As the Christmas season arrives again, I am reminded of the Christmas story most of us have heard of the simple‑minded young man who was cast in a school play in the part of the inn‑keeper. (Click to read.)
Everyone thought that it was the perfect part for him, feeble‑minded as he was. All he had to do was crack the door open enough to show a grouchy face and say one simple sentence, “Go away! There’s no room here.” Besides, if he had a problem with it, someone could stand right by him, hidden from view by the scenery and prompt him. For days everyone helped him rehearse his one line.
But when the moment in the play arrived, and the weary figures of Joseph and Mary, knocked at the door, . . . well you know the rest of the story. That “simple” boy began to cry as he threw open the door and declared in a joyful voice, “Come in! Come in! You can have my bed.”
That, says the Spirit of Truth, the witness of God, to my soul, . . .That is the way God loves us!
Think about it. Didn’t the Savior do an act of equivalent simpleness?
Did He not throw open the door of His heart to each and all of us, and said, “Come in! Come in! You can have my life! My name! My reputation!
“Never mind your weakness, I will cloth you in my strength.
“Never mind your sins, I will wash them away in my righteousness.
“Never mind Satan’s lies and the darkness they have caused you to live in, to participate in. I will fill you with my light.”
These are the gifts of Christ to us. They are His offer of the power that is vested in Him to overcome all ills, all sin, all heartache. His words invite us to find refuge in Him.
This is the miracle of Christmas—to behold the condescension (humility) of God yet one more time—as He lay Himself down in a manger, and gave us the gift of Himself.
~Colleen H.
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