Walk to Bethlehem During Advent

Advent is still a couple of months away but here is a really cool idea I heard about this last weekend that would not only prepare us spiritually for the birth of Christ but also physically and emotionally.

A Walk to Bethlehem is an Advent resource developed by St John’s Health Parish Nursing.  The initial concept was A Walk to Jerusalem –  a resource for Lent but because of its success a new resource for Advent has been produced.

The idea is to calculate how many miles it is from your city to Bethlehem and then plan a walk each day so that the cumulative miles over a period of time mean that you have actually walked to Bethlehem.  This would take a little organizing but I think it is a wonderful idea – a great way to integrate the celebration of our faith with our everyday life.

There is a resource available to assist with this walk which evidently includes Advent devotionals.  You can order The Walk to Jerusalem/Bethlehem materials, at 1-888-440-7325.  I have not seen these yet so cannot comment on the content but have heard good reports.

The Walk to Jerusalem is a walking program developed by St. John Health parish nursing and designed to  increase the physical, spiritual and emotional health of participants.  This “imaginary” trip to Jerusalem is accomplished by individuals within the church or organization logging their own walking miles each week. The Walk to Jerusalem usually begins in January with the goal of accumulating enough miles to reach Jerusalem by Easter.  The fall version of this walk is The Walk to Bethlehem.  This begins in September with the intent of reaching Bethlehem for the Christmas celebrations.