Church newsletter pastoral column for St. Peter Lutheran Church, Greene, Iowa, for December, 2021.
Making Room
“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.”
– Luke 2:7
There’s a story passed around about a Sunday School Christmas Program following the story of Mary and Joseph arriving in Bethlehem and looking for a room. In the program, a very pregnant Mary and Joseph move from place to place searching for lodging, but at each place they try, they are told “there is no room for you here” and sent away.
During this most tense part of the story, one of the children playing an animal in the pageant stood up, deviated from the script, and loudly called out, “Hey! Come over here by me—I’ll make room for you!”
I have no idea if this story is true or not (I came across it as an illustration with this application from the pastor at the church I grew up at*), but it illustrates a profound message for us during the Christmas season: Do I make room for Jesus?
At my best, I hope the answer is yes. I hope and pray that my words and actions every day reflect Jesus, that my life is a witness to God’s love. I hope that I’m living out my faith, listening to those nudges from the Holy Spirit to take advantages of the opportunities God gives for me to love and care for my neighbors in Jesus’ name.
But I know my answer is not always yes. Life is busy, and I’m human. Even with the advantage of working in professional ministry, there are plenty of times when I miss chances to reflect God’s love, or even find myself intentionally avoiding doing something I know God would want me to do. I suspect that’s true for you as well. It’s so easy for the busy-ness of life to crowd out time with God. Ironically, perhaps that’s especially true in the Christmas season!
The Christmas story is a story about making room. Mary made room when she said yes to God: “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38a) Joseph made room when he accepted the angel’s explanation of his fiancé’s pregnancy and changed his mind about ending their relationship. “When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took Mary as his wife.” (Matthew 1:24)
The shepherds in the fields made room by taking a break from the demands of their job, leaving their flocks, and hurrying to Bethlehem to see the newborn baby in the manger, then spreading the good news all over town. “They went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child.” (Luke 2:16-17a) The Magi made room by leaving their homes and traveling to a far-away land on faith that a star would lead them to a king. “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.” (Matthew 2:2) And of course, God is the one who started it, who “emptied himself…being born in human likeness.” (Philippians 2:7)
As you celebrate the season of Christmas, I pray that you will make room for Jesus, opening yourself to the Holy Spirit who helps us to make room for what God is doing in our lives and in our world.
Merry Christmas!
-Pastor Daniel Flucke
*The inspiration for this column came from Pastor Jeff Blain’s newsletter column in December 2018