“And she gave birth to her firstborn, a son.
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.
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