She wrapped him in cloths and placed
him in a manger, because there was no
room for them in the inn.
Luke 2:7 NIV
My husband and I have three
children who now have children of their own. I cannot imagine any of them being
born in a barn, laid in a manger, and surrounded by clucking chickens, mooing cows
and braying donkeys. Yet God chose that scenario through which to deliver the
King of all Creation.
Upon their arrival in Bethlehem, Mary and Joseph found no room in the
inn. Offered the stable instead, they settled in for the night. Lest we forget,
God already knew that.
I can imagine the celebration going on inside the inn as the innkeeper
hung the no vacancy sign over the door. A full house provided a good night’s
income and he must have jumped for joy at the sound of the coins dancing
together as he dropped them in his coin box. I can picture a room filled with
men laughing, drinking, and telling the tales of their journeys from afar. Yet
no tale that they were telling would ever match the one unfolding right under
their noses.
Soon the cries of a newborn baby boy would fill the air. Perhaps they
heard something as He announced His arrival to the world while Mary swaddled
Him tightly. Perhaps they even raised their goblets of wine in jest to toast
this child born in the stable. Perhaps they heard nothing, saw nothing, and
knew nothing.
I wonder how many times you and I, like those in the inn that night in
Bethlehem, miss Him. How often does Jesus whisper I’m here or follow me but we
hear nothing, see nothing and know nothing.
Today we have history to remind us, the Bible to instruct us, and the
Holy Spirit to indwell us. We know Jesus is Lord of all and King of all
Creation. He calls us to live so that others may also know as we share the good
news of this baby born in Bethlehem. Remember, we are without excuse, we are
unlike those in the inn, for little did they know He was the King.
© Joyce Powell
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