of the child they had seen. There would be many other visitors come to the stable. Some would come already believing that the child was the Messiah. Others would not believe until they had seen him snuggled safely in his mother’s arms. Still others would never believe that this small baby was the long-awaited Messiah. “The Son of God would never come from such a place,” they would say. “Can you imagine the Savior of mankind being born in a stable because there was no room for him in the inn?”
But, my friends, this is exactly what happened some nineteen centuries ago. The Savior of mankind was born in a stable because there was no room in the inn. I remember as a small child I used to think that if I had been the innkeeper, I would have found room for the Christ child. I imagine all of us have had similar thoughts at one time or another.
We can’t go back in time to that first Christmas long ago and make room in the inn of Bethlehem. But there is an inn in which we can make room right now, this year, this Christmas. It is the inn of our hearts. But, you say, there is always room in your heart for the Christ child at Christmas. Are you sure?
The fast-paced days surrounding Christmas celebration can become very hectic. We can become involved with buying food for the Christmas feast, making sure we have just the right present for each person on our lists, buying and decorating a tree, attending parties, sending cards to friends and relatives, and all the other activities that occupy our time during the holiday season. In doing so we tend to lose sight of the real meaning of Christmas. The significance of this special day seems to get lost in the ribbon and tinsel, the rush of shopping and the baking of special treats. Too often we find, like the innkeeper of long ago, the best we can do is to crowd the Christ child into the stable out back. It is a sad thing in our society that more time is spent concentrating on the gifts that go under our tree than upon the great gift of God.
In closing, I just want to say that we must be careful lest we become so dazzled by the wrappings, bows, and trimmings, that we lose the greatest gift we will ever have. Be sure there is room in the inn of your heart for the Christ child. Remember that tiny baby grew up to become the man whose blood was poured out on the cross as a sacrifice for your sins. And that, no matter how it is told, is the real meaning of the Christmas story!
A Christmas Prayer
Oh Lord, we would ask that the true meaning of this wondrous season be instilled in our hearts and that we open our lives to you and accept your great gift, the gift of your Son, Jesus Christ. As we celebrate his birth into the world let us not forget that in his life, we see the example you would have us follow. In his death on the cross we find salvation, and in his resurrection, we have the promise of eternal life with you. In his name we pray. Amen
Unity Lodge No. 146 