Sunday September 01
No Room for Jesus Today
Luke 2:6-7
6 So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
Luke gives more details and specifics about the actual birth of the Lord Jesus than any other of the Gospel writers. Most of our Christmas stories and songs seem to come especially from Luke chapter 2. This chapter opens up the events of the most holy night in human history. My favorite Christmas song is “O Holy Night”, and my favorite solo singer of it is Chaplain Shawn Taylor! I have so many great memories of Pastor Shawn singing this sacred song every Christmas Eve to close our service. Remember this first verse:
O Holy night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of our dear Savior's birth
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
'Til He appeared and the soul felt its worth
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn
Fall on your knees; O hear the Angel voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born
O night, O Holy night, O night divine!
And what a night it was, when God robes Himself in human flesh and is born into this world as an infant baby through the virgin Mary in a dirty dingy stable inside the little village of Bethlehem! Yesterday we talked about Joseph and Mary traveling some eighty plus miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem because of the required Roman census. Then sadly, even though Mary was about to give birth, there was “no room” for them in the inn.
No room in the inn for Jesus to be born is strangely prophetic of the reception He was to have as the Savior of the world. Remember John 1:10-12, “He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name”.
As I think of how when Jesus came to earth in His birth, and there was no room for Him then, I can’t help but notice there is still no room for Jesus in most or our world and lives today! We are told that there is a place for everything. But what place has Jesus in politics, in government, in media, in our schools and education today? What place has Jesus in our businesses, in our culture, in our society, in our homes, or even in our own personal lives? And honestly, I’m not so sure that there is a place for Jesus in most of our churches today!
It seems that we make a place for everything else and then tack Jesus on with His name, or a crucifix around our neck. Jesus said, that “the Son of Man has no where to lay His head” (Matthew 8:20). And sadly, even most Christians can’t make room for Jesus in their lives. We prove this when we don’t take the time to read our Bibles each day. When we don’t spend time in prayer and communion with the Lord. When we don’t take the time and effort to attend church on Sundays with other believers, the church that Jesus loves and gave Himself for (Ephesians 5:25). When we don’t take time to witness to our family, friends and neighbors, or serve Him in some capacity in our church or community.
We don’t make room for Jesus with our money. We don’t give anything to sustain and grow His church. We don’t give anything for missions so that people who have never heard the name of Jesus can get an opportunity to be saved from their sins and not spend an eternity separated from Him. How sad it is that we are still not making room for Jesus in our own lives and hearts!
Jesus is the last person we run to when we desperately need help with something in our life or family. We put in our quarter like Jesus is a “Jack in the box” that will pop out and rescue us from a current issue or problem that we are having. How sad!
It is my prayer that today the Holy Spirit will speak to many of our hearts, and we will ask for His forgiveness and determine to make Jesus the Lord of our lives and give Him His rightful place in our lives! When Jesus shows up, His glory shows up, just like it did with the angels on that Holy Night two-thousand years ago!
God bless
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