Luke 2:2-7 (ESV)
2 This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria.
3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town.
4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David,
5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.
6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth.
7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
The nativity is something so many in the world know about, some have a carving, figurine or picture of it, I do, uses to associate the birth of the Messiah to Christmas season. Although the nativity itself is not a biblical event, it’s what society-mostly unbelievers use to justify the “Messiah” whom most don’t believe in but will gladly celebrate that one time in the year when it’s acceptable.
No room for Jesus, no room for the king of kings, no room in the world that he had made. Imagine!
But we have and make room for other things.
God the Father could have had a grander plan for the Messiah’s coming into the world, but it pleased the Father to send the king into the world in a lowly manger.
Like the innkeeper that faithful night, so many of us have still not got room for Jesus in our lives and hearts. We show this either by our words or actions.
The Greatest Christmas Pageant,” Barbara Robinson’s story of a church Christmas pageant that took a definite twist one year when the Herdman children got involved. LeRoy Herdman was given the part of the innkeeper but on the night of the pageant, it ceased being a play for LeRoy, it was real in his mind. The characters playing Joseph and Mary ceased being his brother and sister and became really Joseph and Mary, a carpenter and his young and very pregnant wife showing up at LeRoy’s “real” inn, needing a room. LeRoy truly felt sorry for them and wanted to help them. So, when it came time to deliver his one line, he said it right: “I’m sorry, we have no room.” But then he inserted his own ad-libbed line: “but you can stay in MY room.”
Wow, we know the real story tells us that Joseph and Mary ended up in an adjacent stable but the question for today is this: Why is it that over 2,000 years after the innkeeper’s story many still don’t have room for Jesus?
We fit Jesus into a convenient mould for when we feel the need to be pious, righteous and religious, but we get irritated when he makes demands on us if God would only stay in his little box and come out when we pull the string, like a jack in the box because our lives are so full, so busy, that there’s so much to do without having to make room for Jesus.
There are so many reasons today why there is no room for Jesus in “us,” reasons that differ from person to person such as pleasure-Luke 8:14, money-Luke 18:18-20, business, career-Luke 12:16-21, religion-Luke 11:37-44. The same state of no room is in our societies today.
Many political leaders have taken the room meant for Jesus in the heart of the people that they have a hangout sign proclaiming no room for the Master.
Ethics and character say no room for Jesus.
Abortionists say no room for Jesus.
Same-sex marriage says no room for Jesus.
False prophets say no room for Jesus.
Marriages and families say no room for Jesus.
Even some parts of the body of Christ say no room for Jesus.
What do you say?
According to Revelation 3:20, Christ is standing at the door of your inn, knocking, will you let him in? have you got a room ready for him? Or have you got a “no room” sign up?
Shalom