Making Room

“And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.” Luke 2:7

A town bustling with extra visitors for the Census. Busy. Full. It is not surprising that Joseph and Mary struggled to find a place to give birth to Jesus. Someone, though, had looked beyond their full inn and capacity and found room. The little space they had, the stable, unassuming and humble would become the place where the Messiah would be born. Their yes to go beyond their capacity meant they became part of the most amazing event on earth – when God came among us. 

Today in our 21^st Century, we’re under similar pressure across all aspects of life. People are at capacity time-wise, financially and emotionally. Making room beyond our current commitments can seem impossible. Yet in this season of Advent, there is a knock on our door, an invitation to make room for Christ. To be the place where Emmanuel, God with us, can be made manifest. 

And we as do, as we say yes to opportunities to shine His light to those around us, we remember too, that Christ first has made room for us.

God of hope, who brought love into this world,
be the love that dwells between us.
God of hope, who brought peace into this world,
be the peace that dwells between us.
God of hope, who brought joy into this world,
be the joy that dwells between us.
God of hope, the rock we stand upon,
be the center, the focus of our lives
always, and particularly this Advent time.