Born in My Barn

My imagination seems to run wild when I think of the man who ran the Inn the night Jesus was born.

I think of him going to bed that night absolutely worn out but with a warm pride at how much business he had done in the last weeks or months. The emperor had declared that everyone return to their own village to register for taxation so his inn had been full every night and this one was no exception. Overflowing, matter of fact. As sleep began to arrive he may have wondered how the young very pregnant girl was doing. He had no room in his inn but at least he had gotten them under the roof in his barn. Then he slept the sleep of the exhausted.

While he slept a baby was born, angels sang and shepherds left their flocks which they never did, but they had to come see. Maybe a little boy did play his drums and the world would never be the same. Calendars would date from this very night. It all happened while the inn keeper slept.

The next morning, he heard the woman had delivered her child but he was busy with guests to check out, rooms to clean, pots to empty and meals to serve. He had no time to worry about the birth of a baby nor to even wonder why there was so much fuss going on down at the barn.

So, he is doomed to go through history saying, “You know He was born in my barn and I missed Him. I mean right there in my barn the most dramatic event in all of history happened and even shepherds knew about it but I missed it. I was busy and distracted, you know how demanding some guests can be especially when signing up for taxation, so i missed Him.”

I am afraid he is not the only one who will end up saying the same sad words. Jesus is everywhere in our world. We talk about Him all of the time. We wear crosses on chains, I even saw a political candidate’s wife have one on a necklace and one dangling from each ear.

We sing songs about Him, or at least what we want Him to do for us, and declare we are followers but I am not sure very many of us really like Him, nor does it seem that very many really know who He is and what He really taught. Actually, we mostly ignore both Him and what He taught. We may end up saying, “You know He was everywhere in our world and somehow I missed Him.”

Too often our response to Jesus can be summed up in one sentence used over and over. The sentence is, “I know He said that, BUT…”

I know He said feed the poor, BUT if we do they just become dependent and feel entitled. They end up driving Cadillacs to get food stamps.

I know He said love thy neighbor, BUT my neighbors are Muslims and there is a gay couple across the street.

I know He said forgive, BUT then they get by with what they did to me.

I know He said turn the other cheek, BUT you know, bless His heart, He meant well but He was just not very practical.

Some of my dear friends are rejoicing because Donald Trump said Merry Christmas the other day. They took that to mean we were going to put Christ back into Christmas. I have never understood the issue. It seems to me that saying Happy Holidays might be more Christ-like because it shows the Christian virtue of being aware of the feelings of others. But my friends saw it as a war on Christmas and they are happy and I am glad they are.

So now we got Christ back in Christmas, now if we can just get Him back into Christianity.