Christmas Season

During this wonderful Advent season I am grateful for many things. Uppermost in my thoughts recently is the fact that God doesn't change. He remains strong and steady and Holy.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.(Hebrews 13:8)
God doesn't second guess Himself. He is all-knowing, He is all-wise, He is compassionate and forgiving. What a great Anchor and Foundation the Lord has laid for us - He is the foundation.

Four years ago we had the privilege of touring the Holy Land, visiting many Biblical sites. I was revisiting some of those places in my mind, as I reviewed my pictures from that time.*

In Nazareth we visited the Church of the Annunciation.
Here I was drawn to this painting of the angel Gabriel imparting the stunning news to the young virgin, Mary:

Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God...
For with God nothing shall be impossible.(from Luke 1)

We were told by our guide that each holy site is enshrined within a church built many years after the event and when rebuilt, it was always on the same site.

Here a cordoned-off section indicates the "exact" location of the specific event. The picture below shows the purported spot where the Angel Gabriel spoke to Mary.
I was wondering what it was that set Mary apart from all the other Jewish women of her day, to be chosen to become the mother of our Lord.

In Bethlehem we visited the Church of the Nativity.
What a trip that must have been for Mary and Joseph to walk or travel by donkey from Nazareth to Bethlehem - uphill all the way! Here Al is waiting his turn to descend into the grotto.

Again tradition says that the star in this picture indicates the exact spot where Jesus was born.

*With my first digital camera around my neck in tourist fashion I took lots of pictures never quite knowing if I was actually getting a picture. I hadn't taken the time to read my manual and get to know my camera properly. The picture of the painting of the Annunciation is particularly garish because of the flash. I'm still glad I got it. I was trying to locate this painting of The Annunciation among the many that have been painted by many artists but couldn't find it. Neither could I find a picture of the enclosure online, although my records show I took it in the Church of the Annunciation.

The pictures in the Church of the Nativity have been taken by thousands others I'm sure and can be found in abundance on the web along with great descriptions of the history of this church including who is responsible for the church now (what...2 different denominations?!), why the doorways were intentionally kept low. Could it be to keep marauders from galloping in on their horses and trampling this sacred place?