Just a thought...
from Pastor Cooley
Sorry, No Vacancy
Luke 2:7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger: because there was no room for them in the inn.
Before the days of interstate highways and large motel chains, in small towns and large there would be "Mom and Pop" motels to meet the needs of weary travelers. Often there were neon signs outside the hotels that would indicate either "Vacancy", or "Sorry, No Vacancy."
Jerilyn and I have spent the night in a few of those run-down motels advertising vacancy, but we would have been better off if there had been no vacancy there! If you have ever experienced one, you know exactly what I mean.
I am sure that the inn in Bethlehem did not have a neon sign that said, "Sorry, No Vacancy," but it is true that there was no room in the inn for Mary and Joseph and the birth of Jesus. That was not a reflection of open hostility but simply being too busy to host the birth of the Savior.
Christmas season is busy, filled with stress, too many activities, and too many responsibilities. It is sad, but true, that in the time we set aside to celebrate the birth of Christ there is a neon sign blinking out the message, "Sorry, no vacancy!" Just a thought...
