© 2015 by Rev. Dr. Marshall L. Hoffman. All rights reserved.

Published by Redemption Press, PO Box 427, Enumclaw, WA 98022 Toll Free (844) 2REDEEM (273-3336)

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Unless otherwise noted, all Scriptures are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, niv®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com

ISBN 13: 978-1-63232-449-8 (Print) 978-1-63232-450-4 (ePub) 978-1-63232-455-9 (Mobi)

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2015939611

DEDICATION

To

My Beloved Katheryn

Who

For Fifty seven Years

Taught Me How

To Love and be loved

Contents

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix

Chapter One: The Kings Highway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11Chapter Two: Roads to Bethlehem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23Chapter Three: Court of the Shepherds . . . . . . . . . . . 33Chapter Four: Avenue of the Angels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43Chapter Five: March of the Magi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51Chapter Six: Joseph An Unsung Father . . . . . . . . . . . . 61Chapter Seven: An Innkeeper Apologizes . . . . . . . . . . 69Chapter Eight: The Tiny Troublemaker . . . . . . . . . . . 75Chapter Nine: The Tale of Tannenbaum . . . . . . . . . . . 83Chapter Ten: The Editorial Page of the

Chistmas Edition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91Chapter Eleven: In A Little Austrian Village . . . . . . . . 95

Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

ix

Introduction

How does one prepare for the Christmas season? There was a time, early in our mar-riage, when we honestly felt that the best way to prepare was to throw ourselves, with-out reservation, into the charming customs and tradi-tions that have grown up around the American celebration of advent. It was our hope that when the last card had been mailed, the last or-nament hung, the last gift wrapped; and the children were “nestled all snug in their wee little beds,” while visions of dolls and bicycles danced in their wee little heads; and we paused just long enough in the magic hush of Christmas eve, to catch our breath: then everything would be ready. But Christmases came and went in our happy household, wonderful memories, but somehow we were missing something. What was that illusive something that seemed to be eluding us every year?

How does one prepare for the

Christmas season?

x

Avenues of Adoration

Gradually we began to realize that though these charm-ing customs can exhaust us physically (and they do) they couldn’t prepare us spiritually. In order to be fully prepared spiritually we had to go way back, beyond our contempo-rary celebration of the season, even beyond the first Christmas itself; all the way back to 700 years before Christ, to the prophet Isaiah.

The sights and sounds of the season, the good cheer and the holiday spirit, will only take us so far. In order

to be fully prepared, I suggest we begin by tuning into the “voice of one calling: In the desert prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God” (Isaiah 40:3, The New International Version; all quotations from the bible will be in the niv unless otherwise cited).

As we look closer into this passage, we find that there is a fourfold process involved in preparing El Camino Real, the King’s Highway. So, let’s buckle up and begin our adventure in preparing for the true spirit of Christmas to find its way into our hearts.

The sights and sounds of the season, the good cheer and the holiday spirit,

will only take us so far

11

The Kings Highway

Scripture: Isaiah 40:1-11

Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins. A voice of one calling: “In the desert prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, ev-ery mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” A voice says, “Cry out.” And I said, “What shall I cry?” “All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field. The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the Lord blows on them. Surely the people are grass. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.” You who bring good tidings to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, “Here

Chapter One

12

Avenues of Adoration

is your God!” See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power, and his arm rules for him. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him. He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.

It was customary for the great warrior, King David, son of Jesse, who lived three and a half millennia ago; to muster his troops and march off into the wilderness. Out in the desert, there were those surrounding Bedouin tribes that could threaten the city of Jerusalem.

The Jerusalemites looked forward to the return of their king with his victorious army and the spoils of war. But the king’s highway had to be prepared. Spring rains had washed away part of the road. Therefore, it was nec-essary to fill in those pot holes with gravel. As our scripture puts it: “Every valley shall be raised up” (Isaiah 40:4).

There are gorges of gloom that need to be lifted up with worship and praise. With many people, the Christmas

holiday is not the best, but the worst time of the year. There’s more depression, more nervous brea kdowns, more suicides than at any other time. The emphasis on family and togetherness only intensifies people’s sense of

With many people, the Christmas

holiday is not the best, but the worst time of the year.

The Kings Highway

13

aloneness and estrangement. We need to reach out to them with the soft, reassuring voice of understanding love. “Comfort, comfort my peo-ple, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for” (ibid. 40:1). That babe in Bethlehem’s manger, became the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. He paid the price for our sin. What good news! There’s no need for anyone to keep pun-ishing himself/herself, with feelings of guilt and estrange-ment. God has opened his heart, and the door of his eternal kingdom, to all who will repent and turn to him. Through faith, prayer and meditation his grace can flow into our lives and lift up the low places to a higher plain.

Have you ever experienced a freeway being built? It’s fascinating to watch that caravan of dump trucks, coming and going day and night. Gradually, a great mound of

We need to reach out to them with the soft, reassuring voice

of understanding love.

Through faith, prayer and

meditation his grace can flow into our lives and lift up

the low places to a higher plain.

14

Avenues of Adoration

earth is rising up and lengthening out, as far as the eye can see. When it’s finished, one can take an on-ramp, and travel at the speed limit, without the interference of surface streets or stop lights. Too often the surface streets of our lives become jammed with all rush and no hush. The true spirit of Christmas gets snarled in all that traffic, and cannot reach us. We need quiet times to lift our hearts in praise, building a free way of adoration, so that God’s Spirit can reach us in the rush hours of life.

While we are building up the low places, let’s not forget to bring down the high places. Again, can you hear that voice crying in the wilderness? “Every mountain and hill made low.” There are hills of haughtiness in our lives that need to be brought down, in preparing the King’s Highway. I re-member, so vividly, the first time I visited the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. The arched entrance is so low,

one must bend down to enter. A tall man almost has to go to his knees. Then you go down to caves where the holy family sought refuge, when they could find no room in the inn. It hit me: the Lord of heaven was not born in a cathedral between golden candle sticks,

The Lord of heaven was not born in a cathedral between golden

candle sticks, but in a grotto with

livestock.

The Kings Highway

15

but in a grotto with livestock. Perhaps they warmed him with their breath, and nuzzled him with their noses. This Prince of Paradise was not born in a palace and laid on a gilded pillow, but in a manger, a feed trough for animans, and wrapped in swaddling cloth. Not imported silks from the east, but course muslin-like material, a little like our gauze bandage, which was used to wrap the injuries of ani-mals to promote their healing. He grew up in a carpenter’s shop, with sawdust on his sandals, and the scent of wood shavings on his garments. His hands were calloused as he used the tools of his trade. No wonder the common people heard him gladly. In order for us to hear him, we need to bring down the high places in our hearts with genuine humility.

Remember the Cuban crises? The world was brought to the brink of atomic holocaust. Would the Russians back down, and remove their missile silos from Cuban soil? Or would the planet be plunged into World War III? President John F. Kennedy was meeting in the oval office, with his cabinet officials. The intensity in the room could be felt, as people who held the fate of the world in their hands, debated the pros and cons of the crises. The door to the oval office opened without a knock, and little

No wonder the common people

heard him gladly.

16

Avenues of Adoration

John-John came toddling in. All eyes were on him as he crawled up on his daddy’s lap, threw his arms around his neck and said, “Hi daddy.” Then as John-John did those cute things on Daddy’s desk that only a toddler can do, the worried looks changed to smiles.

Someone reported that the atmosphere in that room suddenly changed from dread to delight, from worry to wonder, as the great leaders of our land, were humbled by this little child, who had a special relationship with the most powerful man in the world, the President of the United States. That’s what Christmas means to me. Jesus

was born with a special rela-tionship with Almighty God. Through him we too can have a “Hi Daddy” relationship with the Almighty. Sometimes it takes a babe in a manger, to humble our hearts, and pre-pare us to experience the real reason for the season.

While we are building up the low places in our lives with praise and worship: While we are bringing down the high places with meekness and humility: Let’s not forget to straight-en out the crooked places. As we read in our scripture pas-sage: “Make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God” (ibid.4:3). Everyone listening to the voice of Isaiah, would know exactly what he was talking about. During

Through him we too can have a “Hi Daddy”

relationship with the Almighty.

The Kings Highway

17

the rainy season, flash floods might wash out parts of that road. The King might have to take detours, when he re-turned at the end of spring, with the spoils of war. To keep that from happening, during the King’s absence, the people would keep repairing the road so that he would not be delayed in his return.

We have a lot of work to do, to straighten out the crooked places, in our prepa-ration for Christmas. Experts tell us that at this season, dedicated to the dignity and innocence of the babe of Bethlehem, there is more child abuse than at any other time of the year. It seems that many parents get under pressure, and verbally and sometimes physically abuse their children, at a time when childhood is most honored. Crookedness! This is the time of the year when smooth talking con-artists, use their charms to defraud people, especially the elderly, of their life’s savings. Think of it; they will exploit Mary’s Little Lamb, to pull the wool over the eyes of the vulnerable, and fleece them out of their hard earned savings. Crookedness!

Something which is not so crooked, but never-the-less needs to be straightened out, is the way some people use Christmas as a license, to do things that at other time

During the King’s absence, the

people would keep repairing the road

so that he would not be delayed in his

return.

18

Avenues of Adoration

would be considered inappropriate. In the name of a “merry Christmas” they will indulge in liberties, at office parties and other social oc-casions, they would not consider at other times. “Ti’s the season to be jolly, so deck the halls with boughs of holly,” or is it folly. The angels instructed Mary to call his name Jesus, because he would save his people from their sins. This is a time

to be saved from sin, not an excuse to compromise one’s values. Oh, there are lots of detours that need to be straightened out, if we would receive the King of glory into our minds, and hearts this Advent Season.

There is one other phase in our preparation process. We need to smooth out the rough places. Can you hear that voice speaking tenderly, in such comforting tones? “The rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain” (ibid. 40:4). The King’s Highway must not only be straight, it must also be smooth. Have you ridden on rural roads, which had not been smoothed out by a scraper? Even at ten miles per hour, you are in for a bumpy, bone-jarring ride.

There are plenty of things in our celebration of Christmas that are just too rough for a baby’s skin. In their

In the name of a “merry Christmas” they will indulge in liberties, at office parties and other

social occasions, they would not consider

at other times.

The Kings Highway

19

shopping frenzy, people almost trample one another try-ing to get to the best bar-gains? I say: “Unnecessary roughness, penalize yourself 10 yards and go to the back of the line.” We live in a soci-ety that is often uncouth, and lacking in civility. Christmas is a time to pon-der kingdom etiquette, and determine to practice un-common courtesy.

All day long, husband and wife may be competing in a dog-eat-dog world, where things are often rougher than a proverbial cob. If they are not careful they can bring that rough, tough spirit home with them. Next time you get out of your car and walk up to the front door of your house, before you turn the knob; I chal-lenge you to repeat this verse, more than once if need be. “He tends his flock like a shepherd: he gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gen-tly leads those that have

Christmas is a time to ponder

kingdom etiquette, and determine to

practice uncommon courtesy.

Your home is not just your fortress, it’s your

flock, and you are more than a breadwinner, you are a shepherd; so “speak tenderly” words

of comfort.

20

Avenues of Adoration

young” (ibid. 40:11). You are not just the King or Queen of your castle. Your home is not just your for-tress, it’s your flock, and you are more than a breadwin-ner, you are a shepherd; so “speak tenderly” words of comfort.

Let’s make a concerted effort this year to smooth out the rough places in our walk and our talk, especially with members of our family.

In bringing our thoughts to a close, I would like to direct your attention to the wonderful promise God gives us. “And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken” (ibid. 40:5). If we do our part to straighten out the crooked places with honesty and in-tegrity; build up the low places with praise and adora-tion; bring down the high places with genuine humility;

and smooth out the rough places with a gentle spirit of love, God will do what only God can do—reveal his glory. We can bank on that promise, because “the mouth of the Lord has spoken it.” Jesus was born once so that we might be born twice. When Jesus is reborn in our hearts by

When Bethlehem becomes more than a geographical location,

when it becomes a spiritual experience;

then we will be prepared for a

glorious Christmas.

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21

faith, that’s the true glory of Christmas. When Bethlehem becomes more than a geographical location, when it becomes a spiritual experience; then we will be prepared for a glorious Christmas. And that brings us to our next devotional.