What strikes me about the Christmas story in Luke is the Innkeeper and the ongoing debate as to whether he did what he could have or should have or if he had done what he would have if he had known the child of Mary and Joseph was the Christ Child.
The sermon has me moving off in two other directions and it is beginning to come together slowly.
1. The Innkeeper gave Mary and Joseph a room in the back because there was no room in the inn. Basically, Jesus was born in a stall fit for animals according to the Gospel of Luke. 'The Innkeeper only looked at the clothing of the couple and saw them as a peasant couple.
2. The owner of the stable when the disciples came to the village opposite Bethpage gave them a donkey for Jesus to ride into Jerusalem. It could have been a quality horse and it might have been a triumpal entry. Instead Jesus came into Jerusalem riding a beast of burden. The stable owner looked at their hands and the disciples were working class people.
When we look at the clothing and when we look at the hands and when we make decisions about people on the basis of these superficialities we will not feel good about what we do for them.
We must find a way to look beyond the externals this Christmas when we consider what we can do for each other. We've got to find a way to get beneith the surface or our Christmas will be filled with guilt and emptiness.
What should we consider when we think about the people in our lives and what we have to give to them? Is it the way they look or the work they do or is there something internal/essential?
If you have thoughts on this subject write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to share your thoughts with the readers of the blog click on the 'comments' box below.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Charles Schuster
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment