Jesus was born in a stable and laid in a manger because there was no room for Mary and Joseph at the inn.

“So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” (Luke 2:4-7)

God was giving the world a gift, a precious gift, His Son. But the world couldn’t be bothered to make room to receive God’s gift. Unbelievable!

“He (Jesus) came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him.” (John 1:11)

But is the situation any different with us today? God is still offering the gift of His Son to each and to every one of us. But is there anyone willing to receive what God is offering? Is anyone preparing a place for Jesus, so Jesus won’t be relegated to sharing space with animals in their shelter. Is anyone preparing to receive Jesus and give Him a place of honor and prominence in their lives? Am I preparing a place for Him? John says this about those of us who do receive God’s gift –

“Yet to all who received Him, (Jesus) to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God – children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” (John 1:12-13)

God has given mankind a wonderful, merciful, life changing, life giving gift – His Son, Jesus. And included in this gift is the opportunity to become part of an eternal family, to become His children. John explains it this way –

“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” (1 John 3:1-3)

What a gift God has given us in His Son, Jesus! If you and I choose to receive this gift from God, we receive unspeakable riches. We are adopted into His family, we become beloved children for eternity.

“For those God foreknew, He also predestined, to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.” (Romans 8:29)

And as God’s dearly loved children, you and I are given hope – hope that we will see Him and we will be like Him when He appears. That’s the hope of the second Advent, or second coming. We are gifted this hope even as we now celebrate Christ’s first Advent, Christ’s first appearance on earth as a baby born in a lowly stable.

That first Christmas there was no room in the inn. God’s people were unprepared to receive the Messiah they had been promised, the Messiah they had been waiting for, the Messiah they had been desiring for so many centuries.

This advent season, I have to again examine myself, to see if indeed I am prepared to receive God’s gift. Is there room in the inn of my life, to receive God’s gift of the Christ child all over again – because this gift truly is a continuing gift – “His mercies are new every morning.” Or have my heart and my life become so overcrowded, so filled with lesser things that there is no room left for God’s gift of Himself?

No wonder a popular Christmas carol says, “Let every heart prepare Him room.” That’s what I need to be doing during this time of Advent – making room to receive God’s gift – preparing a place for the Christ Child to make His home, because He came to stay. He came to abide, to dwell, to enter into my life and into the life of anyone who will receive Him as God’s gift.

When the promised Messiah comes to make His home with me, I don’t want Him to find that there is no room for Him in my inn. I want Him to find that all the clutter has been cleared out. I want Him to find the doors open wide in welcoming anticipation of His arrival, so that He may freely enter in to my inn and make His home with me. I echo the psalmist words –

“Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is He, this King of glory? The Lord Almighty – He is the King of glory.” (Psalm 24:7-10)

sincerely, Grace Day