Devotional 12-4-22

Matthew 3:1-12 

Something amazing and wonderful happened at the children’s annual Christmas pageant. The opening scene was at Nazareth, featuring the decree of Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. And the second scene was in the little town of Bethlehem, featuring the innkeeper who had no room in his inn. The third act was to be around the manger in the hill country.

To everyone’s delight, the first act came off really well. And in the second act it was the same. Everything was going so well. And Joseph and Mary went to the inn and knocked at the door. And they were politely and quickly refused by the innkeeper, Danny. He spoke the words plainly and clearly, “There is no room.” It was what he was supposed to say. He had practiced and practiced. “When you hear the knock at the door,” said his teacher, “then you say, ‘There is no room.’” And that’s what he did! The first time he said it!

The second time he heard the knock, and he heard Joseph pleading for a room, and he hesitated. But he said it …only it was different this time. You could hear sorrow in his voice.… “There is no room.”  

The script called for one more knock, one more plea, and one more refusal. And this time Joseph begged with all his heart. And the little innkeeper said boldly, “There is no …” And he couldn’t say it. He stopped... And he looked at them with tears streaming down his face. “You can have my room,” he said.

The teachers tried to prompt them and get the play back on track. But they couldn’t. It was over. The director hugged the little innkeeper and told him that he was the best innkeeper ever. And she hugged the others and told them how wonderful they were. And then, with tears streaming down her face, she turned to the audience and said what they already knew in their hearts. “With the help of these wonderful children, we have just seen and heard the real message of Christmas.”

Isn’t that what John the Baptist is calling us to do? “Get everything ready. Prepare the way. Make room for the One who is coming,” he says. In a word, repent. It means turn around, change direction. Do what Danny the innkeeper did at the annual Christmas pageant. In this holy season of watching and waiting, make room in your heart for the One who comes. Through prayer and service, through love and devotion make room in your heart for the Christ who comes. 

Rev. Tom Nolan