Room in the Inn

Listen to the Podcast for Sunday, December 24/25, 2019 – The Nativity of Our Lord

In each heart lies a Bethlehem
an inn where we must ultimately answer
whether there is room or not
~
Ann Weems

The Nativity of Our Lord (Set I) – December 24/25

Be not afraid! (Satterlee.) Be filled with great joy. God indeed is with us, bringing God’s promised future. Turn from your fear. Like the shepherds, let’s go see.

Isaiah 9:2-7

The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who lived in a land of deep darkness—
on them light has shined.
³You have multiplied the nation,
you have increased its joy;
they rejoice before you
as with joy at the harvest,
as people exult when dividing plunder.
⁴For the yoke of their burden,
and the bar across their shoulders,
the rod of their oppressor,
you have broken as on the day of Midian.
⁵For all the boots of the tramping warriors
and all the garments rolled in blood
shall be burned as fuel for the fire.
⁶For a child has been born for us,
a son given to us;
authority rests upon his shoulders;
and he is named
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
⁷His authority shall grow continually,
and there shall be endless peace
for the throne of David and his kingdom.
He will establish and uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time onwards and for evermore.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.

Psalm 96

O sing to the LORD a new song!
sing to the LORD, all the earth…
¹¹Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
¹²let the field exult, and everything in it.
Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy
¹³ before the LORD; for he is coming,
for he is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
and the peoples with his truth.

Titus 2:11-14

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all,* ¹²training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly, ¹³while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Saviour,* Jesus Christ. ¹⁴He it is who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds.

Luke 2:1-14, (15-20) – Be not afraid. Mary treasured these things in her heart.

In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. ²This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. ³All went to their own towns to be registered. ⁴Joseph 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. ⁵He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. ⁶While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. ⁷And 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.

⁸ In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: ¹¹to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹²This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.’ ¹³And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,¹⁴‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!’

¹⁵ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.’ ¹⁶So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. ¹⁷When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; ¹⁸and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. ¹⁹But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

The Nativity of Our Lord (Set II) – December 24/25

Isaiah 62:6-12

Upon your walls, O Jerusalem, I have posted sentinels; all day and all night they shall never be silent. You who remind the LORD, take no rest, and give him no rest until he establishes Jerusalem and makes it renowned throughout the earth. The LORD has sworn by his right hand and by his mighty arm: I will not again give your grain to be food for your enemies, and foreigners shall not drink the wine for which you have labored; but those who garner it shall eat it and praise the LORD, and those who gather it shall drink it in my holy courts. Go through, go through the gates, prepare the way for the people; build up, build up the highway, clear it of stones, lift up an ensign over the peoples. The LORD has proclaimed to the end of the earth: Say to daughter Zion, “See, your salvation comes; his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.” They shall be called, “The Holy People, The Redeemed of the LORD”; and you shall be called, “Sought Out, A City Not Forsaken.”

Psalm 97

The LORD is king! Let the earth rejoice;
let the many coastlands be glad!
² Clouds and thick darkness are all around him;
righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
³ Fire goes before him,
and consumes his adversaries on every side.
⁴ His lightnings light up the world;
the earth sees and trembles.
⁵ The mountains melt like wax before the LORD,
before the Lord of all the earth.
⁶ The heavens proclaim his righteousness;
and all the peoples behold his glory.
⁷ All worshippers of images are put to shame,
those who make their boast in worthless idols;
all gods bow down before him.
⁸ Zion hears and is glad,
and the towns of Judah rejoice,
because of your judgements, O God.
⁹ For you, O LORD, are most high over all the earth;
you are exalted far above all gods.
¹⁰ The LORD loves those who hate evil;
he guards the lives of his faithful;
he rescues them from the hand of the wicked.
¹¹ Light dawns for the righteous,
and joy for the upright in heart.
₁₂ Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous,
and give thanks to his holy name!

Titus 3:4-7

But when the goodness and loving-kindness of God our Saviour appeared, ⁵he saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy, through the water* of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. ⁶This Spirit he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Saviour, ⁷so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Luke 2:(1-7), 8-20

¹⁴‘Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace among those whom he favors!’
¹⁵ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.’ ¹⁶So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. ¹⁷When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; ¹⁸and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. ¹⁹But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.

The Nativity of Our Lord (Set III) – December 24/25

Isaiah 52:7-10

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns.’
⁸Listen! Your sentinels lift up their voices,
together they sing for joy;
for in plain sight they see
the return of the LORD to Zion.
⁹Break forth together into singing,
you ruins of Jerusalem;
for the LORD has comforted his people,
he has redeemed Jerusalem.
¹⁰The LORD has bared his holy arm
before the eyes of all the nations;
and all the ends of the earth shall see
the salvation of our God.

Psalm 98

O sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done marvelous things.
His right hand and his holy arm
have gained him victory.
² The LORD has made known his victory;
he has revealed his vindication in the sight of the nations.
³ He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness
to the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the victory of our God.
⁴ Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth;
break forth into joyous song and sing praises.
⁵ Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre,
with the lyre and the sound of melody.
⁶ With trumpets and the sound of the horn
make a joyful noise before the King, the LORD. ⁷ Let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
the world and those who live in it.
⁸ Let the floods clap their hands;
let the hills sing together for joy
⁹ at the presence of the LORD, for he is coming
to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
and the peoples with equity.

Hebrews 1:1-4, (5-12)

Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, ²but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds. ³He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains* all things by his powerful word. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, ⁴having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

(⁵For to which of the angels did God ever say,

‘You are my Son; today I have begotten you’?

Or again,

‘I will be his Father, and he will be my Son’?

⁶And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says,

‘Let all God’s angels worship him.

⁷Of the angels he says,

‘He makes his angels winds,
and his servants flames of fire.’

⁸But of the Son he says,

‘Your throne, O God, is for ever and ever,
and the righteous scepter is the scepter of your kingdom.
⁹You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
therefore God, your God, has anointed you
with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.’

¹⁰And

‘In the beginning, Lord, you founded the earth,
and the heavens are the work of your hands;
¹¹they will perish, but you remain;
they will all wear out like clothing;
¹²like a cloak you will roll them up,
and like clothing* they will be changed.
But you are the same,
and your years will never end.’)

John 1:1-14

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ²He was in the beginning with God. ³All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being ⁴in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. ⁵The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. ⁶There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. ⁷He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. ⁸He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. ⁹The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. ¹⁰He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. ¹¹He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. ¹²But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God,^13who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. ¹⁴And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.

A Reflection on the Christmas Texts

As one can see above, there are three sets of texts that can be used on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. They are the same for all three years of the Revised Common Lectionary, A, B, and C.

Set I is for Christmas Eve.
Sets II and III are for Christmas Day.

Since we don’t have canon law, we are free, of course to use whichever readings best serve the gospel in our context.

Hebrew Bible: Isaiah 9:2-7 / Isaiah 62:6-12 / Isaiah 52:7-10
Psalm: Psalm 96 / Psalm 97 / Psalm 98
Epistle: Titus 2:11-14 / Titus 3:4-7 / Hebrews 1:1-4, (5-12)
Gospel: Luke 2:1-14, (15-20) / Luke 2:(1-7), 8-20 / John 1:1-14

Our Roman Catholic siblings use Set I for Midnight Mass, though not always the same number of verses Protestants do. They use Set II for Mass at Dawn. Set III is read for Christmas Day services. Methodists use Set I on Christmas Eve and Set III on Christmas Day.

John 1:1-14 is a classic Christmas Day text: “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.”

John 1:(1-9), 10-18 is also appointed for the second Sunday after Christmas, which falls on any Sunday between January 2-5, inclusive. Some years January 2-5 falls during the week, so the 2^nd Sunday after Christmas is not observed, and John 1 does not get read. Some years Epiphany Sunday falls on the second Sunday after Christmas, or close enough to it that congregations choose to celebrate Epiphany on that day. This year is a good example. Epiphany falls on Monday, January 6, 2020. Many, if not most congregations, will celebrate Epiphany on Sunday, January 5, 2020. If so, John 1 will not be read. This may be a good reason to read John 1 on Christmas Eve this year, or certainly on Christmas Day, if the congregation has a Christmas Day service.

The next few years the Sundays in Christmas fall as follows:

2019-2020
Tuesday, December 24, 2019 Christmas Eve
Wednesday, December 25, 2019      Christmas Day
Sunday, December 29, 2019 1^st Sunday after Christmas
Sunday, January 5, 2020                     2^nd Sunday after Christmas (or Epiphany)
Monday, January 6, 2020                   Epiphany
Sunday, January 12, 2020                   Baptism of our Lord (Sunday between January 7-13)

2020-2021
Thursday, December 24, 2020 Christmas Eve
Friday, December 25, 2020                Christmas Day
Sunday, December 27, 2020              1^st Sunday after Christmas
Sunday, January 3, 2021 2^nd Sunday after Christmas (or Epiphany)
Wednesday, January 6, 2021             Epiphany
Sunday, January 10, 2021 Baptism of our Lord (between January 7 and 13)

2021-2022
Friday, December 24, 2021                Christmas Eve
Saturday, December 25, 2021 Christmas Day
Sunday, December 26, 2021              1^st Sunday after Christmas
Sunday, January 2, 2022 2^nd Sunday after Christmas (or Epiphany)
Thursday, January 6, 2022 Epiphany
Sunday, January 9, 2022                     Baptism of our Lord (Sunday between January 7-13)

2022-2023
Saturday, December 24, 2022 Christmas Eve
Sunday, December 25, 2022 Christmas Day
Sunday, January 1, 2023 1^st Sunday after Christmas
Friday, January 6, 2023 Epiphany
Sunday, January 8, 2023 Baptism of our Lord (or Epiphany)
The Second Sunday after Christmas is not observed in 2023.

Room in the Inn. Room in Your Heart.

How much room is there in your heart? And for whom?The human heart is about 5 inches tall 3 ½ inches wide, and 2 ½ inches deep. It weighs 9 to 10 ounces. So that may lead you to believe that there is only a limited amount of space in your heart for anything. The more you give here, the less you have to give there.

But what if your heart is elastic? What if it can grow, Like The Grinch that Stole Christmas, whose heart was two sizes too small? How big is your heart?

Perhaps God is able to take our zero-sum, hard hearts and do something miraculous. Jeremiah and Ezekiel promise that God will replace our hearts of stone with a new heart of flesh.

Jesus said: Whoever is thirsty, come to me and drink, and out of your heart will flow rivers of living water. In literature, your heart is the center of your being, your consciousness, your awareness, your priorities.

Many people have been transformed by the birth of a child. Surprised by the power this new person had on their lives, they discovered a love within them that they never knew they had. The child melted their heart. When they later prepared to have a second child they wondered if it was possible to love the second child with as much love as the first. “Is there enough room in my heart?”

You tell me. Have you had more than one child? Answer this: Was there enough love in your heart for two or more? Answer out loud: Did having a second child cause you to love the first child less?

This is the economy of God. Love multiplies. Miraculously, the heart grows. The more love you give, the more love you have. And it doesn’t just apply to children.How much room is in your heart? For the world?

Tonight we retell the well-known story of Christmas. A pregnant, teenage, unwed woman and her fiancée desperately look for shelter. An inn is so full, there is no more room, or so the innkeeper thought. So Jesus was born where they kept the animals, and laid in a feeding trough.

The Word that became flesh and dwelt among us, the most famous person in history, was born in a barn. The next time you hear someone say, “Were you born in a barn?” You can answer, “No, but let me tell you about someone who was…”

Preachers: No, there aren’t any first century Palestinian barns or stables. Luke never uses the word “stable.” There isn’t any equivalent word in Koine Greek. We have conflated our legends, nativity scenes and mental images. Luke 2:7 says:

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.

καὶ ἔτεκεν τὸν υἱὸν αὐτῆς τὸν πρωτότοκον: καὶ ἐσπαργάνωσεν αὐτὸν καὶ ἀνέκλινεν
αὐτὸν ἐν φάτνῃ, διότι οὐκἦν αὐτοῖς τόπος ἐν τῷ καταλύματι.

Mary lays her firstborn son in a manger, a φάτνῃ. Luke is the only New Testament writer to use this word, and he uses it only in Luke 2 and 13. The second reference is Luke 13:15:

But the Lord answered him and said, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger, and lead it away to give it water?”

People hear “manger” and they think of more modern places for a manger, like a barn or a stable. First century Palestine had no such structures. Most typically, animals were brought into the house, as is still the case in homes around the world today.

The word Luke uses for “inn” in Luke 2:7 is kataluma, which is more like an upper guest room. The same word is used in Mark 14:14, where the word is translated “guest room.” Verse 15 makes it clear this is the upper room, the typical place for a guest room.

¹³So he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you; follow him, ¹⁴and wherever he enters, say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher asks, Where is my guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ ¹⁵He will show you a large room upstairs, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there.”

First-century Palestinian houses have many configurations as one might imagine, but most were small, one-room affairs. This is why Jesus says a single candle on a stand can “light the entire house,” in his Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5:15:

No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house.

Today, the average U.S. home is 2,500 square feet. This would have been a mansion in first-century Palestine, and today in many places around the world. Many homes in rural areas of the world today are no bigger than a moderate living room in the U.S.In first-century Palestine houses were built from caves, carved into hillsides, or constructed as free-standing structures. Some had a central courtyard, surrounded by three or four small “rooms.” There were five types of housing in the Roman-Byzantine period: simple houses and courtyard houses, were standard for 3,000 years. Large mansions (domus), farmhouses and shop-houses were characteristic of the Roman-Byzantine period.

Walt Rast was a professor and archeologist at Valparaiso University when I studied there. He was particularly helpful to me at a difficult time one semester. Dr. Rast, who served Valpo 35 years, was also an LCMS pastor. Rast said houses from the early Christian period were rare, due to the relative powerlessness of the early Christian communities prior to the institutionalization of the Christian church.

Inside the doorway was an entry way, where the animals were kept, then a few stairs to the rest of the house. Additional stairs led to the roof, or in some cases to a second floor. The manger was sometimes a simple indentation in the floor next to the stairs, where the animals would get water or hay.

But the fact that Luke says Jesus was laid in a manger, means they were stuck with the animals. People in our culture understand the barn/stable to be the animal’s place. So unless you want to spend Christmas Eve giving people a lecture about first century Palestinian houses, and the fact that people kept animals at the entryway of their home, it’s easier to run with the popular image of the crèche and save the lecture for a Bible study group.

We all like to think we would have taken Jesus in, but would we? Do we? Jesus, Mary and Joseph are still at the door. Is there room in your country for the Christ child? Is there room in your life? In your home? In your heart?

We tend to romanticize the story of Mary and Joseph seeking shelter. The task of the preacher is to bring the story into our present context. Is there room in the inn?

The world is in a refugee crisis. There are now more people displaced in our world than at any time in history. At over 70 million people, there are more people displaced than ever. More than WWII. There are thousands of homeless seeking shelter in Texas. There are 6,000 children in need of adoption right now. The Christchild is at the door. Is there room in the inn?

Like most of the children born in the world even today, Jesus was born in the most meager of conditions. Jesus’ birth is a statement about divinity and reality. The universe is aligned with the simple, humble people of the world. God has a bone to pick with those who use and abuse power and wealth. Roman imperial theology stated that God was always on the side of the victor. If I defeat you, and completely humiliate you, then clearly God is on my side. I won. I am the divine choice. The Christian gospel shows the God who is on the side of the poor and marginalized, the orphan, the widow, and the alien. God takes the form of the powerless crucified one, born in a manger.

Someone made room for Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Even though every bed was already filled, someone squeezed them in, trusting that their lives and their hearts were elastic enough to accommodate this itinerant family. And in so doing, they harbored the divine. We are given the same opportunity, to harbor the divine.

Here is the gospel. Here is the miracle of Christmas, Christ himself. Love multiplies infinitely. When we love, when we open our hearts, our hearts grow, and we discover a love we did not know could exist, a love that will not let us go. When we open our homes and our lives, when we welcome the stranger, we find that there is indeed room in the inn, room for love, and that it is the Christchild himself who is present with us.

So how about you? Is there room in the inn? Is there room in your heart, in your life?

Infinitely more than you could possibly know.

Bishop Michael Rinehart

Room in the Inn

The Nativity of Our Lord (Set I) – December 24/25