It was a bit different for Mary and Joseph. Christmas is about the divine — the Son of God coming to earth. But there is also a human element. The story involves real people, human beings just like you and me, coping with an extraordinary situation. Their journey would have taken a week to ten days, travelling slowly. As I write this it’s less than two weeks to Christmas, so 2,000 years ago Mary and Joseph would be just about ready to set off. Socially and materially Mary and Joseph were very ordinary. Although both were descended in the royal line from King David, by the time the story opens it seems they were of little consequence in their community and very poor.

“One impression which has persisted with me recently is that this is a story—in profound paradox with our own times—that this is a story of intense poverty . . . we do know these two were desperately poor. At the purification offering which the parents made after the child’s birth, a turtledove was substituted for the required lamb, a substitution the Lord had allowed in the Law of Moses to ease the burden of the truly impoverished.” (See Lev. 12:8.) (Jeffrey R. Holland “Maybe Christmas Doesn’t Come from a Store”, Ensign December 1977)

Like most ordinary newlyweds their material resources must have been slender; they probably set off for Bethlehem with few possessions. Christmas cards and tradition speak of a donkey, but there is no mention of a donkey in the scriptures — perhaps they didn’t have one. During the day in December Nazareth and Jerusalem have highs of around 14℃, and 8℃ at night, so it was cold. There was a lot of climbing for them. First, a long climb down from Nazareth on the Galilee highlands to the Jordon Valley – a descent of about 1,900 feet. Then the rocky, dusty road down the Jordon valley to Jericho. Then a strenuous climb through the Judean desert from Jericho up to Jerusalem and Bethlehem, about 3,700 feet over 17 miles.

I wonder what the newlyweds talked about on the journey? If you’ve been married you’ll remember the optimism and hope, endless conversations about the future, what kind of a home you would have, how wonderful your children would be. The whole world’s beneath your feet and nothing’s impossible. And for this couple, there was more; angels had spoken to them. How do you go about raising the Son of God? The visions and revelations were glorious but didn’t provide the detail. As they sat round the campfire at night, or gazed up at the brilliant stars, I wonder what they thought, what they planned. Whatever it was, I bet it was nowhere near close to the reality that unfolded.

That last lap to Bethlehem from Jericho must have been a killer. Scafell Pike is the highest mountain in England and it’s only 3,209 feet. But if you’ve ever climbed it you’ll have some idea what faced Joseph and Mary, who was 9 months pregnant, remember. Even if they had a donkey it must have been a challenge. When they finally got to Bethlehem, they were surely completely exhausted. And then — no room in the inn — nowhere to rest, and Mary’s labour began. Joseph must have been frantic to find somewhere, anywhere. The sheer physical demands were beyond anything most of us will experience, yet the emotional and spiritual challenges were even greater. What an exceptional, magnificent couple!

Let me ask again the question I started with. “How far is it to Bethlehem” for you, for me. It doesn’t just depend where we start, it depends who we are, what we believe, and how much faith we have. I believe we’re all on that journey, to find the babe in the manger. I think we all have some climbing to do, some tough bits, maybe we’ll get exhausted from time to time and maybe from time to time there’s no room for us in the inn either. But I also know and testify that like the Shepherds and Wise Men of old we can receive all the help and guidance we need; and when we finally get to Bethlehem we will be permitted to lift the wooden latch and go in, and be with Jesus, no longer a babe in a manger but now our Saviour and Redeemer.