If, as it is said, the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step then He has done so much more to find us, to reclaim us. The rescue mission began when we walked away from perfection, when we walked away from our life in the garden with Him, through Him, and in Him.
As the centuries rolled past, He gave us the Law, not to save us by it, but that we would come to know we couldn’t save ourselves. Then He sent the Prophets to remind us He wasn’t finished. He did not intend to leave us with the insurmountable pressure of our own effort. They told us to hope for something better yet to come.
When His presence was announced to the Virgin, the annunciation was the herald of a new phase in His plan. He would not leave us with our own pitiful efforts any longer. It was a proclamation meant to fill us with joy.
The road to Bethlehem was anything but easy. The Virgin and her betrothed walked and rode from Galilee. The Shepherds came from the fields and the magi from the East. All came through a weary rudderless world, drawn by the Child who is peace that passes understanding.
A sprint to the Cross began on that night. Thirty-three years are like the blink of an eye compared to all that had been before. He healed the sick and wounded, comforted the lost and hurting, and instructed those who honestly came to Him. Then He gave Himself, a sacrifice made possible by His own great love, to save us all.
But the journey isn’t over. His thirty-three years on earth was not the final stretch. We are now to carry on. We take up the Cross. He is beside us, encouraging us, instructing us, guiding us to complete the journey home to Him.