No Room
While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. (Luke 2:6-7, NIV)
An early church father, Justin Martyr, tells us that the stable in which Mary gave birth to Jesus was actually a cave. The emperor, Constantine the Great, ordered a church built at the site. Years later, an even more elaborate and beautiful church was built, which stands to this day.
Whether or not this church marks the actual place of Jesus’s birth, we don’t know. What we do know is that the circumstances of the birth of the King of Kings were not what one would expect. There was no palace, no cushioned bassinet, no royal baby clothes, only a stable where the animals were kept.
Jesus once said this about his life and ministry - “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of man has no place to lay his head.” (Matthew 8:20, NIV.) Isaiah tells us he was “despised and rejected.” (Isaiah 53:3, NIV) But John, in his gospel, makes this promise - “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12, NIV)
As we celebrate the birth of our Lord this Christmas season, let’s make plenty of room for him in our hearts and lives.
In Christ,
Dan
‘Tis the season to make room for Jesus.
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