The Innkeeper
A reflection for Christmas
Luke 2:1-20: In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph 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. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. 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.
Now in that same region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for see, I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”
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.” So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them, and Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as it had been told them.
.………………………………………………….
Mary and Joseph had a rocky start to their life together. Mary, a young virgin, becomes pregnant by the Holy Spirit. Her fiancé, Joseph, is told in a dream that the child Mary carries in her womb is actually the Messiah – the Son of God. Then, as Mary’s pregnancy progresses to her final trimester, they are forced to travel from their home in Nazareth all the way to the town Bethlehem to be counted in a census.
So, Mary and Joseph make this 90-mile journey that takes them across some difficult terrain. They go south along the flatlands of the Jordan River, then west over the hills surrounding Jerusalem, and finally on into the Little Town of Bethlehem. It is a grueling trip – especially for Mary.
The couple finally arrives in Bethlehem only to find out that there is no room in the inn. And, of course, this is where they are when the time comes for her to give birth. There is no other place for them to go to deliver their child. There is no hospital, and there are no doctors. There is no bed, no tub, no pillows, no blankets. There is no safe and sterile environment.
And so, they are forced to essentially give birth to their baby in a barn. We don’t know for sure if it was an actual barn or if there were even any animals there. But we do know that Mary and Joseph wrap their child in strips of cloth. And they place their infant son in a manger. They put him in a feeding-trough. But the Holy Family has no other choice. There was no room in the inn.
I don’t know about you, but when I think about this part of the Christmas story, I’ve always pictured this villainous looking Innkeeper standing outside of the Best Western of Bethlehem with his arms folded and a frown on his face. It’s cold and snowing outside, and the Innkeeper harshly turns Mary and Joseph away, as he twirls his handlebar mustache, and lets out an evil laugh.
But when we read Luke’s account of the Christmas story carefully, we see that the Gospel of Luke makes no mention of the Innkeeper. In fact, religious scholars, debate whether or not there was even an “inn” to begin with. They say, well, the word “inn” isn’t really a commercial inn or hotel like we would think. It’s not like a Motel 6 or Holiday Inn Express. It’s probably more like a guest room that most likely belonged to some relatives.
But the fact of the matter still remains, there was no room for poor Mary and Joseph. There was nowhere for them to go. Someone had to look them in the face and say: “Sorry, we don’t have any room here. Sorry, you can’t stay here. Sorry, you are going to have to find somewhere else to go and give birth to your child.”
So, even though Luke never mentions an Innkeeper, I still can’t help but feel like the Innkeeper has an important role in this story after all.
Perhaps we can imagine what this hypothetical Innkeeper character might have been like. Was he kind and compassionate, or was he cold and apathetic? Was there really no room in the inn, or was there just no room for poor people like Mary and Joseph? Was the Innkeeper the one who offered the stable as a place for the couple to give birth? Or did Mary and Joseph have to go and ask someone else?
In some traditions, the Innkeeper is portrayed as a kind man who has compassion on the young couple. He doesn’t want to turn the poor couple away, but he has no other choice. So, out of concern and compassion, he grants them access to his stable. It’s not much, but he freely gives what he can.
Other traditions, however, portray the Innkeeper as greedy and stingy. He only cares about money and has absolutely no problem turning away a pregnant woman who is about to give birth. He’s running a business, and he has to make a living after all.
But my favorite interpretation of the Innkeeper is envisioned by Frederick Buechner. In his sermon entitled “The Innkeeper,” Buechner tells his version of the story. I want to share just a portion of it with you tonight. The Innkeeper says:
“Do you know what it is like to run an inn - to run a business, a family, to run anything in this world for that matter, even your own life? It is [like] being lost in a forest of a million trees,” said the Innkeeper, “and each tree is a thing to be done. Is there fresh linen on all the beds? Did the children put on their coats before they went out? Has the letter been written, the book read? Is there money enough left in the bank? Today we have food in our bellies and clothes on our backs, but what can we do to make sure that we will have them still tomorrow? A million trees. A million things.”
“Of course, I remember very well the evening they arrived... when the baby came, I was not there,” the Innkeeper said. “I was lost in the forest somewhere, the unenchanted forest of a million trees... So, when the baby came, I was not around, and I saw none of it… When he came, I missed him.”[i]
How often do we find ourselves (like this Innkeeper) lost in the busy-ness of our own lives – lost in the forest of a million trees – a million things to do? How often have we failed to see the miracles of God working each day in our lives? How often have we missed Christ moving and working among us?
This Christmas we might be in very real danger of missing out. Are we too busy, too self-sufficient, or too apathetic to see that God is trying to break through with a blessing for us this Christmas? Have we left room for Christ to come into our hearts? Or are we too full of ourselves that we can’t make room for Christ?
Sometimes – often times – Christmas comes and goes, and we miss it.
Don’t miss it. Don’t miss it.
Right now, we have the opportunity to slow down just long enough to witness the miracle of Christmas. We have the chance to embrace the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who comes to us and for us – in the flesh.
This theoretical Innkeeper may have missed the birth of Christ, but there was one unlikely group that didn’t miss it. They were there. They were present on that first Christmas.
In fact, the first to learn about the birth of the Christ Child is not the kings, rulers, and leaders of the day… No… it is the shepherds. This message first comes to the shepherds, who are out in the fields, watching their flock at night. It is the shepherds who are visited by an angel of the Lord who tells them:
“Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger” Luke 2:10-12 (NRSV).
The shepherds are at the bottom of the socioeconomic ladder. And yet, these are the first visitors to look upon the Christ Child. And it is not like there weren’t other people in Bethlehem – It’s a busy city with a lot of people, but these shepherds are the ones who receive this visit from the angels. They are the first ones to be invited to see the Son of God for themselves.
And in response to this Angel’s message, the shepherds immediately leave their sheep and run to greet this child. No one even stopped to ask, “Hey, what about the sheep? Do we need to take turns? Does someone need to stay behind and watch the herd?” No… They just go because they are convinced that something special has happened and they don’t want to miss it. So, they all go to visit this baby in the manger.
At Christmas, we celebrate the God who enters into our lives and comes among us in the flesh. We celebrate the love of God through the person of Jesus Christ. We celebrate the God who walks with us – even in the midst of our brokenness and sin. God has entered into this place with us. God has come to bring the light of Christ into the world.
Christmas is about God’s response to our ugliness, to our sin, and to our brokenness. No matter how far we might fall, no matter how many mistakes we might make, no matter how often we might sin, Christ has come to change things. God has come to transform us through the love and grace of Jesus Christ. And through that transformation we can transform the world in the name of Christ. Don’t miss it…
Back in 2014, a controversial interpretation of the nativity scene was placed in front of Claremont United Methodist Church. The scene depicted Mary, the mother of God, as a displaced and destitute woman at a bus stop with the baby Jesus in tow. Next to the display, was a sign that read:
“What if Jesus was born today?” The sign went on to say, “Children born into affluent two-parent families are likely to have comfortable futures ahead. And children born into circumstances similar to the Baby Jesus? We can only pray that God is watching over them, because we aren’t.”[ii]
The story of the Holy Family being turned away in a time of need, is a story for anyone who has ever been rejected or discarded. It is a story for anyone who has been ignored or forgotten. It is a story for anyone who has been oppressed or excluded.
Their story sheds light on the injustices of our world. It brings light to those that society looks down on – the poor, the lonely, the oppressed, and the marginalized. The Christmas story is a reminder that God is on the side of those that society has turned their backs on.
After all, Jesus lived a life on the margins. Jesus is born in a very humble, barn-like, atmosphere. Jesus is born into poverty. Jesus knows what it is like to live on the margins of society.
In an article by Jay Parini he writes, “Christmas is an invitation to accept into our comfortable and safe lives those who come to us from far away, who seem ragged, marginal, and in transition. This is how God finds us, at this very dark time of the year, the winter solstice, when the daylight hours have shrunk to their minimal light. He comes knocking at the door, looking for a haven, for a place to rest and recover.”[iii]
This Christmas, we have an opportunity to embrace God’s light and love by embracing those who have been turned away, rejected, and denied. We are invited to open our hearts to those around us. We are called to step up and serve those who cannot serve themselves.
Tony Campolo tells this true story about a Christmas Pageant that took place in Michigan years ago. The play had students all the way from kindergarten to the eighth grade.
There was one student in the eighth grade who was given the role of the innkeeper. All he had to do was say, “No room,” twice: once before Mary spoke, once after she spoke. The night of the Pageant, Mary knocks on the door he opens the door, and he says in a brusque fashion, “No room!” Mary says, “But I’m sick, and I’m cold, and I’m going to have a baby, and if you don’t give me a place to sleep, my baby will be born in the cold, cold night.”
Then, the young Innkeeper just stood there. Frozen. Silent. The boy behind him nudged him and said, “No room, No room,” say, “No room.’” After a few awkward moments, finally, the boy turned, and he said, “I know what I’m supposed to say, but she can have my room.”[iv]
I don’t know… Maybe this Christmas… we are the Innkeeper. And maybe Jesus is the one who is standing outside and knocking on the door. Will we open it? Will we let him in? Will we make room?
Notes
[i]. Frederick Buechner, "The Birth: The Innkeeper." The Magnificent Defeat (San Francisco, CA: Harper & Row, 1985), 66-68.
[ii]. David Allen, “Claremont Nativity Depicts a Homeless Mary Asking 'What If Jesus Were Born Today?',” Daily Bulletin(Daily Bulletin, December 23, 2014), last modified December 23, 2014, accessed December 14, 2024, https://www.dailybulletin.com/2014/12/23/claremont-nativity-depicts-a-homeless-mary-asking-what-if-jesus-were-born-today/.
[iii]. Jay Parini, “At Christmas, Remember That Jesus Was a Refugee,” CNN (Cable News Network, December 24, 2019), last modified December 24, 2019, accessed December 14, 2024, https://www.cnn.com/2015/12/21/opinions/parini-jesus-refugees-christmas.
[iv]. William H. Willimon and Tony Campolo, “Children of the Kingdom,” in Sermons from Duke Chapel: Voices from a Great Towering Church" (Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2005), 294.
