Title: No Vacancy “Advent Three”

Date: 2008-12-14

Reference: Luke 2: 1-7

A child asked her mother: “If Christmas is more about God than Santa, why do we hear more about Santa than God?” The mother responded: “God does less advertising.” Our task is to advertise for God by keeping Christ in Christmas and remembering Jesus is the Reason for the Season.

Keeping Christ in Christmas is often interpreted as saying Merry Christmas instead of happy holidays. Sending Christmas cards with a picture of the holy family instead of snow men. Bemoaning the commercialism of the season. All of these things are important of course. But the real meaning of keeping Christ in Christmas is making room for Jesus in our hearts and keeping Jesus in our lives 365 days a year.

One of the saddest verses in the Christmas Story is Luke 2:7: “There was no place for them in the inn.” Sad today is the fact there is often still no place for him. We think of the inn keeper as being a heartless, indifferent, mean spirited person. I’m sure he didn’t refuse Joseph and Mary out of malice. He was simply out of room.

A travel inn in that day was a series of thatched rooms built around a central court yard. They look more like covered porches than rooms. Travelers brought their own food and a pot in which to cook it. They brought their own bedding and fuel. These inns were usually dirty, crowded, and uncomfortable. But it was a place to rest in safety. We read how the carpenter Joseph and his wife Mary came to such a place. They were tired and dusty from the road. They asked for a room, but there was no place for them.

Everyone who has ever taken a road trip has had the experience of traveling too long. We want to make a few more miles and come to a place without a reservation. Even with a nice car and a credit card it’s no fun to see the no vacancy sigh or have a desk clerk tell us there is no room.

Imagine the Holy Family arriving on a donkey. Mary was expecting her child soon and Joseph was responsible for her care. In those days Roman soldiers and government officials could demand a room and stay for free in any lodging. Bethlehem was full of persons who had come to pay taxes and be registered. Rome took a census every 14 years. In Palestine, each Jewish male had to return to the city of his father’s and record his name, his occupation, his property and family. God used this edict to move Mary and Joseph 80 miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem.

Our Advent Bible Study read prophecies of the Messiah’s birth. In the Old Testament, God promised the Savior would be a human being and not an angel. He would be a Jew and not a Gentile. He would be from the Tribe of Judah and the family of David. He would be born of a virgin in a little town called Bethlehem. All of this occurred exactly as Scripture said it would.

When Mary and Joseph arrived there was no room. Hundreds of years of prophecy fulfilled and one huge detail not taken care of. There was no place for him. Jesus was born in an enclosure for animals. His first crib was an animal feeding trough. Mary gave birth to her child and wrapped him in swaddling cloth and laid him in a manger. Usually there would have been a midwife to help deliver and clean to baby. To wrap the baby. This time there was no one. Where usually there would have been a cradle or basket, now only an animal’s feeding trough was available. This was not a very gracious way to welcome the one who came to save us.

The inn keeper stated a fact. There was no more room. They were full up. The answer would have been the same for anyone. Today many of us shut God out of our lives and Christmas holidays not because we are hostile to God. We shut God out because we are filled up with other things. So much of what fills our time is not important. Our rooms are full. We shut Christ out because we are preoccupied. We are so busy we don’t hear or acknowledge the quiet knock of Jesus on the door of our homes and our hearts. We are in danger of missing Christmas because there is no room for Christ in our holiday season.

I love the story about a little boy who was to play the part of the inn keeper in a Christmas Pageant. The only line he had was to shake his head and say: “Sorry, no room in the inn.” He rehearsed those six words over and again. Even though it was just a play he felt badly turning Mary and Joseph away. On the night of the play they came to the inn and knocked. The boy said his line...”Sorry no room in the inn.” As Mary and Joseph turned to leave the little boy blurted out: “Wait, you can have my room.” Some felt he had spoiled the play. Others saw he had captured the real meaning of the season. Making room for Christ in our hearts, in our lives, and in our homes. We know this is not the way it actually happened. There was no room. Often there is no room for Jesus today. No room. Those sad words describe more than the inn at Bethlehem. They apply to today’s world as well. Sadly in all the busyness of our Christmas Celebrations most people still make no room for Jesus.

Without Christ, Christmas is hardly worth celebrating at all. There was a time in English History, when the celebration of Christmas became so depraved and rowdy that any observance of the season was forbidden by the government. The meaning of Christmas had become lost in drunkenness, riots, and depravity. Decent people found it necessary to stay inside. In 1644 Parliament passed strict laws making it illegal to commemorate the Christmas Season in any way. A Christ less Christmas is meaningless and empty. We must keep Christ in Christmas because Jesus is the Reason for the Season.

Our focus is easily distracted by all the material things of this world and all the activity that accompanies this holiday season. We are so busy with shopping, banquets, parties, concerts, school and church activities that we become overwhelmed. Christmas is a stressful time for many because of all the extra demands on our check books and our calendars. Many observe Christmas because culture says it’s the thing to do. So many are oblivious to the reality of what we are celebrating. A newspaper column asked about the true meaning of Christmas. Answers were: “A family time, a time for children, a time to love, to celebrate the spirit of giving. An excuse to indulge and go to parties. In this column, not one mention of the miracle of God’s birth as a human baby. To quote one of Advent Devotionals from our booklet: “God’s only begotten Son became a child so we could become Children of God.” This is the Reason for The Season.

The world has always had trouble recognizing Jesus. There has not always been room for him. Our task is to celebrate the baby in a manger who changed the world. To keep Christ in Christmas. Christmas clears up our confusion about God and shows us what God is like. We should welcome His coming with clear heads, pure hearts and with hands that are busy doing His work.

We are grateful that the Child of Bethlehem became known as a prophet from Nazareth then as the Messiah of the Jews and then as Savior of the World. We are grateful for the good news of His ministry, death and resurrection. The Christ Child has given hope and peace to millions from every nation, every culture, every race, every tribe and social strata. The birth of Jesus became a focal point in history. Everything before Jesus pointed toward His coming. Everything since looks back at His coming. The world even numbers its years according to the birth of Jesus. Jesus has made an impact on the world that has never been and will never be equaled by any other person. The question is: “Have you personally made room for Jesus in your heart and life?” Or have we hung out the no vacancy sign?

We have been busy preparing for the celebration of His birth. How do we get ready for Christmas? By shopping, decorating, addressing cards. Another suggestion is repentance. This holiday season can and should be a time of positive, meaningful reflection of our goals, ambitions, aspirations and dreams. This is a time to prepare for the coming of the Lord and a time to make room for Him in our lives. This Christmas Season is a good time to reconnect with God and to open our lives to the fuller appreciation of His grace.

Two women were enjoying an elaborate luncheon in an expensive restaurant. When asked the occasion for the celebration one said: “We are celebrating the birth of my baby?” “Where is the baby” asked the inquirer. “Oh you didn’t think we’d bring him. He doesn’t understand and wouldn’t enjoy it.” Many of us celebrate Christmas, the birth of Jesus the same way. We forget to invite Him. In the rush of observing Christmas with all that’s going on we fail to meditate upon the Christ Child who should be the center of it all.

We need to remember Who Christmas is all about. We need to put Christ back in Christmas. Jesus is Still the Reason for the Season.