(Begin with side entrance to the theme of Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood. Go through the opening routine.)
For many years Fred Rogers sang to us, "Will you be my neighbor?"
The idea of the neighbor came into the discussion between a Pharisee and Jesus Christ when Jesus was asked, "Who is my neighbor?"
And in the story of the Good Samaritan, we catch a glimpse of who and what God thinks about our neighbor - those in need - be they next door or in the next country.
But this morning we are going to visit with some else who illustrates to us the challenge and the opportunity of being a good neighbor - the innkeeper.
It is the first Sunday of the month and the time that we celebrate God’s great love for us as we take time to reflect and remember Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf as we take communion together. Our practice of communion is that it is open to all, so you do not have to be a member of our church to take communion this morning. Please partake in accordance with the dictates of your own conscience and use those moments for times of reflection, prayer, and confession as you need to.
This is also the Sunday for our kids to join us for the entire worship hour and kids it is great to have you with us! Last month, I had you help us picture what fellowship might look like.
You did a great job. In fact, you did such a great job that I am asking you to help me with another picture assignment this morning. Again there are some crayons and paper up front here and I am going to ask you to come a take some crayons and a piece of paper and then return to your seats. After you return to your seats, I will give you your drawing assignment.
(You know, if you are an artist, if you learn by doodling, sketching, drawing, whatever, and you would like to do this, come on up and take some crayons and paper and join the kids in this project.)
Our picture theme for this morning is being a good neighbor. So draw a picture what it means to be a good neighbor, okay? Now, I am not going to speak as long today, so you will have less time this morning to draw but I just want to let you know that and like last time, we are going to line up after the service and show the pictures. Thanks for doing this!
In addition to being the first Sunday of the month, it is also the first Sunday of advent and our advent series is entitled "The Christmas Touch" and this morning, as I have already said, we are going to pay a visit to the innkeeper. But, at the conclusion of this sermon, we are also going to visit, via a video clip a neighborhood that may or may not look like your neighborhoods, but is populated with people like you and me that are concerned for their neighbor’s spiritual well-being.
Our text for this morning, Luke 2:1 - 7 begins with something that we can relate to - a census. Now, one of the realities of a U.S. census is that there are political implications to it. Now what does that mean?
Well, it means that we can be in one US congressional district during one election and then in an entirely different one the next election. So there is a very political process that takes place during the redistricting process because power, votes, and money are at stake. Because if you lose people from one census count to the next your representative’s seat in Congress, not to mention money for various projects in your community, may disappear!
But in our text the primary value of a census was to allow the Roman authorities the ability to tax the people. So, you went back to your place of birth, which is what Joseph did. Bethlehem was Joseph’s hometown. And while there, Jesus was born. But, there was a problem - no room in the village inn.
Now I want us to step back from this situation and look around at what is going on. And a description that I recently read offers us an important perspective on that night:
"Motel row was in chaos that night. The manager of the local Motel 6 had difficulty leaving his light on because of the constant traffic of those coming into town to register for the senseless census.
The desk clerk at the Holiday Inn was writing a memo to his corporate office, requesting that the hotel be renamed. There was no way a visit in Bethlehem at this time could be considered a holiday. For the hotel guests and the staff, the riotous response to Caesar’s self-serving edict was anything but a vacation. Somehow Holiday Inn didn’t sound right.
Pardon the pun, but this was a "taxing" situation. Those with rooms for rent were all in the same boat. And those in need of a place to lodge had the same felt needs. A warm bed, a roof overhead, and a slice of cheese and bread. As Mary and Joseph made their way toward Bethlehem, they could smell the fragrance of fresh baked bread. The reason was obvious. After all, in Hebrew Bethlehem means "house of bread." I can imagine there were bakeries on every corner. What wasn’t so obvious, however, was if there would be a place for them to secure shelter.
Well as it turned out, they were turned down. "No vacancy" signs flashed in neon red. Not a single bed was in sight that night. But Mary and Joseph were not turned out on their ear. Some unnamed innkeeper, sensitive to the obvious need of this couple from the country, came to their rescue. He led them to an outdoor shelter for livestock, where they could be shielded from the wind and where, in the end, the baby could be cradled in a straw-line feeding trough."
I believe that a picture of Jesus’ birth has been painted throughout the years of a quiet and calm night in which everything was still and hushed. I don’t think so.
Let’s think about if for a moment. What if every man in this country had to go back to his hometown on January 31, 2010 and register himself and his household in person for the next US census? What would the roads, rail lines, and skies of this country look like? Get the picture?
It was a madhouse that night. People were everywhere all looking for the same thing - a place to stay. But there was no room in the inn.
Have you ever seen pictures of the streets of ancient Israelite cities? They make our streets here in Kendallville look like boulevards!
They are narrow, they are crooked, and they are crowded. People, animals, and merchandise are stuffed into them much like, dare I say it, parking lots, malls, and shopping centers.
In the midst of this chaotic mess is an innkeeper who has done battle with numerous Bethlehem natives all trying to get in, get registered, and get out in a day or two. Just about the time things seem to slow down, Mary and Joseph arrive.
There is no room, she looks miserable. He looks scared. No family around to take them in.
The innkeeper knows the question is coming, "Have you any room for us?" And he knows the answer that is coming out of his mouth for the hundredth time.
But this time, the innkeeper it seems, finds them room in the livestock shelter, of his inn. And I like what the person who I just quoted said in this regard; "I am impressed by the fact that he went out of his way to welcome Mary and Joseph into his life (as stressed-out as it certainly was)."
We are stressed this holiday season from all angles. We are stressed-out and frustrated with everyday living as it is, but when you add in the demands of the holiday, it seems to get worse. The demands, the expectations, the schedule, oh my goodness, it wipes us out! Maybe that is why we can almost audibly hear a collective sigh of relief on December 26th, except if you’re a sales clerk, of course.
What is the solution? Do less? Maybe. The innkeeper could have done that, "Sorry no room here. Move on please, I can’t help you. I don’t have time to help you, I’m sorry." But, he didn’t. He found room. He made room for Mary and Joseph. . . and Jesus. He made room for his neighbors. Now, they weren’t his next-door neighbors, but they were people in need - like the man in the ditch that Jesus would later speak of.
One of the ways that we reach and touch others as we build bridges of care and friendship in Christ’s name is by reaching out to our neighbors like the innkeeper. We are going to take a brief trip home with a man who raises some interesting questions about making connections with our neighbors and then hear the story of a couple who decided to do something to make connections with their neighbors during the holiday season. (Video clip from Mainstay’s Advent Celebration used here).
When we have people over to our homes, where is the one place we are most likely to congregate? Around the dining room or kitchen table.
With that image in mind as we prepare for communion, I want us to reflect on this image of the Last Supper that hangs in our foyer. This table, this scene, represents the church, the body of Christ. It is God’s will that our friends, our family, and our neighbors be a part of this table through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. May each of us recommit ourselves to this mission as share together in communion this morning. Amen.
