So here we are again, the Sunday after Christmas, and now that it is over, we should take some time to reflect. I don’t know, but I am assuming that, like me, you have been quite busy the last little while. It wouldn't be Christmas without that busyness, would it? But in your busyness, did the reason for the season really sink in? O yes, of course, we know it was the birth of Jesus we celebrated, but with all the parties, and get togethers, dinners, and the like, did you have time to let the miraculous events that surrounded our Saviour's birth sink in? These warrant much thought, much reflection, for the birth of Jesus, whether we like to admit it or not, literally changed the course of the world. It was a miraculous birth, with miraculous circumstances, and yet a humble and rather obscure birth. The greatest Miracle of all time, for God incarnate, God in the flesh, came to us through a teenager named Mary, and he chose to be born in a barn.
The story is so familiar by now. There was no room in the inn, so a stable became the birthing room for the King of kings. No room. But you know, with all the prophecies around in those days, this birth should have been expected. We have talked about the prophet Isaiah, but he wasn’t the only one. Micah, another prophet wrote: "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times" (5:2). Bethlehem is mentioned here as the birthplace of this ruler. Indeed this is the prophecy that convinced Herod of Jesus' birth when the Wise men came calling. This was written seven hundred years previous. It was all there, in the Old Testament. All the prophecies concerning Jesus birth, and they all came true.
When Jesus was born Rome was the ultimate world power. Latin was the official language, and the Emperor Caesar Augustus was the supreme ruler of the Roman Empire. Augustus wanted to establish a basis for taxing his subjects, so every person under his rule were expected to go to their city of birth to be counted on the census. This included the Jews who had become part of the empire.
Joseph and Mary who were Jewish, lived in a place called Nazareth when they got the news. Caesar Augustus wanted to conduct a census, and so a long trip was in store for them. Because both were descendants of David, they were obligated to travel to Bethlehem, the city of David, but as we know, when they got there, there was no room. Was that really the case? Yes it was, but did it need to be? Do you think the Roman soldiers, or the government officials would have found no room? Do you think the wealthy business man, would come to the counter of the local motel, and be told, "Sorry we have no room?" Somehow I doubt it. But for Mary and Joseph, and the Saviour of the world soon to be born, there was no room in the inn. Only a stable was available for them.
O we beautify the manger scene so much. Everywhere at Christmas time you see floodlights focused on Mary and Joseph, and perhaps a few docile sheep admiring the Baby Jesus lying in a straw filled manger. But we know better, don't we? Yes cattle stalls are warmer than the outside, but the air isn’t quite as fresh. Straw is bedding for animals, not humans. Yet God incarnate came to us under such conditions. He was subject to such abuse and scorn. Why? Because there was no room in the inn? I don’t think so. I think it was because there was no room in the inn keeper’s heart. No room in the soldiers's hearts, or the hearts of the business personnel. OK, maybe they didn't know it was Jesus who was going to be born, but would you treat any pregnant woman the way they treated Mary? No room in the inn. Born in a barn, for there was no room for the Prince of Peace.
But think about it. Could it be any different, really? How could there ever have been room for the Jesus; God in the flesh? How could any earthly inn contain God? When you think about it, there just is no place in the entire world large enough to hold the God of the universe! Yes, the place of birth, in human terms was unacceptable, but in God's terms, it really didn't matter. Whether an inn, a palace, or a stable is not the issue. The point is, Jesus was born as God with us! He is the One who shared the eternal glory of the Father before the world was. He is the one who was present in eternity past, and will be unto eternity to come! How could there possibly be room for him?
Jesus is the Son of God who "was made flesh, and dwelt among us." And yet he was born in a stable. "We beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14). It was he, the God-man, who in the beginning said, "Let there be light." It was he "who spun the world out of nothing, who scooped out the valleys and piled up the mountains." Listen to this sentence carefully. . ."He is big enough to fill the mighty universe, yet small enough to live within our hearts." (George Sweeting) And so the question this morning is simply, "Do you have room for the greatest Miracle of all?"
I am convinced that Mary and Joseph did not expect the reception they received that night in Bethlehem. Surely there would be room for a pregnant woman somewhere humane. No one would turn them away, would they? But as they approached the town, they could see the throngs of people everywhere. The hustle and bustle of business crowded them out, but not only them. It also crowded out the Saviour of humankind.
I know the comparison is made every year, but it's still true. The situation is quite similar these days. People get so caught up in the commercialism of Christmas, the Christ Child is hardly considered. I heard on the news the other night, that there is great concern among Canadian merchants because people have spent far less this year than they have in other years. And do you know what the suspected reason is? No snow. Can you imagine? Now I realize that snow does give Christmas an added touch, but to give it precedence over the birth of Christ; has it come to that? Doesn't this tell us how far we have removed ourselves from the real meaning of Christmas? The lack of snow having a negative impact on spending because the Christmas atmosphere is lacking, in one way could be seen as something positive I suppose. Yet it tells me that there is something wrong. Could it be that for many people there simply no room for Christ in Christmas anymore? Shouldn't Christ create the Christmas atmosphere? That night in Bethlehem was tragic. How tragic it is today!
But let's look a little further. Remember the wise men story? They came to Jerusalem looking for the new born King, and they eventually ended up in Herod’s court asking where this king was to be born. We remember how Herod told them Bethlehem, and that he also wanted to worship their King of the Jews. But Herod had no desire to worship Jesus at all. In fact, he wanted to kill him. For Herod, there was no room for this new born King. There is yet more to the story. Herod was so incensed when the wise men didn’t return to him to tell him where Jesus was, he sent his soldiers to Bethlehem to kill all the male children under two years old. Imagine the hardness of such a person. And yet. . .Herod could extinguish all those lives but he could not put out the shining star. He could still the voices of those innocent children, but he could not stop the Son of God. Herod figured that God was interfering with his plans, so he tried to shut him out. . .shut Jesus out of his life. He had no room. . .no room for Jesus.
There is more! Jesus was born in Bethlehem, but Joseph and Mary's home town was Nazareth, and this is where Jesus grew up. The first time Jesus preached in his own home town, there was no room for him. In Luke 4:29 we read that after he preached a sermon in the Synagogue, great opposition arose. In fact the people drove him out of town, taking him to the brow of a cliff in order to throw him down. His own neighbours rejected him. They would not believe. They had no room for him.
Later we see Jesus in a place called Gadara, where he used his divine power to cast out demons which had besieged a man. You might recall the incident. The demons were removed from the man, and they went into a herd of pigs which then drowned in a lake. The people who saw this actually became afraid of Jesus, afraid of his power, a power that he always used for good. And they asked him to leave. . .to go away! Demons they could live with, but the Son of God was asked to leave! They had no room for him.
It seems as if everywhere Jesus went, he met with opposition. Why? Because people were just unwilling to accept him as the Son of God. They just could not let him interfere with their lives. He might put some demands on them after all. The gospel writer John said it best when he wrote "He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him." O he was popular for a while, because people thought Jesus was going save them from their social problems. . .save them from Roman oppression. But people's eyes were blinded, and when they found out that Jesus' primary interest was to save them from their sin, he lost his appeal. They had no room for Jesus.
The final hours of Jesus life indicate no room. He was alone, so very alone. There was no one, who had room for him. His disciples had been with him for three years, yet when he prayed in the Garden of Gethsemene that night, he was alone. They were not able to support him in any way. He was alone, and his sweat as it were, great drops of blood. Then, when he was arrested, they all ran away. He suffered alone.
Can you imagine how that must feel? The Bible tells us that Jesus had no place to lay his head. O we may feel lonely at times, with justification no doubt, but I am convinced that Jesus must have felt O so lonely through out his life. The word is "condescend." You see, Christ willingly lowered himself to this. He graciously came down to human level, and yet there was no room.
Just when you think he would give up on us, we hear the words of Revelation. "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne" (3:20-21). He is at your heart's door, knocking. What will you do? Will you open the door to him? Will you give him room? Two thousand years ago, on that first Christmas Eve, there was no room. Throughout Jesus' life, for many there was no room. Today for many there is no room. But the opportunity is there. Let me ask the question again. "Have You Room for The Greatest Miracle of All?"
