The Christmas Guest That Never Left. This Was His Promise. Despite What We May Have To Face Here On Earth, The One Guarantee We Have Is “God Is With Us.” Let’s Make Room For Him. Let Us Not Be Like The Innkeeper; even Today, We See The Signs When Hotel Rooms Are Sold Out, We Can Hear The Words, Sold Out, No Rooms Available, And There Is No Room In The Inn.
This is a great time to reevaluate our priorities as we prepare to enter a New year and A New Season. Jesus should be our priority> Every day, every month, and every year let us make room in our hearts for Him.
About 700 years before Jesus was born, Isaiah the prophet wrote this:
For us, a child is born, a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of…(can you finish it?) Peace.
Jesus Christ entered this world to bring us Peace.
When we find the time to settle down and read what the Bible says about Christmas and the birth of Christ, we fondly remember all those wonderful characters of the story of the first Christmas. Mary and Joseph are the babies of Jesus, wise men, shepherds, and angels.
One of my favorite ones is the Innkeeper.
But that is a character that is not actually in the Bible.
The Scripture says that Mary and Joseph had to stay in a stable because there was no room for them in the Inn.
For all we know, they might never have spoken to the Innkeeper. But, on the other hand, perhaps because of the crowds coming to Bethlehem for the census, it may have been common knowledge among the travelers that there was no need even to try to find a room at the Inn.
But we like to imagine that Mary and Joseph went to the Innkeeper and were rudely sent away. So, these poor travelers, one of them pregnant and ready to give birth any minute, are sent away by this rude, uncaring Innkeeper.
When churches have Living Nativities, or when Hollywood makes another movie about Jesus, we like to see this character portrayed as mean. A villain. Rude and nasty.
But -- I think there is something about the Innkeeper we identify with.
Here is a man who has no room in his Inn for Christ.
Many of us have no room in our hearts for Christ.
How many of us come to church every week, but at this time of year, when we should be experiencing the entire spiritual presence of Christ, we don’t feel anything spiritual at all? Here it is Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and The day After Christmas, we ought to be feeling the wonder of Christ’s birth, but we don’t. There is no room in our hearts for Christ.
Christ has been pushed out by all the rush of the traffic, the press of shopping, the anxiety of end-of-the-year exams and tests in school, and the demands made upon us by having to visit or receive visitors.
There is no room in our hearts for Christ.
On the other hand, many infrequently go to church because the stress of the whole year keeps Christ at arm’s length. There is always work, other places to go, and some sporting events to attend on a Sunday.
And so, there is no room for Christ in our heart. Christ has pushed aside so other things can take hold of our lives.
Now it is not that we are villains and evil people when this happens.
It just happens.
It’s like the Innkeeper.
Since the Bible doesn’t mention anything about him, we imagine him as rude and nasty. “Go away. There’s no room for you here.”
But I suspect the honest Innkeeper was doing his job. He was going through his life. He was probably apologetic. “Gee, I’m sorry, Ms. Mary, but there’s no room for you. And it would be unfair for me to go and tell one of the guests who are already here and settled in that they have to leave to make room for you and your child.”
The Innkeeper wasn’t being mean. He was being faithful to all the other guests in his Inn. He was devoted to all the different demands of his life.
So that, in the outcome, there just wasn’t room for the Christ child in his Inn or his life.
And when we push Christ out of our lives, for many of us, it is not that we intentionally decide, “I want Christ out of our lives.”
We have already allowed so many other things into our lives that there is simply no room left.
No room for Christ.
We’ve got things to do.
We’ve got work.
We’ve got shopping.
We’ve got to – well, the list goes on.
Is that the way we want to live our lives?
It’s not that any of these things are bad. Because they’re not. They’re good things. I like going to New Zealand. I like going traveling! I never wanted exams and tests, but they were necessary. I had to study for them. I like to sing. I enjoy teaching.
But when we do all these things in such a way that they consume all of the space in our hearts and lives so that there is no room in our lives for Christ – that’s sad.
That’s tragic.
And I think that is why the Innkeeper captures our imagination in Living Nativities and books and stories about the birth of Christ.
Because he’s us.
There’s no room for the Christ child in the Inn.
And there’s no room for Christ in our lives.
But is this the way we want to live our lives?
Jesus came into this world and wanted to go into our lives so that we might have eternal life. So why would we possibly want to exclude Christ from our lives when he comes to offer us eternal life?
St. Paul wrote in his first letter to Timothy (1 Tim 1:15), “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners-- of whom I am the worst.”
Christ came to give us eternal life. Don’t we want to have room for him in our hearts?
Christ came to give us Peace. We have so little right now. We have wars all around us.
And how peaceful can anyone feel at Christmas – shopping, rushing around, driving in traffic with maniacs all around, and in-laws coming?
But if you are pushing Christ out of your life because you have so much shopping to do, so much rushing around, so much this and that on your list of things to do – then you are depriving yourself of the very Peace that this season ought to provide.
Make room for Christ in your life, and you make room for Peace.
Jesus said (John 14:27), “Peace I leave with you; my Peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Therefore, do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not be afraid.”
Christ came to bring Peace to our lives. Don’t we want to have room for him in our hearts?
Christ also came to give us life so we could experience it to the fullest. So Jesus told us in John’s Gospel (John 10:10), “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
Christ came to give us abundant life, but in the busyness of life, we fill our time with so much, and yet we find that the life we’ve led has been empty at the end of the day. It has lacked meaning and purpose.
Christ came to enable us to live life to the fullest. Don’t we want to have room for him in our hearts?
It is the day after Christmas. We finally made it. We survived all the crazy drivers. We stayed the stress of the final exams, or the pressures of work and we did all our shopping.
Now would be an excellent time to make sure that we make room in our lives for Christ.
Now would be an excellent time to make sure that whatever other clutter may exist on our daily schedules, we can make room for Christ in the weekly worship on Sunday mornings, in the time for prayer and Bible reading, and in the time for service to others.
Even in the midst of trials, struggles, pain, hurt, disappointment and the like, God is still with us! Hebrews 13:5 says, “for He has said, “I will never [under any circumstances] desert you [nor give you up nor leave you without support, nor will I in any degree leave you helpless], nor will I forsake or let you down or relax My hold on you [assuredly not]!” (AMP) I tell you, there is no greater comfort than God! Yes, I know it’s painful, and still it can’t deprive you of the promise God has made to you to ‘NEVER LEAVE YOU UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES’! Truthfully, we can’t count very many people who could make such a promise and keep it, but Jesus is a Promise Keeper! Even when it feels, seems, sounds and looks as though He is so very far away, be encouraged, God is Still With YOU!
In fact, what I love most about this Scripture is the detail He goes into: “I will never leave you, never desert you, you’ll never be without My support, I’ll never leave you helpless, I’ll never relax my hold on you”. Does that sound like He’s far away? Out of touch? Can’t reach us? Not at all! And that’s what made me smile today! The reminder that no matter how much we hurt, HE will always be with us! And furthermore, our hurt won’t last always! Yes, we’ll cry, we’ll wonder, we’ll question, we’ll hurt…but we’ll get strong again, and recover. Listen: One of the greatest gifts besides salvation; is knowing that Jesus didn’t come just to leave! He loves us so much that He’s going to return for us, and while He’s in heaven, He’s loved us once again so much, that He couldn’t leave us without comfort! John 14:26, “But the Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor – Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will help you remember everything that I have told you.” (AMP) We are never without comfort, support, love and strength, Jesus made sure of it! So, even if you aren’t at your happiest or your strongest this holiday season, know that you are never alone, and God is not far away, but with you and in you! And by all means please know that it is okay for you to be honest about your hurt and where you really are mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually. You have nothing to prove to anyone. And addressing your weakness does not take away His strength. Jesus wept, and so can you! So, family, know for certain that it is okay not to be ‘over-flowing’ with the holiday spirit. But also know that you have no need to wallow in dread.
Your Immanuel Has Not Left You Nor Will He Ever! And He Loves You So Much That Even the Father Intervened to Send a Comforter in His Name to Represent Him. Your God is Never far away! And there are no painful glitches in life that can remove His presence from you. Read His Word, Pray, Praise, Worship…and also Cry in your Prayer Closet releasing all of your agony to Him. He understands, and He’s not going anywhere! Hebrews 4:15 informs us, “For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathize and understand our weaknesses and temptations, but One who has been tempted [knowing exactly how it feels to be human] in every respect as we are, yet without [committing any] sin.” (AMP) We serve a Savior who knows exactly how it feels to be human! That’s why we can tell Him our deepest hurts, weaknesses, and fears, He understands, He cares, He’s present there with you and always will be!
There is room for us in Christ’s hands.
Let’s make room for Christ in our lives.
Blessings
J.P. Olson
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