December 16
No Room
Read: Luke 2: 4-7
There was no room for them in the Inn. Luke 2: 7
The rain beat across the road, whipping furiously around the bus shelter. Inside, a small knot of people huddled dejectedly in raincoats, rain bonnets, and scarves, trying to get out of the wind and rain. Only a few days remained until Christmas, and shopping still had to be done. A tired looking woman struggled up clutching an overflowing shopping bag in one hand and a small child in the other. They tried unsuccessfully to squeeze into the shelter out of biting wind and pelting rain. The occupants near the entrance made no attempt to move closer together, although there was a large gap further along.
“I’m cold,” whimpered the child. “Can’t we go inside?”
“There’s no room,” replied the mother, wearily shifting the bag from one arm to another.
The child looked up, her pinched face breaking into a dazzling smile, her clear voice penetrating clear above the noise of the traffic and blowing rain.
“It’s like the Christmas story, isn’t it Mommy, when there was no room for them at the inn in Bethlehem, for Mary and Joseph and the baby Jesus?”
There was moment of stunned silence, then an uneasy shuffling inside the shelter. One or two persons smiled, as room was made for the mother and child in the shelter.
How often do we stop to make room for someone else in our daily lives? How often do we stop and listen for the voice of those in need, shut out of the inn? Advent calls us to look and listen for that voice that calls us up short and reveals truth, we are all a part of the same family.
Song: “O Little Town of Bethlehem”
Prayer: Lord, help us not to be selfish but allow others to share our blessings. Amen.
December 15
Good News
Ezekiel 11: 11-21
The angel said, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you Good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people. Luke 2: 10
One of my favorite children’s stories is “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” by Barbara Robinson. It is the story of the Herdman’s, a family of Children who live on welfare, who take over the annual Christmas pageant at a church, and reveal in their antics the true meaning of Christmas. In the production of the pageant, each child in the family becomes a character in the story of the first Christmas.
On the night of the pageant, the congregation is presented with a different slant on the story of Jesus. Mary is preggers, and the father of the child is questionable according to Imogene the oldest Herdman. The Wise men come bearing not gifts of Gold frankincense, and myrrh, but their Christmas turkey from the Christmas Basket delivered by the Church. When the angel comes to announce the good news to the shepherds, the Herdman playing the angel Gabriel instead of saying, “Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy!” cries “Shazzam, Have I got news for you.!!!”
Shazzam!! I love that word. It bears in its saying all the joy and excitement that the angels attempted to communicate to the world that night long ago. Shazzam!! God is doing something new and amazing, into that dark night came light and life and love for every person.
Song: “When Glory Filled the Skies”
Prayer: O God help us to see the birth of Jesus in a new way this Christmas, so we can cry with joy Shazzam! I have I got news for you. Amen
Thought of the Day: Shazzam, Have I got news for you!
December 13
The Starkness of Bethlehem
Read: Luke 2: 1-17
She gave birth to her first born son, wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in manger. Luke 2: 7
Part of my job as a pastor in one of the churches I served, I was to lead a program at the pre-school we sponsored each year. One year the director called me about a week before the event and said that they wanted to brighten up the program to make it more Christmas-y . I said that was okay, thinking they were going to do some different songs and share some Christmas poems that the kids had memorized. As part of the program in years we always had had the children re-enact the Nativity story with costumes and a stable on the stage in the Sanctuary. When I arrived that evening for the program, I found the stage decorated with bright lights, stars, ribbons, a Christmas tree, and a Santa Claus with a Sleigh, off the side. The traditional stable was now covered with tiny white lights and the straw in the manger was gold tinsel with a blue spot light trained on the whole scene. Talk about brightening it up. They certainly had. Quite a stark contrast to the story of Christmas recorded in the gospels.
When we read Luke’s gospel he portrays that first Christmas scene without bright lights, trees, holly, tinsel, or Santa Claus. It was a dark stable in a back water town with only a small manger.
Why do we try to escape from the starkness of Bethlehem? Why do we try to dress up the story with trees, ribbons, and tinsel? Is it because we are ashamed of the welcome the world gave to its Redeemer? Is because we want avoid the way of self-denial that Jesus lived and set as an example before us? Is it because we are afraid to face the challenge of Advent and Christmas to identify with the needs of the poor, the weak, and the helpless, as Jesus did?
Perhaps we can better understand the meaning of Jesus birth when we look beyond the trappings of the Christmas celebration to the story of Christ in the Bible.
Song: “O Little Town of Bethlehem”
Prayer: Help us, O God, to keep our eyes firmly fixed on Jesus so that we do not lose sight of the meaning of Christmas. Amen.
Thought of the Day: How do I try to escape the starkness of Christmas?
