"prepare Him Room"

“Prepare Him Room”

Luke 2:1-20

The way God works is so magically beautiful, so humble, so unobtrusive.

God doesn’t force His way into this world just as God doesn’t force His way into our hearts.

Notice the humble surroundings of Jesus’ birth.

His parents are mere peasants; they go unnoticed by the throngs of other people heading home for the census.

And notice that just as the world had no real interest in Him, neither did whomever owned the inn in Bethlehem.

There is a story about a group of children who had been practicing for the Big Christmas Play for several weeks.

There was Mary and Joseph and the sheep and shepherds and there was a young boy named Timmy playing the grumpy old Inn Keeper.

Timmy was a nice kid who loved Jesus and other people, and he felt guilty playing the part of the person who tells Jesus’ parents that they can’t stay in the inn.

The pageant director had spent many practices trying to convince Timmy that this is just a play and when he tells Jesus’ parents that they can’t stay in the inn—Timmy is just playing a part.

Besides this, the director tells Timmy that the Bible doesn’t even mention an innkeeper.

It’s just something that has been taken for granted.

If there is an inn which has no room; there must have been an innkeeper there to tell them there was no room.

Timmy reluctantly agrees to play his part.

On the night of the play, everything is going as planned until Mary and Joseph knock on the Inn Keeper’s Door.

“Do you have a room we can stay in for the night?” the child playing Joseph asks Timmy the Inn Keeper.

Timmy replies, “There’s no room in this crummy inn, but you are welcome to come and stay at my house!”

This past Sunday evening some of us went Christmas Caroling.

One of the songs we sang at each stop was “Joy to the World.”

While singing it for, maybe, the fifth time in a row I had what some people might call a little “God Experience” as I sang the lyrics: “let every heart prepare him room.”

And the thought I had was that I need to prepare more room in my heart for Jesus.

I thought about the times when I squeeze Him out or try and ignore Him.

I thought about all the things I leave undone.

All the good I could be doing that I don’t seem to get to.

The worldly things I waste my time on.

The sinful things I allow into my mind, heart and life.

I thought about how I want to learn to love more.

I thought about how wonderful and good it was making me feel to be with this fun group of folks stopping by people’s homes to spread love and cheer.

And I thought, “Why don’t I give Jesus more room in my heart, more room in my life, more of my time?”

“Why do I allow myself to miss out on so much just because I am unwilling to give Jesus all the room rather than maybe a little here and there?”

Can you relate?

With the violence taking place daily around the world, the distractions of material things, stress, work, and sin…

…sometimes there’s not a lot of room left in my heart for Jesus.

Sometimes I even forget He is there.

And yet, Jesus is the answer to my life’s problems—to this world’s problems.

If I would only make more room for Jesus how much more good would I be able to get done?

If only I were to allow Jesus to have more of my heart, more of my will, more of my life and more of my time, how much more could I achieve for this community, for my family, for this world?

How much less pain would I have to bear on my own, how much less stress and unhappiness would I feel?

I want life and I want it to the full.

I want to love God and love neighbor not just some of the time or when it is easy or convenient—I want to love all of the time with all my heart, mind, soul and strength.

How about you?

The mother and father of our Lord were pushed out and rejected.

Even before he was born, our Lord was turned away.

The words “no room for you” followed Him throughout His life …

It just seems there was just no room

for Him anywhere.

It is the same in the lives of so many of us today.

Jesus keeps getting crowded out.

With all the festivities and all the busy-ness, He is often just an afterthought.

Instead of a place of honor at this time of the year, Christ is often shoved into a corner.