Pastor’s Column in The Informer (FBC’s Newsletter) – published December 2007
In the Christmas story, a favorite “whipping boy” for preachers is the imagined innkeeper at Bethlehem who tells Mary and Joseph that “there was no room for them in the inn” (Luke 2:7). In our haste to criticize the innkeeper, we fail to notice that in all likelihood, all rooms in Bethlehem were taken because of the census issued by Caesar Augustus that required all citizens in the empire to return to their home towns to register. Who can blame an innkeeper for rejecting potential guests if all rooms were already sold out and the “No Vacancy” sign was hanging prominently over the entrance? Can you imagine just how busy the innkeeper already was catering to the needs of all the guests-cooking meals, washing bed linens, cleaning and tidying? In the midst of such a hectic season and overbooked schedule, who would welcome in a pair of strangers, one of whom was visibly a “special needs” case? The Bible does not tell us how many innkeepers had already rejected Joseph and Mary, but thank God for this unnamed innkeeper, who literally made room for this couple, and in that small act, provided a place where Jesus, the incarnate love of God, can be born.
The Advent season is once again upon us, and in many ways, I feel like an innkeeper. In the Cheuk household, we are bracing ourselves for the flurry of activity that will descend upon us as we speed along toward Christmas. Decorating the house, attending parties, writing cards, buying presents, attending church activities, welcoming relatives, and preparing to travel are just some of the things on our to-do list. For so many people, the Christmas season is mostly a time of stress, a time of not having enough hours in the day to get everything done, a time where nerves are frayed and bodies are exhausted. During this hectic time, there isn’t much room “in the margins” of our lives.
So how do we make room for Jesus this Advent? In the carol Joy to the World, we sing “let every heart prepare Him room,” but how do we do that? First, we can slow down, and clarify and prioritize what is important during this season. It may mean attending fewer parties, buying fewer gifts and cooking less elaborate meals. Second, we can make room for Jesus by making room for the “strangers” in our midst. One small way that we can do that is to attend our church-wide Christmas dinner on December 9, and making a point of welcoming the guests we’ve invited to attend. They are the family members of our Christmas Angels, boys and girls who will be spending Christmas without a parent because that parent is in prison. We can make room for them to eat at our table and share conversation as well as food with us. And when we make room for the hungry, the thirsty, the imprisoned and the stranger, we make room for Jesus (Matthew 25:42-45). And who knows, in that small act, perhaps the incarnate love of God can be born in our lives and in our hectic world.
Yours in Christ, Michael
