At Christmas, We Make Room for Jesus!
Celebrating the great feast of Christmas, we are awed and astonished at how spectacular this feastday truly is. Jesus, God’s son, becomes one of us to reverse creation’s destiny caused by our first parents’ disobedience in the garden.
A further surprise is God choosing an unknown Jewish teenager named Mary, engaged to a carpenter, to be Jesus’ mother. And then with the Angel Gabriel’s mystical appearance, who received Mary’s freely uttered yes, God makes the Christmas celebration happen by weaving each of these amazing occurrences together.
God wanted Christmas because he never stopped loving us, his friends. As Jesus told us later, God, his father, gave us everything he had, his image and likeness, free will, and his promise of eternal friendship. Yet it wasn’t enough to keep our first parents faithful.
Christmas is our second chance to show God what we’re capable of becoming. God waits because he continues to believe in us. Every Christmas God’s love spans time and places hoping that the Christmas story, re-counted anew in the worlds many languages and cultures, will produce new opportunities for a reawakening.
Arriving in Bethlehem at nightfall, Mary and Joseph could not find lodging. There simply was no room in any inn and Mary’s time for delivery was drawing near. Finally, Joseph found a stable and after Jesus’ birth, Joseph placed the new-born king in an animal feeding trough.
God remembers this night’s difficulties and desires that every Christmas henceforth his followers make room in their lives for his son. God wants only enough room for his son to be loved and to love.
When Mary made room for Jesus in her womb, she said: “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my savior.” God wants us to find similar words as we make room for Jesus in ours!
A story comes to mind about what Sammy, a seven-year-old middle school student, did during his school’s Christmas pageant. Sammy’s teacher asked him to be the innkeeper. His lines were, “We have no room. We’re all filled up.”
On the night of the play, Sammy was ready. He had his words memorized. He watched and listened intently to the music and the scriptures. Then he saw Joseph approach with Mary holding tightly to Joseph’s arm with teary eyes. Joseph politely asked Sammy, the innkeeper, “Excuse me sir, is there room in your Inn?” Joseph looked at Mary, “My wife is tired from the journey and is about to give birth.” Not able to look at them, Sammy said: “There is no room here. The Inn is filled.” Dejected, Joseph patted Mary’s arm whispering, “We’ll find something.” With arms around each other they began slowly to walk away. Watching them, Sammy began to cry shouting: “Stop! Don’t go! Please stay. I’ll make room.”
Sammy rewrote the ending God wants to hear from all of us: “I’ll make room.”
In the Christmas story, we celebrate the tale of a persistent loving God who pursues his beloved people through his continual presence, resonating still today. And like Sammy, our powerful God created a different ending to ensure his creation’s salvation without counting the cost.
At our Christmas celebration, we show our appreciation when acting with Sammy’s fearless courage by making room for Jesus in our personal lives and even helping others to do the same. And so, let our prayer this Christmas be, I’ll make room.
Merry Christmas to all!
