of Jerusalem…
Known as the “City of Peace,” Jerusalem is one of the oldest cities in the world, with a population of one million residents today—made up of 60% Jews and 40% Palestinians. The city is sacred to the world’s largest monotheistic faiths: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. While it is hard to determine when Jerusalem was founded, references to early settlements of Jerusalem go back as far as the time of Abraham. Many believe Abraham’s encounter with Melchizedek (Shem), the priest of Salem and possible son of Noah, as mentioned in Genesis 14, is a reference to an early settlement of Jerusalem. Also, the location of Abraham was called by God to sacrifice his son Isaac was Mount Moriah, the site of what became the Temple in Jerusalem.[10]
Before the first Temple was built in Jerusalem, it is reported that the mount upon which the city was located was known as Zion. Once David controlled the city, he extended its borders across the terraces surrounding the spring creating the City of David. On the plateau above the city, over Mount Moriah, David’s son Solomon built the first Temple. The Temple established what the modern location of Jerusalem is today.[11]
Now following the destruction of the Temple by the Babylonians in 586 BC, a second Temple was rebuilt by Zerubbabel[12] and completed in 515 BC. Apparently this second Temple was not as impressive as the one Solomon built. The Bible says that when this Temple was dedicated, the sound of the people celebrating could not be distinguished from those who cried in disappointment (Ezra 3:12-13).
Many centuries later, when King Herod was appointed to rule over Judea, he sought to impress Rome, as well as win approval with his Jewish subjects, by rebuilding the Temple. According to Leen Ritmeyer, a biblical archaeologist, “Herod increased the footprint of the Temple Mount from Solomon’s original Temple to a size roughly equal to twenty-four football fields!”[13] Some say it was the largest sacred site in the Roman Empire at the time.[14]
As Fred Craddock recognized, “Jerusalem is the vital center; the continuity of Jesus with Judaism begins here and continues through the Gospel.”[15] The story of Jesus’s birth started at the Temple, but not with a pregnant mother. Rather, it began with an elderly priest and his wife. From these two individuals we learn that through peace we have a chance encounter and experience an unexpected moment.
Movement Two: Those Who Waited…
The story opens by introducing us to Zechariah, a priest in the order of Abijah. This means that he was a descendent of Aaron, brother of Moses and first High Priest, and he was chosen, by lot, to enter the Holy of Holies the same year when Mary became pregnant and probably just a few days before his prayers would be answered. It is estimated that there were twenty-thousand priests in Israel during this time. If evenly divided, there would have been more than eight-hundred priests in each division. Only fourteen priests from a division were chosen for this honor each year, so roughly every ten years 140 names of priests were removed from the selection process. At any one time, about three-fourths of the members of a division were eligible to be chosen. That meant a priest had a one-in-six-hundred chance of having his name drawn by lot. A priest would be hugely lucky to get this once-in-a-life-time opportunity, and most never did. Most of them waited and waited and waited.
So, it was by chance that Zechariah was chosen to do something sacred that others never got the chance to experience in their life. Although Zechariah knew that there was a chance that he could enter the Holy of Holies, he also understood there was a huge chance of him not entering the Holy of Holies; but, yet, he waited. He waited in doubt. He waited in grief. He waited with anticipation. He waited with a heavy heart because it seemed as if God was not listening to his prayers. He possibly could have been waiting with joy down in his heart because God called him to serve the people and although he may have never received the chance-of-a-lifetime, he was still doing what God needed him to do which could have lead him to be waiting in peace.
Zechariah waited and waited and waited, but he never lost hope in what God was calling him to do. In moments of waiting, we sometimes get frustrated, stressed, and worrisome because we want things to happen right away; and if they don’t, then we think that what we want to happen is never going to happen. Sometimes, through peace we are given a gift—“a chance encounter”—to do something beyond we could ever imagine. However, we must wait and we must try to experience peace. Zechariah wasn’t the only one who had to wait.
Besides Zechariah, we also learn from our scripture passage that his wife, Elizabeth, who was also a descendant of Aaron, had to wait. You see, Elizabeth (and Zechariah) prayed to have a child but as the years went by they got older and Elizabeth became barren. During this time, the word barren was a harsh and degrading word. This was more than a physical description. It was an emotional and even spiritual experience. Fuquay notes at this point in his book, “Zechariah and Elizabeth were not able to participate in the covenant responsibility of having a family and producing another generation of chosen people. Not being able to have a child felt like God withheld this blessing from [them].”[16] Outwardly, the two of them presented joy and excitement, but inwardly they carried a deep hope, even if they had long since given up on that hope. They were waiting.
Zechariah and Elizabeth, after all the years waiting for child, realized that that dream and hope was not meant to be. Although frustrated and disappointed, their waiting lead to peace—knowing that this is the life God gave them to live. However, Elizabeth reminds us that our waiting is not ignored by God: He in fact does hear our prayers but are we able to hear His peaceful voice through the chaos and the noise?
I have to ask, have you ever felt barren—as in you are missing something from your life? Have you ever waited on God to provide a breakthrough in your life but after months or years or decades, you eventually gave up belief that your prayer would be answered? What are you waiting on God to do in your life or the lives of others you love or in the world? We are all waiting for something, but is that something helping us experience peace? In life, our current situation may seem like there is nothing else God can to do: however, it’s in those moments that God does God’s best works; we just need to wait and let God take control.
Zechariah received a chance-of-a-lifetime. Elizabeth was given an answer to her prayers that she didn’t think would happen. And this all took place in Jerusalem, the “city of peace.” Because Zechariah and Elizabeth waited, they each received an unexpected moment that deepened their faith. But Zechariah in the process of waiting received a strange blessing: he became mute, unable to speak, guided by God’s control.
The angel’s news about Elizabeth’s pregnancy was too much for Zechariah, just like the dream was too much for Joseph. He asked how such a thing could happen when he and his wife were so old. This is when Zechariah learned the angel’s name: “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news” (Luke 1:19). The previous mention of Gabriel was in the Old Testament in the Book of Daniel when Daniel needed help interpreted visions. And now, Gabriel has appeared to Zechariah with great news but Zechariah was in shock. Because of this shock, the angel says to him, “Because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time, you will become mute, unable to speak, until the day these things occur” (Luke 1:20). Gabriel didn’t even give Zechariah a chance. Instantly, Zechariah becomes mute because he simply wanted to know how this could be.
For a long time, this seemed to be an unfair part of the story to me. Who could blame Zechariah for asking, “How can I know?” It wasn’t like God had been spectacularly present for the past four hundred years. Plus Zechariah and Elizabeth had lived with a deep longing in their hearts without a sign or hint of answered prayer on the way. It’s no wonder Zechariah wants more information. It’s no wonder Zechariah is seeking clarification. This stranger comes out of nowhere and stands before Zechariah and basically says, “You know that one prayer that you gave up on, well God is going to answer it now.” I often see myself in Zechariah. I hope. I have faith. I believe God is able to do anything.[17]
If I’m honest, I know what it’s like to lose hope. Not lose faith, but lose hope—this trust and promise—that God is going to show up, change things, work a miracle, or transform some painful mess of a reality. I know what it is like to keep doing religious duty but lose a sense of anticipation that a revelation will occur in my midst. My temptation in such times is to fall on my strengths, or at least fall on my ability to do what I can. And what I can do sometimes is wait, let God show me clarification, and be present in the moment; let Him take control; let Him answer my prayers on His time.
Sometimes when we wait, we have a tendency to cut our waiting short because we feel as if we are in control. You don’t know how many times I felt like I needed to stick around for five more minutes but left early and later found out that those five minutes were what God needed me to experience and I didn’t stick around to wait. At times I need to repeat the words from the Old Testament Zechariah, “Not by might, nor by power, but my Spirit says the Lord” (Zechariah 4:6). When I am powerless to control what happens, I need to wait and let God take over. Let God take control, wait, and be patient.
Movement Three: Why Does God Take So Long…?
But there is still a nagging question left to consider: Why? Why does God take so long? Abraham and Sarah had to wait for a promised son. Israel prayed for deliverance for four hundred years. Even then, they had to wait another forty years to get to the Promised Land. The Old Testament ended with people waiting for a Messiah to come. The New Testament ended with people praying for Jesus to return: “Come, Lord Jesus.” Why doesn’t God act quicker, especially for those dealing with some sort of pain, grief, illness, hurt, and sorrow?
The experience of Zechariah and Elizabeth may offer some insight. Notice that Zechariah and Elizabeth’s answer to prayer was part of a bigger story. As Gabriel said to Zechariah, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son… He will turn many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God” (Luke 1:13, 16). There was more at stake than just fulfilling the wish of an elderly couple. The hope and peace in Zechariah and Elizabeth’s story was a part of God’s story. The key to finding meaning in our waiting is to ask how our waiting fits into God’s bigger purpose.
One of the best answers I have ever found for why God makes us wait comes from something I read a few years ago by John Ortberg. He said, “What happens in us while we wait is as important as what we’re waiting for.”[18] God makes us wait because God needs us to experience something within ourselves that draws us closer to Him, that draws us closer to the manger scene. God needs us to wait. But when God says our waiting is done, we must not wait any longer. We must do what He needs us to do.
What are waiting for this Advent Season? How is God helping you experience peace during this season of waiting? Are you willing to wait to have your prayers answered?
Conclusion:
One of the lessons we can take away from Jerusalem is the importance of waiting and how waiting not only helps us understand how God is working within us but how through waiting we embrace a peace that cuts through the chaos and the noise as we seek for a silent night and a midnight clear. Needless to say though, waiting is not easy to do but it is a spiritual activity.
Today, we live in a country that is far from experiencing peace because it struggles to wait. It struggles to see that waiting is just as important as what we wait for. Jerusalem, the city of peace, waited for Jesus to arrive, waited for him to teach in the synagogues, waited for him to travel through town on a donkey, waited for him to share one last supper, and waited for him to rise from the dead. Zechariah waited to be chosen to enter the Holy of Holies, waited to receive answered prayers, and waited to speak again. Elizabeth waited to bring forth life and waited to meet Mary.
What are you waiting for? God is calling you to do a lot of things, but He also knows that waiting allows Him to search your heart and to grant you peace among the hustle and bustle of the season and life. Some people say peace starts with a smile. But right here, peace begins with waiting, waiting on the arrival of Jesus Christ. What are you waiting for this Advent Season? What sort of prayers have you been waiting to be answered? Don’t lose hope. Keep waiting and let God give you a chance-of-a-lifetime. Let it be so…
Closing Prayer:
Let us pray: Dear God, help us to wait: to embrace a moment of peace this Advent Season so that we don’t lose sight of how you are working in our life. As we journey toward Bethlehem, may we continually long for hope, peace, joy, and love so that we can be made new before the stable. Amen.
Benediction:
What are you waiting for this Advent Season? How is God helping you to embrace of moment of peace? Wait upon the Lord, and He will answer.
May the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; and May the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace (Numbers 6:24-26). In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit go forth anticipated and expecting the birth of Jesus Christ. And all God’s people said, Amen. Amen. Amen.
[1] https://www.foxweather.com/lifestyle/christmas-travel-air-roads-november-december
[2] https://www.foxweather.com/lifestyle/christmas-travel-air-roads-november-december
[3] https://www.kfvs12.com/2024/11/21/expect-another-busy-holiday-travel-season
[4] Amy Grant, “I Need A Silent Night,” from the album Amy Grant: The Christmas Collection, 2008.
[5] Luca Ventura, “World’s Most Peaceful County: 2024 Global Peace Index”, Global Finance (online). June 12, 2024. https://gfmag.com/data/most-peaceful-countries
[6] Luca Ventura, “World’s Most Peaceful County: 2024 Global Peace Index”, Global Finance (online). June 12, 2024. https://gfmag.com/data/most-peaceful-countries
[7] Luca Ventura, “World’s Most Peaceful County: 2024 Global Peace Index”, Global Finance (online). June 12, 2024. https://gfmag.com/data/most-peaceful-countries
[8] Luca Ventura, “World’s Most Peaceful County: 2024 Global Peace Index”, Global Finance (online). June 12, 2024. https://gfmag.com/data/most-peaceful-countries With no standing army, navy or air force and the smallest population of any NATO member state (about 390,000 people), Iceland also enjoys record-low crime rates (to the extent that policemen generally don’t carry firearms), an enviable education and welfare system, and ranks among the best nations in terms of jobs and earnings and subjective sense of wellbeing.”
[9] Global Peace Index 2024, Institute for Economics & Peace, June 2024. Pg. 4. https://www.economicsandpeace.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GPI-2024-web.pdf
There were four indicators with average deteriorations of over three per cent: UN peacekeeping funding, military expenditure (% of GDP), deaths from internal conflict, and external conflicts fought. The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region remains the least peaceful. It is home to four of the ten least peaceful countries in the world, including the two least peaceful, Sudan and Yemen. Europe remains the most peaceful region in the world and is home to seven of the ten most peaceful countries. However, it deteriorated in peacefulness over the past year, and recorded its largest year on year deterioration on the Militarization domain since the beginning of the GPI in 2008. One hundred countries are at least partially involved in some form of external conflict in the past five years, up from 59 in 2008. In most cases countries were offering support to an existing government against an internal armed rebel or terrorist group. Military expenditure (% of GDP) recorded the largest yearly deterioration since the inception of the GPI. 86 countries increased their relative military expenditure, compared to just 50 where it decreased
[10] Rob Fuquay, On the Way to Bethlehem: An Advent Story, Abingdon Press: Nashville, TN (2024). Pg. 29.
[11] Rob Fuquay, On the Way to Bethlehem: An Advent Story, Abingdon Press: Nashville, TN (2024). Pg. 29-30.
[12] A possible descendent of Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus. (Luke 3:21-38).
[13] Leen Ritmeyer, “Locating the Original Temple Mount,” Biblical Archeology Review, March/April 1992, https://library.biblicalarchaeology.org/article/locating-the-original-temple-mount/. The foundation blocks Herod used were so massive that modern architects marvel over the ability of ancient builders to move and position such stones.
[14] Rob Fuquay, On the Way to Bethlehem: An Advent Story, Abingdon Press: Nashville, TN (2024). Pg. 36.
[15] Fred Chaddock, Luke: Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching, Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox, 2009, pg. 22.
[16] Rob Fuquay, On the Way to Bethlehem: An Advent Story, Abingdon Press: Nashville, TN (2024). Pg. 39.
[17] I am a pastor after all. These are helpful things to believe in my career. But, I still ask questions from time to time hoping to get more clarity: “How can this be? Why?”
[18] John Ortberg, If You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Out of the Boat, Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Press, 2001, pg. 178.
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