No Room

 

Cold gripped me when I pulled back the covers in my unheated bedroom. Before I went to bed, I turned off the heat and snuggled under a comforter. The nippy morning air reminded me of a long, cold journey over 2,000 years ago. 

 

            Mile after mile on rocky roads of Israel, a pregnant girl and her husband traveled from the small village of Nazareth in the north to Bethlehem in the south. 

 

            Every bump in the road and sway of the donkey jolted Mary and made her more uncomfortable. The treacherous journey was hard for anyone but especially for someone in her condition. 

 

            Caesar Augustus decreed a census be taken of the entire Roman Empire. Everyone had to go to his own town and, not where he was presently living, to be registered. Joseph was of the lineage of David so he and Mary went to Bethlehem.   

 

            Finally, twinkling lights of Bethlehem beckoned to the exhausted couple. 

 

            “I will find a warm place for you to rest, Mary,” Joseph said. 

 

            She could barely smile. Her aching body longed for a warm, soft bed. Her stomach growled. She waited expectantly for Joseph. 

 

            “No room,” he said when he returned. Although the narrow streets were crowded, he knew he would soon find a place for the night. 

 

            At the second stop, there was no room. Mary nodded at the news but knew the next place would accommodate them. 

 

            The third inn also had no vacancy. By then the weary couple began to worry. Mary desperately needed a place to rest. Pain contorted her young face. Joseph agonized over the situation. 

 

            Both Mary and Joseph believed the baby she carried was from God. Surely, he would provide a safe haven for His coming Son. 

 

            Joseph trudged into another crowded inn. “Sorry, no room,” the innkeeper said. When he saw Joseph’s dejected face, he continued. “There is a small cave in back where animals stay. At least, it would be a spot to lie down and be out of the cold.”

 

            Joseph attempted a smile when he returned to Mary. “There is no room at the inn but the innkeeper is allowing us to stay in a cave with his animals.”

 

            With no other choice, Mary agreed. Joseph helped her get off the donkey and guided her into the dim, smelly stable. Cattle mooed. Sheep rustled. 

 

            The doting husband threw a cloak on the floor and helped Mary settle down. Through her pain, she smiled. 

 

            “Thank you, Joseph.”

 

            After hearing the messages from the angels, they accepted the vast change in their lives but knew it would not be easy. Mary’s pregnancy shocked the community. Joseph’s reaction brought more questions. 

 

            Because Mary carried the Son of God, they thought He would provide for them. But they soon discovered one obstacle after another. Lonely, tired, rejected again and again. They wondered at the circumstances and waited. 

 

            Like Mary and Joseph that long ago night, we wait as we long for normalcy. We can look ahead with expectancy for how God will work or we can feel despair with all that has happened and imagine more disasters to come. 

 

            During Advent, like Mary and Joseph, we anticipate the coming of Jesus. Problems should not overtake joy and peace now or in the future. 

 

“The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel-which means “God with us.’” (Matthew 2:23 NIV)

 

Caring Father, thank you for providing for us even in hard times and when we are tired of waiting. Amen