No Room At The Inn

Speaker: Archbishop Loren Thomas Hines

December 25, 2022

in Spritual Growth

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Feast of the Nativity
Readings: Isaiah 9:2-7
Titus 2: 11-14
Luke 2:1-14

Around the world, there is one day of great joy- Christmas day. Associated with parties, reunions, loud voices, gift-giving, a lot of preparations and activities. And yet, the world still experience anxieties and stress. We’ve allowed the world to overwhelm even the birth of Christ. Do we really understand the true meaning of Christmas?

The other side of Christmas: Christ was the Creator of the world. Nothing exists that did not come from him. Joseph and Mary lived in Nazareth. But because of a census, they had to travel all the way to Bethlehem which was Joseph’s hometown. It was a 4-day journey. The 1st Adam was born of dust. He became a spirit-being when God breathed life to him. Eve wanted to be like God although she was already created in His image. She failed to fulfill the task in giving birth before she sinned. Mary, on the other hand, obeyed and willfully gave of herself to accomplish the will of God. After the 4-day journey on a donkey, Joseph with the very pregnant Mary arrived in Bethlehem. There was no room for them at the inn. They had to go to a stable where animals stayed. And there, Jesus was born in a manger, wrapped in swaddling clothes. The prophets of old had prophesied that a Messiah was going to be born. He was the King of kings and yet, there was no fanfare. There was no royal welcome, no lights flashing, no orchestra playing. Christ was willing come to the lowest so that He could save all of mankind. He created the earth and everything in it- and yet there was no place for him at birth.

A story goes that a King would leave the comforts of his palace and he was in incognito. It turns out that he was doing this so that he could see the living conditions of the people outside, to be able to identify with their problems. Christ was not exempted from the obligations of man. He paid taxes, he underwent struggles. He was in the flesh, and He had no special favors. He never attacked His offenders. He knew who was for Him. God in us is greater than all the opposition. Scriptures tell us that during Christ’s birth, an angel appeared before the shepherds to announce the good news. Shepherds were outcasts of society. They were not the elite. God chose the simple people to be the first to hear the good tidings. It was not revealed to the priests and officials in high places, but to lowly shepherds. These were the ones who took care of the lambs. They were the ones who provided the offerings for the sacrifice.

Christmas day is not one day. It’s a life that we should live by on a daily basis. There’s nothing wrong with buying things. But we should not be rushing to the malls and be so anxious about having to buy this and that because the celebration isn’t just one day. Psalm says that “The earth is the Lord’s, it will not be moved.” We should have such joy and peace if we truly understand what Christmas is about. We should be so thankful, knowing what God did to send us His Son.