I have a news flash for you—there was no inn keeper and there was no inn. Most English translations of Luke 2:7 say, 'there was no room for them in the inn.' The New International Version translates the Greek word as 'guest room'. Mary and Joseph were possibly staying with extended family. They had travelled to Bethlehem because Caesar Augustus was taking a census and that's where Joseph's family was originally from. The Bible also doesn't mention a stable. In Bible times, the animals shared the semi open part of the house on the ground floor and people slept on the first floor. Regardless of where they stayed, there was no guest room for them and they had to stay downstairs with the animals. I wasn't there and the Bible doesn't give us much information but the important fact is that someone made room for them, even if it was with the animals.
Life gets very busy, especially at Christmas. It's easy to fill our days with shopping, catching up with friends, binging Netflix, computer games, scrolling through social media, etc. Have you made room for Jesus this Christmas?
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Luke 2:13-14 says, Then a very large group of angels from heaven joined the first angel. All the angels were praising God, saying: “Give glory to God in heaven, and on earth let there be peace to the people who please God.” There aren't many things that you can give to God, but you can give him your praise.
The book of Psalms is full of Praise to God. Psalm 27:6 I raise my voice in praise. I tell of all the miracles you have done. Psalm 34:1 I will praise the Lord at all times. His praise is always on my lips. Psalm 44:8 We will praise God every day. We will praise your name forever. Do you praise God every day? You don't have to sing it (but you can if you want to). You can just tell him how much you love him and how great he is. Why don't you write God a letter of praise this Christmas. Luke 2:16 was talking about the shepherds when it said, They hurried off and found Mary and Joseph and saw the baby lying in the manger. The angels didn't mess around. As soon as the angels had told them about Jesus they hurried to find him. They didn't get some sleep or have some hot chocolate first, they hurried! Do you hurry to spend time with Jesus? Or is it something that you tack on to the end of your day? Or do you forget about him completely most days?
Don't forget Jesus this Christmas. Hurry to find him each morning. Read your Bible and talk to him before you do anything else—before you scroll through social media, get stuck watching YouTube videos or Netflix, workout or do anything else (going to the bathroom is ok though). Matthew 2:10-11 says, When the wise men saw the star, they were filled with joy. They went to the house where the child was and saw him with his mother, Mary. They bowed down and worshiped the child. They opened the gifts they brought for him. They gave him treasures of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
There are various thoughts around the significance of the gifts that the Wise Men brought. Frankincense is a resin from a tree that smells nice when it burns. It can symbolise worship of a deity or god. Myrrh is also from a tree and was used to embalm dead bodies. It may point to the significance of Jesus' death. In John 19 it tells us that Joseph of Arimathea brought myrrh and aloes to embalm Jesus' body after he died. Gold was typically give to kings symbolising that Jesus was the King of the Jews. Romans 12:1 says, Offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to his service and pleasing to him. This is the true worship that you should offer. The only gift that we can offer God is our lives. The rest of chapter 12 gives us some clues how to do this:
What 'gifts' have you offered God this week? What else could you offer him? The birth of Jesus included quite a few visitations by angels.
1. Joseph Matthew 1:20-21 But after Joseph thought about this, an angel from the Lord came to him in a dream. The angel said, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to accept Mary to be your wife. The baby inside her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son. You will name him Jesus. Give him that name because he will save his people from their sins.” 2. Mary Luke 1:28-31 The angel came to her and said, “Greetings! The Lord is with you; you are very special to him.” But Mary was very confused about what the angel said. She wondered, “What does this mean?” The angel said to her, “Don’t be afraid, Mary, because God is very pleased with you. Listen! You will become pregnant and have a baby boy. You will name him Jesus. He will be great. People will call him the Son of the Most High God, and the Lord God will make him king like his ancestor David. He will rule over the people of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.” 3. The shepherds. Luke 2:9-12 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord was shining around them. The shepherds were very afraid. The angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid. I have some very good news for you—news that will make everyone happy. Today your Savior was born in David’s town. He is the Messiah, the Lord. This is how you will know him: You will find a baby wrapped in pieces of cloth and lying in a feeding box.” The angels were God's messengers. In each instance: 1. God sent them. 2. They told people not to be afraid. 3. They told the good news about Jesus. Matthew 28:18-20 says that we are now God's messengers. All authority in heaven and on earth is given to me. So go and make followers of all people in the world. Baptise them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach them to obey everything that I have told you to do. You can be sure that I will be with you always. I will continue with you until the end of time. These verses tell us: 1. God is sending us. 2. He is with us (so don't be afraid). 3. To spread the good news about Jesus (teach them everything he told us to do). How can you be God's messenger? Matthew 1:19 says, Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. In Bible times the term husband was used when a couple were engaged as well as when they were married. They did not live together until they were married though. Under the law, Joseph had every right to have Mary stoned for adultery because it was considered be a heinous crime in New Testament times. Instead, he was gracious and decided to divorce her quietly. Joseph was faithful to Mary. He didn't want to cause her disgrace, even though it appeared like she had been unfaithful to him.
Joseph was also faithful to God and obeyed the angel when he instructed him to go ahead and marry Mary. He was also faithful in taking his family to the Passover Feast each year. The Hebrew root word for faithful means to 'trust (a person),' or 'to believe (a statement).' * Galatians 5:22-23 lists faithfulness as one of the fruits of the spirit. But the fruit that the Spirit produces in a person’s life is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Would you say that you are a faithful person? Do you trust God? Can people trust you? * https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/hbd/f/faithful.html In Luke 1:38 Mary said, I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true. When the angel told Mary that God had chosen her to bear his Son, she submitted to God's plan willingly. She did this even though it would have meant public ridicule and the loss of her reputation because she fell pregnant outside of marriage. We are called to submit to and obey God. James 4:7 says, Submit yourselves to God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you.
Many people don't like the idea of submission, they prefer to do their own thing. The truth is, that if you don't submit to God, you are submitting to the Devil, the world, and your own selfish desires. Who have you been submitting to? Sometimes it's hard to keep Christ in Christmas, even though he is literally in the name. Christmas mean's Christ's Day. The end of the school year, parties, shopping, gifts and food can be distractions from the true meaning of Christmas. Here are some ways to make Christmas all about Jesus:
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