Here is our short thought from Christmas morning.
Luke 2 . 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.
Each of us is an innkeeper who decides if there is room in our lives for Jesus.
Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus. But it is so easy to forget whose birthday we are celebrating. We send each other cards and give each other presents. We have a big party dinner – but whose birthday is it??
God can be squeezed out of Christmas. We can be too caught up in the tree and the decorations and the lights and the tinsel. Or in the cards and the presents. Or in the turkey and the sprouts and the Christmas pudding and the mince pies.
Each of us is an innkeeper who decides if there is room in our lives for Jesus.
THOU DIDST LEAVE THY THRONE and Thy kingly crown,
When Thou camest to earth for me;
But in Bethlehem’s home there was found no room For Thy holy nativity:
O come to my heart, Lord Jesus! There is room in my heart for Thee.
It is great when we make space for Jesus at Christmas. It is so good to remember whose birthday we are celebrating. But it is even better when we remember Jesus all year around. God longs – and deserves – to be at the centre of all our lives, all the time.
Years ago there was an ADVERT – “A dog is for life, not just for Christmas.”
Even more true – God is for life, not just for Christmas
Jesus can so easily be squeezed out of our lives. Busy jobs. Busy family. Sports and hobbies and entertainments can all get in the way of us following Jesus. The inn did not have any room for Mary and Joseph, and lots of people don’t have room for Jesus in their lives either.
Each of us is an innkeeper who decides if there is room in our lives for Jesus.
Words from IN THE BLEAK MIDWINTER (it’s CAROL 10 on the sheets)
What can I give Him, Poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb.
If I were a wise man, I would do my part;
Yet what I can I give Him— Give my heart.
She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
Each of us is an innkeeper who decides if there is room in our lives for Jesus.
