Some Words from Martin Luther

As they neared Bethlehem, Mary's pains came upon her.
Joseph turned aside to find room in the inn. There was no room.

No room!! Of course there was!
There was all the room in the inn, but nobody would give up a room.
Shyou Wretched Bethlehem!
And don’t you in this congregation think you would have done better!
"We would have received him, taken care of him, changed his linen!”
That's what you say with the gift of hindsight.
Had you been there, you wouldn't have done any better,
and if you think you would, why haven't you done it for your neighbors when you have them in your midst?

—Martin Luther, from a Christmas sermon

The words of Martin Luther come as a challenge to all of us at Christmas time.
So many needs—so much pain—so little room—in the inn,
And in our hearts.

And yet, the Christmas story continues to transcend our sinful ways.
It is a story of a love of such magnitude that everything else seems pale in the face of it.
God became one with us in the fragile vessel of a child.
We have only to invite him into the room of our hearts.