No Room
Christmas Eve 2014 is far different than ones we have experienced in the past. Last year our home was filled with the entire family and all the excitement, play, puzzles and cooking that characterizes our family times together. This year it is just me and Debbie (and the dog). Debbie is cooking preparing for our trip tomorrow to be with Christian and Bridget and children.
After feeling a little sub-par this morning, I began to feel better and wrapped some Christmas presents. Debbie was able to get off work a little early so we went out for Chinese food. We were all by ourselves as the Christmas music played. (Brought to mind a scene from a Christmas movie) We then attended a Christmas Even Service at Timberline Church.
We trust you have had an enjoyable day whether with family, last minute Christmas shopping (usually my tradition) or whether you find yourself experiencing a different setting this time of the year.
BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY… “…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 2:7
I don’t like crowds. When Joseph and Mary arrived in Bethlehem it was crowded. Crowded villages and streets were common in Jesus day. Especially during special times of the years such as feasts and festivals and….a mandatory registration.
No one likes to be shut out. To be told that last seat has just been taken, the last ticket was just sold, the last room was just rented. When we arrived at church this afternoon for the 4:00 p.m. Christmas Eve Service we were running just a little later than planned. By the time I got in the building the ushers were directing people to one of the auxiliary auditoriums. By the time Debbie parked the car and got in that one was full and they were directing people to another overflow auditorium. When I saw one of the staff pastors that I have known for a number of years, I wanted to say, “can’t you find two seats in the main auditorium for a friend?!”
Mary’s situation was far more desperate and should have caused more sympathy than the normal request for a room, any room. Yet all that was available was shelter in a stable; but thank God for the shelter! The “no room in the Inn” is one of the dramatic turns to the story. But what we see is how God provides, even when it is not what we want or expect or feel we need. The ability to improvise and to make adjustments is essential in our life and our walk with the Lord.
There are no guarantees and sometimes the Lord provides for us a “back up plan” to our plan, but it may be His plan from the beginning. Those situations test our trust and obedience and willingness to see God’s plan come to pass even if it means His son being born in a stable instead of the comforts of the Inn.
So tonight Debbie and I took my friends advice and waited until the next service and had plenty of time to get in, be settled and to relax and enjoy the Christmas Eve Service.
Perhaps our take away from the “no room in the Inn” is not so much of the challenge to make sure our hearts are open to the Lord, as much as our hearts being open to God’s provision and God’s way to fulfill His plan, especially when it frustrates or own plan. I know that is a lesson that I continue to learn.