LCMS World Mission Blog

Yesterday evening, we met with our fellow Lutheran missionaries (Ivan and Jennifer Rasch and family and Charles and Karen Tessaro) for a time of Advent devotion. The focus of our meditation was on being sojourners. Mary and Joseph were sojourners. Nazareth was not their home. They had to go to Bethlehem for the census. Bethlehem wasn’t their home. They had to go to an inn. The way the story sounds, there wasn’t even floor space in the inn. Mary and Joseph were probably relieved to have a bit more privacy in the stable! We sometimes feel a bit like Mary and Joseph–sojourners.

We realize there was also a time in Mary and Joseph’s life where they settled down and raised their family and lived for many years in Nazareth. Nazareth even became known as Jesus’ hometown. We realize some of you live in ‘hometown’ situations.

Whether you and we are a bit nomadic like Mary and Joseph were at the time of Jesus’ birth or you are quite settled in to a hometown, like Mary and Joseph were during Jesus’ growing up years, you and we are still sojourners. Heaven is our real home. Through His death and resurrection, Jesus opened the road to heaven for us and has prepared a place there for us–for us and for all people who believe! There is room with Jesus!

We have the privilege of knowing and worshiping the Christ-child. Billions of people in our world (most likely including people who live nearby each of us) do not have that privilege. Our time of sojourn here on earth is an opportunity to worship the Christ-child and to share with our neighbors and the world the best News the world has ever heard! Jesus is for real and He is the only Savior the world will ever know!

Thank you for your partnership in mission. Thank you for your prayers and financial support for outreach mission work in West Africa. Thank you for connecting with us personally through your cards and e-mails. May God bless your Christmas season–a sojourn of worship, sharing the Good News and looking forward to Christ’s second coming and eternal celebration of being with Jesus!

• Make an end-of-the-year gift to support the work of LCMS World Mission around the world.
• Download the prayer cards of LCMS missionaries working in Nigeria.