I am the Innkeeper
"Away in a manger, no crib for a bed..."
Those are a couple of stone mangers from around the first or second century. Not the smartly built wooden cradle one sees in so many Nativities. No, not at all. I imagine Joseph was probably thinking it wouldn't be a problem to get a room in a one donkey town like Bethlehem, and a bed for his young wife to give birth in. And it seems the Innkeeper could have at least made some small accomodation for them, even if it was just clearing out a corner in a storeroom. It could be that he was running around the Bethlehem Inn like a lunatic, trying to keep everyone's cup full, and couldn't be bothered to help out what probably looked like a poor couple on a donkey. But the Bible tells us nothing about him, not even his name. And it occurred to me that his name doesn't matter. He's the perfect allegory for a great many people this time of year, certainly for me at times, in that I sometimes struggle to make room for Christ.
Anyway, when I hear that song, I always get stuck on the first line. The Light of the World in a cold stone feed trough. Lying under the stars he created. Sometimes I wonder if even then he was aware of what lie ahead. He was an infant (Holy infant so tender and mild...), but he was also Lord. Was he thinking of Calvary, and a Roman Cross? No way to know, and when you think about it, it doesn't much matter. What matters is that He was born.
To understand why, I think you have to consider the difference between Grace and Mercy. As everyone knows, the wages of sin is death. No way around that. As payment for our sins, God demands a death sentence. His mercy could have pardoned us, our sins still evident and the payment still demanded, but unfulfilled because of His forgiving nature. And we would still have death hanging over us like a sword. But because of Grace, we do not. Because of Grace, He was born in Bethlehem on that day, and 33 years later walked the Via Dolorosa. Because of that walk, because of His sacrifice IN PLACE OF our own deaths, the debt to God is paid in full, and that sword is gone, our sins forgiven rather than just pardoned. They no longer exist.
And consider the fifth verse:
Be near me, Lord Jesus,
I ask Thee to stay
Close by me forever
And love me I pray
Not really a need to explain that further, other than to say this is what we strive for, hope for, and pray for. To be near Him, and for Him to be near us.
Anyway, I'm just going to go ahead and out myself as a geek and say that's one of my favorite Christmas songs. And now, I must away. The hour groweth late.
Merry CHRISTmas to all, and to all a good night!
Those are a couple of stone mangers from around the first or second century. Not the smartly built wooden cradle one sees in so many Nativities. No, not at all. I imagine Joseph was probably thinking it wouldn't be a problem to get a room in a one donkey town like Bethlehem, and a bed for his young wife to give birth in. And it seems the Innkeeper could have at least made some small accomodation for them, even if it was just clearing out a corner in a storeroom. It could be that he was running around the Bethlehem Inn like a lunatic, trying to keep everyone's cup full, and couldn't be bothered to help out what probably looked like a poor couple on a donkey. But the Bible tells us nothing about him, not even his name. And it occurred to me that his name doesn't matter. He's the perfect allegory for a great many people this time of year, certainly for me at times, in that I sometimes struggle to make room for Christ.
Anyway, when I hear that song, I always get stuck on the first line. The Light of the World in a cold stone feed trough. Lying under the stars he created. Sometimes I wonder if even then he was aware of what lie ahead. He was an infant (Holy infant so tender and mild...), but he was also Lord. Was he thinking of Calvary, and a Roman Cross? No way to know, and when you think about it, it doesn't much matter. What matters is that He was born.
To understand why, I think you have to consider the difference between Grace and Mercy. As everyone knows, the wages of sin is death. No way around that. As payment for our sins, God demands a death sentence. His mercy could have pardoned us, our sins still evident and the payment still demanded, but unfulfilled because of His forgiving nature. And we would still have death hanging over us like a sword. But because of Grace, we do not. Because of Grace, He was born in Bethlehem on that day, and 33 years later walked the Via Dolorosa. Because of that walk, because of His sacrifice IN PLACE OF our own deaths, the debt to God is paid in full, and that sword is gone, our sins forgiven rather than just pardoned. They no longer exist.
And consider the fifth verse:
Be near me, Lord Jesus,
I ask Thee to stay
Close by me forever
And love me I pray
Not really a need to explain that further, other than to say this is what we strive for, hope for, and pray for. To be near Him, and for Him to be near us.
Anyway, I'm just going to go ahead and out myself as a geek and say that's one of my favorite Christmas songs. And now, I must away. The hour groweth late.
Merry CHRISTmas to all, and to all a good night!
posted by Anonymous at 4:18 PM
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