Rev. David Holwick
First Baptist Church
Ledgewood, New Jersey
Christmas Eve, 1991
Luke 2:7
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I. No vacancies.
A. Vacation years ago, driving through Missouri late at night.
Dad too cheap to stop in regular motels.
He would stop at some no-name dive, check the prices, and get
back it the car.
Eventually any kind of motel ceased.
The hours dragged by. It was raining.
Finally Mom says, "Let's stop anywhere. The kids are exhausted!"
I vividly remember the final motel.
It looked like the one in the "Psycho" movies.
Gothic embellishments, gabled roof.
At least we lived to tell about it.
B. Mary and Joseph didn't even have the benefit of the Bates Motel.
1) Early tradition (Justin Martyr): the stable was not a barn,
but a cave near Bethlehem.
An ancient church is built over the traditional site, and you
go underneath the altar into what looks like a wine cellar.
Gold and silver candle holders hang from every nook and cranny.
Glittering icons adorn the walls.
And in a worn stone trough in one corner, a silver star marks
the spot where Jesus was supposed to be born.
2) Young, pregnant, and dirt poor. No one would take them in.
a) He even created the world, and he was born the lowest of
the low.
b) He was to be the Savior of the world, and he was born in
a trough.
3) Irony: we try to embellish the simple truth.
a) Humble beginnings for Jesus are not good enough for us.
b) But they were good enough for God.
c) This is great news, because many people feel others have
no room for them.
II. Feeling that there is no room for us.
A. Talk with recently divorced man who feels all alone in church.
People are friendly, but he feels out of place.
Everyone else "belongs" - to a family, the church - but he doesn't.
B. Loneliness is one of the most widespread experiences in modern
life.
1) We have an abundance of material goods, but few seem to
care for us.
2) We are too busy to enjoy relationships.
3) Even when we try to get to know people, we may feel shut out.
C. Even those who are powerful feel this way.
1) Clarence Darrow: "I will tell you what human life is:
It is an unpleasant interruption of nothingness."
2) H.G. Wells: "Here I am at 65 still searching for peace;
but a dignified peace is but an empty dream."
CT,12/1/78, p22
III. The reason there was no room in the inn.
A. It was all part of God's deliberate plan.
1) God has a special heart for the outcast.
a) People who don't fit in, who have nowhere to turn.
2) He loves the outcast so much, he became one of them.
B. Jesus came to make room for us.
1) The whole story of Jesus' life is how he reached out to
those who were rejected by everyone else.
2) Jesus healed lepers, befriended prostitutes and gave food
to the hungry.
a) Those who were healthy and self-contented despised Jesus.
b) His message wasn't meant for them. Matt 9:11-13
3) In the end he gave the outcasts something even better:
eternal salvation. (Death on the cross)
IV. Our attitude during Christmas may reveal the condition of our hearts.
Norman Vincent Peale tells about two men who were standing on Fifth
Avenue at 57th Street in New York City.
It was during the Christmas rush and they were waiting for a red light.
One of them was irritated by the traffic.
"This town is totally disorganized," he growled.
"Look at this traffic! It's terrible!
Something ought to be done about it."
The other man was more philosophical.
Thoughtfully he countered, "You know, it's astounding, the romance
of it.
There was a baby born of peasant parents in a little out-of-the-way
place halfway around the world from here.
The parents had no money or social standing, yet two thousand years
later that little baby creates a traffic jam on Fifth Avenue,
one of the most sophisticated streets in the world.
This irritates you.
Instead it should fascinate you."
#1662
V. When we know Jesus, we make room for others.
A. Seek out those who need God's encouragement, give it to them.
1) Church families collected food for families in area.
2) Man asked for help one hour ago.
B. Letter from [...], Saudi Moslem who memorized entire Koran,
but had dated a Baptist girl and visited our church.
1) "Your church was friendly."
2) "Please pray for me."
C. Have you made room for Jesus in your heart?
Copyright © 2024 by Rev. David Holwick
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