“Making Room”

Luke 2:7

December 16, 2007 – ©Rev. Dr. Linnea E. Carnes

In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. … Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. [Lk.2:1, 4-7].

There was no room for them in the inn. Now God knew that Joseph and Mary would have to go to Bethlehem to register, so why didn’t God arrange for a proper place for them to stay? Seems to me that would have been easy for God to do and appropriate for his son. However, because God didn’t make a reservation, there was no room for them in the inn. The Son of God was born in a stable because there was no room.

I wonder what would have happened if, when the angel Gabriel came to Mary and told her that God had chosen her to be the mother of the “Son of the Most High,” the messiah, the one whose kingdom would never end, Mary had said that she needed to think about it, pray about it.

After all, Mary had a wedding to plan. Getting pregnant at this point in her life would really make life difficult – if not dangerous. We could understand if Mary didn’t want to make room for this unexpected event.

Or what would have happened if, when the angel spoke to Joseph in a dream about the baby Mary was carrying, he decided that this was not worth the embarrassment it would bring to him and his family? What if Joseph had decided that his plan to divorce Mary quietly, with the least public disgrace possible, was the better option?

Who would have blamed him? He was a well-respected man in the community, a good carpenter, a godly man. Making room for a baby that wasn’t really his was not something he had planned on.

The shepherds also might have decided they didn’t have room in their schedule to go to Bethlehem and see what the angels had proclaimed to them. They could have waited until morning. They could have waited for better weather. They might not have made room for Jesus.

The wise men certainly wouldn’t have been criticized for not making such a lengthy and expensive journey to see the King of the Jews. All they had was the star to guide them. There were no guarantees that they would actually find this baby. Making room in their lives and schedules was a huge risk.

Yet, both Mary and Joseph said yes to God’s plan. They both made room in their lives for Jesus. The shepherds and wise men also made room for Jesus.

Will We Make Room?

So when was the last time you said, “Sorry, but there’s no room in my life for anything else – not one more thing, or one more activity, or one more person. We live so much of our lives on overload. We have too much “stuff” – yet we are constantly buying more, especially at Christmas.

We have too many activities and commitments. Our schedules are so full we can’t fit in one more thing. We’ve no room for more events.

We even get to the point of not wanting one more person in our lives. Everyone wants something from us or of us. “Don’t call me; I’ll call you” is our policy. We are already too busy. There’s no room in our lives for more people. No time to listen to our children, our spouse, our friend, our co-worker. No time to sit with a friend who is hurting. No time to make a new friend. No time to sit together and have a meal or even a cup of coffee.

Students look forward to vacation time, when there are no books to read or papers to write or exams to take. But they find themselves too busy during the holidays, too full of things, activities and people.

Vacations, even short get-aways, are wonderful, if we don’t fill them with so much that we have to come home to rest up. Like credit cards, it’s easy to “over-spend” our lives. We find there is no room.

Too often there’s no room even for Jesus. No room to attend a special Christmas service, no room to let the wonder of Jesus’ birth touch us again. No room for Jesus.

There’s no room for reading our Bible, or praying, or staying for Sunday school or fellowship time; no room for our brothers and sisters in Christ. No room for Jesus.

With our lives so full of things, activities and people, we think there’s no more room. Yet we always have room for the things we want to buy or do. We always have room for the people we like.

It’s simply a matter of what we choose to fill our lives with. So, what choices will you make?

§ Will you take time to read again the story of his birth from Luke 2?

§ Will you take time to pray and thank God for sending his Son, Jesus?

§ Will you invite a friend to come to church with you to celebrate the birth of Jesus?

§ Will you give a gift to someone who can’t give anything to you in return?

§ Will you give a gift that others might also make room in their hearts for Jesus?

§ Will you make room this Christmas for Jesus?

We, like the inn keeper of Bethlehem, need to consider how we too can make room for Jesus.

The Gift of Making Room for Jesus

Consider the benefits for those who made room for Jesus experienced.

Mary’s cousin Elizabeth said to her, “Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!” [Lk.1:45]. Mary responded, “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!” [Lk.1:46-47]. Hearing what the shepherds said concerning the angels, “Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.” [Lk.2:19]. Mary experienced joy, gave praise to God, and was in awe of what God had done because she made room for Jesus.

Joseph too was amazed at all that happened. In Luke 2:33 we read: “The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him.” He made room in his heart and his life for the special son and was blessed.

The shepherds, after seeing the baby “returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told” [Lk2:20]. They had great joy because they made room for Jesus.

The wise men too were amazed. When they saw this child they “bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.” [Mt.2:11b-12]. Because they made room they rejoiced when they found the King they were seeking.

Making room for Jesus brings joy and blessings that only those who do make room for Jesus can experience. It is the gift God gives us at Christmas.

When we make room for Jesus, God gives us the gift of joy, and peace, and love.

The joy of Christmas, my friends, will be yours when you make room for Jesus. So make room.

§ Make room in your budget.

§ Make room in your schedule.

§ Make room in your Christmas.

§ Make room in your family.

§ Make room in your heart.

§ Make room for Jesus.

Amen.

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This sermon is copyright 2006 by Rev. Dr. Linnea E. Carnes, Immanuel Evangelical Covenant Church, Chicago, Illinois.