No Room at the Inn
Luke 2:6-7 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she
gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in strips of cloth and
placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. NIV
How must Mary's heart have felt as Joseph was turned away from one inn after
another? No room, no room at the inn for you, your wife, the expected child;
God's greatest gift of love to mankind. No room, no room for you.
What harsh, cold words these must have been. How lonely Mary and Joseph must
have felt. How they must have been seeking God's face to understand what they
were to do. He had given them a gift to share with the world, but where did they
fit in, how did it all fit together? Where were they to go?
And then when all else had been tried they found a stable: a place of rest. A
place to be alone to birth the blessing of God for all mankind, for there was no
room at the inn. But God did not need a room at the inn. After all, the earth
and everything in it was his to give. It was not that he could not have supplied
better accommodations for the birth of his son and the comfort of his earthly
parents. The stable was of God's choosing that the hearts of those who have felt
left out, who have experienced no room at the inn of life would know that there
was One who understood their heartache, their pain and loneliness; the pain and
loneliness of rejection, of no room at the inn.
And that stable in all its earthy humility became the first true church of
Christ as the doors were open to both poor and rich alike; to the shepherds, the
outcasts of their day as well as to the wise men, wealthy well educated
foreigners from afar. A place with room at the inn
This week as we go about our daily activities or enter our sanctuaries of
worship what will others find when they come a knocking: Room at the inn in the
stable of our hearts where the living Lord abides or the barred door of
selfishness with no room for others?
Prayer: Father God how lonely it is when there is no room at the inn. Cleanse
the hearts of your people of all but love that never again will anyone
experience the rejection of those whose hearts are to be the reflection of your
love. In Christ's name we ask. Amen.
Lynne Phipps
lynnephipps@hotmail.com
Atlin, BC