And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.6
And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.7 Luke 2: 6-7
It’s a simple phrase at the end of this powerful verse, “because there was no room for them at the inn.”
God comes into the crazy, chaotic world and there is literally no room. But here’s the thing…. God is coming into this world. Jesus will be born. No crowded inn will stop that. Jesus finds a way to once again do the unexpected, to reset our thinking on what God-on-earth looks like. I have thought about this part of the Christmas story a lot through the years, pondering a scene where God moved someone to give up their room, or where God creates an inn just for Jesus. Through these mental wanderings God always leads me back to the fact that he never forces himself on us, on humanity. But he always finds a way to move on the earth. There was no room in the inn, that’s ok. Jesus will be just fine in the manger. In fact we will see that where we are born simply does not matter. Jesus does not force himself on the world. He sleeps quietly in the manger. The shepherds and the wise men come to him. And so must we. Here is a thought for this Friday in Advent: God is moving in the world today and no amount of hearts crowded with hate or intolerance will stop that. Let’s make some room for the God of Love.
Grace and Peace at Advent
Myra