Luke 2:1-7 NIV
In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to his own town to register. 4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
“Eye Witness News 4: O Little Town of Bethlehem”
Silent Night
Silent night, holy night,
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon virgin mother and child.
Holy infant so tender and mild,
Sleep in heavenly peace.
Sleep in heavenly peace.
Oh Little Town of Bethlehem
Oh little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by
Yet in thy dark streets shineth, the everlasting light
The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.
Isn’t that exactly what we see in our minds when we think about that manger scene some 2,000 years ago? A picturesque view of a manger… enshrouded in the light of a shining star. Animals… quietly adoring the newborn king. The entire town of Bethlehem in a quiet slumber as the stillness is broken… ever so slightly… with the cry of a newborn baby. Beautiful! As if choreographed especially for Christmas cards.
We decorate our homes with these perfect little manger scenes… we sing songs about how serene and peaceful it all must have been. Yet this image we have in our minds… tells so little about what really happened that night so long ago. What IF… what if we could go back… and see Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus just as they were. See them in THAT moment… sit with them in that dirty room… surrounded by dirty and smelly animals, and live their lives if just for that one moment. What IF… this story about Jesus’ birth were not some event 2,000 years ago… but BREAKING NEWS for all of us today? What if?
PLAY VIDEO "Advent 4 - Joy" from Bluefish TV
At least the very first line of that famous Christmas song helps to paint the picture. O little town of Bethlehem indeed. Five miles south of the greater city of Jerusalem… this little village had at MOST only 1,000 people. It is located on the border between the mountains and the wilderness making it possible for its people to capitalize on the benefits from both environments. The fertile mountain valleys and hillsides received adequate rainfall to provide valuable cropland for farmers, while the wilderness nearby provided pastures for shepherds to tend their flock. It is everything we would expect from a city that raised the shepherd king David. It was a true farming community, with everything that entails.
They would think nothing of bringing their animals into the family room during the night to provide safety during the summer, and warmth during the winter. They lived their lives around farming and didn’t mind being a little dirty because of it. So imagine… imagine what it must have been like… for this little farming town… population 1,000… the “City of David” to welcome all of David’s ancestors into it’s walls for a census. Mason workers, fishermen, priests, tax collectors, government officers, the high and mighty of the Jewish society, even a carpenter and his bride… and lets not forget the Roman soldiers with all of their fanfare… some 20,000 people they estimate… descending upon this little town of Bethlehem. 20,000… crammed into the living spaces designed for only 1,000. Add sheep, cows, roosters, and who knows how many other animals hanging out in the living room… and now imagine singing silent night, holy night.
It’s like the old parable of the man who went to a wise man and said, “I am very unsatisfied with my living conditions. My house is tiny and my procession are so many! I can not afford a larger home, what should I do?” The wiseman said to him, “Do you have a mother-in-law?” “Who doesn’t?” the man replied. “Invite her to live with you for one month and I will tell you the secret to receiving more room than you will know what to do with.” So he did, and after the month was up, he went back to the wiseman and said, “I can not take it another second. My mother-in-law is driving me nuts! If I have to live with her for one more moment I will scream.” “Good,” said the wiseman, “now kick her out of your home.” The man did as he was told, and upon doing so… found his house to be very large and accommodating. He never complained again.
Now, imagine this same parable with your brother-in-law, your cousin, your uncle, your nephew (twice removed) and 20 other “relatives” all crammed into your living room… THAT is Bethlehem that fateful night. Now, sing silent night, holy night.
This is the town that Mary and Joseph find upon their arrival. The town is overcrowded and they find no room to stay. There is a little controversy about verse 7… “no room in the inn.” Scholars argue that the Greek word for INN is pandocei/on, and the word used here is katalu,mati… a word most often translated as guest room. They say that Mary and Joseph most likely went to relatives to stay but Uncle Bob, Cousin Theresa, and nephew Greg (twice removed) already beat them to the living quarters! Ultimately, whether there was “no room for them in the Inn,” or “no room for them an Aunt Sally’s” doesn’t really matter does it. We find them, at the end of verse 7, staying with the dirty and smelly animals… in a cave of to the side of the house… or perhaps if they were lucky… in a stable with a roof.
We forget that. We forget all of that. We’ve romanticized the birth and swept up after the animals in our minds. We’ve made this bustling town a quiet little haven for a child to be born when nothing could be farther from the truth. This baby… this KING would not be born in extravagance… he would be born in the lowest way possible… among the dirty, smelly, and noisy animals. Barely a roof to cover his head.
O little town of Bethlehem… you barely made enough room for the Christ… in all your hurry, in all your hustle and bustle, in all your frantic attempts to host family and friends in homes busting at the seems, you almost forgot our Lord. But you did it. You found this much room for him. Put him in the stables with the animals. You could not be inconvenienced too much could you? There was too much to do… too many other people to take care of and prepare for. There was too much important work to be done. This much room… that’s what you could afford.
O little town of Bethlehem… perhaps we can learn a lesson from you. For we too... get into the habit of barely making enough room for Christ. In all our hurry, in all our hustle and bustle, in all our frantic attempts to host family and friends in homes busting at the seems, we too can forget our Lord. There’s too much to do, too many people to take care of and prepare for. There is soo much important work to be done. Maybe, we can find this much room for him. An hour on Sunday, maybe even an hour Christmas Eve night… this much room.
It’s not enough. A king, OUR king, deserves so much more than that. He deserves the best housing Bethlehem can afford. He deserves servants, worshipers, and gifts; the best Bethlehem has to offer. We forget that.
This Christmas, let’s make an effort to make the King of Kings top among our priorities. Of course we will go to the worship services… but let’s not stop there. Let’s take some time every day this season to remember why we are celebrating this season. Perhaps then all the hustle and bustle wont seem like so much hassle. Perhaps then we will find more patience and more kindness for Uncle Bob, Cousin Theresa, and nephew Greg (twice removed). Perhaps then, we can live our lives the way our Christ would want us to live them… with grace… with love… and with a heart of service.
O little town of Bethlehem… may we learn a lesson from you. May we find room for the Christ in our lives… and not delegate him to the stables of our soul!
Oh holy Child of Bethlehem, descend to us we pray
Cast out our sin and enter in, be born in us today
We hear the Christmas angels, the great glad tidings tell
O come to us, abide with us, our lord Emanuel.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
