No Room

A couple of weeks ago our church facilitated an advent retreat. One of the reflections was from Luke 2 vs 4 -7:

“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.”

After reading this I sat and wrote the following:

No room – no place for you Lord. No place for Mary and Joseph – a woman vulnerable and in labour, her worried and anxious husband beside her.

No room for you, a tiny newborn baby.

No place in the busy chaos of Bethlehem at census time.

And still, there is no place for you. In the busy rush and crush that we have made of Christmas, there is no room for you.

With all the tinsel and piped Christmas music, thoughts of Christmas dinner, presents and decorations – there is no room to think of you Lord.

Bombarded from all sides with the commercial call to buy, buy, buy, there is no place to put your manger, no place for your name to be heard. No place for the Child born to be King of Kings.

Yet you are here. Here, waiting in the quiet corner of the shopping mall, on the street corner. You are the one with the sad eyes, watching frazzled people scurrying and hurrying to spend what they do not have on things they do not need, for a reason they do not understand.

You are the One who beckons to us to stop, to come and rest a while with you, to have a cup of tea with you and listen to your story – and allow you to re-story your story in our lives.

You are the One calling to those who have ears to hear your voice above the noise and clamour of Christmas – if only we would listen and respond to your invitation to be still and know that you are God above all of this.

You are Emmanuel, God with us. The one who longs for us to simply stop for long enough to see the Christ Child enthroned above, and yet living in our midst.

To stop long enough to recognise you as the shepherds did, and come, bow our knees and worship you more than we worship Christmas.

You are our Saviour, Lord, Emmanuel – the Grace of God with us and within us. King of Kings and Lord of Lords – you wait quietly for us to turn and see you and make room for you in our hearts and homes – room for you this Christmas.

Why not take time now, from the bustle of Christmas preparations, to quietly sit with a cup of your favourite brew and listen to the voice of Emmanuel as He tells you His story and your story – that of God with you.

Then respond by worshiping the One born to be King of Kings and by making room for Him once again in your heart this Christmas.