THE CHRISTIAN SOLDIER -- WINTER 2025

          "There's no room at the inn." These words echo our memories of childhood Christmas programs, and they occupy a central place in the Christmas story. It was a grim reality for Mary and Joseph. The birth of Christ was certainly not a story of convenience. But the greatest stories are never about convenience.  It was the way that He had chosen. The God of all creation came down to save men from their sins, and--at the height of tax season and in the middle of the night on a road trip, He was born in a manger, because there was no room at the inn.

          But why was there no room at the inn? Why did the people  not make room in the inn? This was not just any child, and this was not just any night. The answer is clear. They had no idea who this baby was. It was not Christmas night to them. It was just a night. Surely if they had known who this child was, they would have turned the town upside down to welcome him and celebrate him.  If they had known that this was the most holy night, they would have made some adjustments. But that's just the problem. They didn't know. Even though every Jew looked forward to the coming of the Messiah, they did not expect Him now, and they did not expect Him like this. If they had known, surely they would have cleared a bit of room in the best part of the house. They loved the idea of a Savior, but they were not prepared for the reality of Him. 

          But  you and I today, know much  more than those peasants knew all those years ago on the dusty streets of Bethlehem. They did not know how that story began or how it would end. We've heard the Christmas story in its entirety and marveled at the way God put each piece of the puzzle together. We understand the power that can come from such humble beginnings. We have heard the gospel preached from the pulpit each Sunday morning and recognized how far that baby would go to save our souls. We have rallied around his message of hope, valuing honesty and forgiveness and generosity and faith. We cherish the idea of Him. Yet, in practice, in our everyday lives, we have often pushed him aside just like the peasants of Bethlehem did. 

          He is needed more than ever in these modern times. Never has the world so desperately needed a friendly smile or promise keeper or a truth teller. Never have we needed so greatly those principles that do not change and a faithful friend who will accept us as we are and never give up on us. Never have we needed so greatly what God has offered through Christ. And, yet, the world has still rejected him in practice on every level. And, yet, we continue searching in the darkness and lamenting, there are just no honest people left.

          Why, in a world that He Himself created, in a time when He is so desperately needed, is there still no room for Jesus?