Posts
Most of us
are familiar with the Christmas story and how Mary and Joseph had to travel to Bethlehem. As you may recall, they were traveling to
register because Caesar Augustus had issued a decree that everyone travel to
their home town for the census. A very
pregnant Mary traveled with her husband, Joseph and arrived just in time for
nightfall. Here’s where the story gets
interesting. Joseph tries to check in at
the hotel but there is no room at the inn. Those famous words have been repeated for
centuries as the Christmas story has been told and retold; and those are the
words I want to focus on today.
“No room at the inn!”
Now that is interesting. Think of
all the pomp and circumstance that a King or Queen receive. Even here in America where we do not have
monarchs that rule, we understand that they are to be celebrated. All of us remember Princess Diana and how
much she filled our news, and she was only ex-royalty. Oh we know how to treat “important”
people. How about our president, I doubt
that he goes too many places without an entourage of people to escort him. These people are special, we celebrate them,
protect them, cherish them. If President Obama was coming to the little town of LaMoille,
imagine the preparation we would do.
Room at the inn, shoot we might even build a new high class hotel to
house him and “his people.” A few years ago, the children
of our church were working had on their play for Christmas. It was called, “A King is Coming” and took
place in the little town of Rumors
Mill. In the story, the
people in town catch wind of the news that a king is coming and the town is set
to work preparing for this important visitor.
Israel knew
that a king was coming. They should have been
ready to welcome him, celebrate him, cherish him. They should have been waiting like a child
for Christmas morning, in eager expectation for His coming, but that is not at
all what happened. There were no
preparations made, no celebrations, and no news reports. In fact, most of them missed it. A tiny baby wasn’t what they expected. They were looking for someone with more power
and certainly someone more majestic than a baby. You know, a real king. Most of Israel slept right through the
coming of the Christ child. Not only was
there no room at the inn but there was no room
in all of busy Bethlehem,
save for a lowly stable. Few people even
took notice. Perhaps the Inn Keeper muttered
a “congratulations” to the new parents but no one called the mayor. There was not a rush of visitors to the
stable only a few shepherds. There is Casting Crowns song that puts it this
way, “O little town of Bethlehem,
looks like another silent night. Above
your deep and dreamless sleep a giant star lights up the sky. While you’re lying in the dark, there shines
an everlasting light, for the King has left His throne and is sleeping in a
manger tonight…O Bethlehem, what you have missed while you were sleeping. For God became a man and stepped into your
world today. O Bethlehem, you will go
down in history as a city with no room for its
King…”
Wow, they
missed it big time. Good thing we aren’t
like them, right? Or are we? This question is two fold. First let’s look at this Christmas
season. The time has come once again to
celebrate the birth of our Savior. How
much time have we spent celebrating that?
Have we been too busy buying gifts, decorating, baking, etc. to stop and
celebrate this King? Has Jesus come only
to find that there is “No room Within?”
Now the
second part of the question focuses on the promise that this very same Savior
will come again. Like Israel, we have
read the prophesies. We know that this
same King is coming again. The truth has
been told and retold for generations. We
should be waiting in hopeful expectation for His return. But are we ready? When He comes will He find that we still have
no room within?
The final verse to the Casting Crowns song goes like this, “United States of America,
looks like another silent night. As
we’re sound asleep by philosophies of save the trees and kill the
children. While we’re lying in the dark
there’s a shout heard across the eastern skies.
For the Bridegroom has returned and He’s carried his bride away in the
night…America
what will we miss while we are sleeping?
Will Jesus come again and leave us slumbering where we lay? America, will we go down in history
as a nation with no room for its King?”
