A Message from the First Christmas

And she brought forth her firstborn son,

and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him

in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

Luke 2:7

The first Christmas tells us of a young couple and their choice of what was morally admirable over what was personally comfortable. Mary and Joseph chose “a stable” over the room at an inn.

The Bible simply tells us that “there was no room for them in the inn.” Many interpret that to mean that there was not enough space. Another to understand the statement the Bible makes is to think of privacy, not space. It is not necessarily that there was not enough “room for them”, but that the available rooms did not have adequate privacy “for them” in that condition.

Remember, they were Jewish not Romans or other Gentiles. The morality of the decision and its consequences outweighed their desire for personal comfort. At the first Christmas there was an unsuspecting innkeeper who may have offered them a room in – what we would call – “a stable”. Sometimes the innkeeper is viewed as giving the Savior a lowly place instead of a nice room in the inn. But perhaps the innkeeper was attempting to provide privacy and others necessities that they needed.

Needless to say, there are many other lessons we can learn from the humility of the Savior of the world. Suffice it to say, there is so much more to Christmas then merry-making and jingle bells. The Savior has taught us many lessons by the way He chose to enter the world.

It turns out that the incident at the inn is not about turning away the Savior, but about making moral choices. Here is a couple choosing what was morally acceptable over what was personally comfortable. In celebrating Christmas, let us always remember to make the right choices.

Pastor David Henry

© 2007 Calvary Baptist Church Shawnee, Oklahoma

www.calvaryshawnee.com

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