Christmas Advent 2012 Day 9

December 10, 2012 While Church planting in Arizona we decided to take a vacation with our parents. So we, my wife and son, my parents, and my wife's mother loaded our van and took off to the west coast specifically Anaheim and Disneyland the first day. After that we did not know how far we would drive, so hotel reservations were not made. The first days were great; everything went smooth until we got to San Francisco. We stopped at the first place, no rooms. The second and third were all the same: No rooms. We finally found a place in Oakland. Our first clue should have been the bars on the check in window, but we were tired and just needed a place to rest. The room wasn't much to talk about, probably a half star on a five star system. The walls were extremely thin so we heard everything next door. Between next door, yelling outside and the guy beating on our door (I think he was looking for someone next door) the night was very uneventful. Needless to say from that night forward we made sure we had a reservation before we rolled into town. Since that time in Oakland, I have often wondered how Joseph must have felt not being able to find a place for Mary to give birth. I have also thought about the relief he must have felt when the innkeeper provided a place away from all the people that would have been much more quite than the inn with wall to wall people on their pallets. There was hay for a bed, a feed trough for a crib, and the quiet sounds of the animals at night. In Luke 2:1-7 is that part of the real Christmas story. It's about God's provision for the birth of the Christ child. God had prepared an inn, a stable, and a feed trough to lay the baby Jesus in. As we read the story, consider how God has provided for each of us and our families. Then let's prepare our hearts and provide a place for Jesus. It's something to think about.