Make sure that there’s room for him in your inn.

Steve Brown:
Hey, make sure that there’s room for him in your inn. Let’s talk, on Key Life.

Matthew Porter:
God’s grace changes everything, how we love, work, live, lead, marry, parent, evangelize, purchase, and worship. This is Key Life with practical Bible teaching to get you home with radical freedom, infectious joy, and surprising faithfulness.

Steve Brown:
Thank you Matthew. Hi Pete.

Pete Alwinson:
Hey.

Steve Brown:
This has been fun this week.

Pete Alwinson:
Yeah. Christmas is almost here.

Steve Brown:
Yeah. And sitting down, just reading Scripture and thinking about it makes a lot of difference cause it has power. All right, we covered pretty much the Matthew references to Christmas and thereafter. Now, let’s move into Luke. Why don’t you read from there?

Pete Alwinson:
All right. Luke chapter 2: verse 1.

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary his bethrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

Steve Brown:
Can you imagine years later, the innkeeper saying to himself, I could have had a V8 or something like that. I can’t believe that I turned Mary and Joseph away, man, I would’ve given them the master bedroom if I had only known. And I think that statement is included in Scripture and it’s so God, it’s so like him to let us know. I mean, he didn’t need to give that detail, but I think he wants to remind us that always make room for him. And be careful because sometimes you entertain angels, as the Scripture says, unaware and maybe even Jesus.

Pete Alwinson:
Ah, powerful. There’s always more going on around us than we understand.

Steve Brown:
So true.

Pete Alwinson:
That God is Spirit and He rules all and we can say God is sovereign. He has a plan, but this shows that he has a plan in a unique way.

Steve Brown:
He really does.

Pete Alwinson:
And that we really need to pause, we think we know it all. We did a podcast on apologetics the other day, and they gave that quote, one of the guys gave the quote that.

The first sip of science makes you an atheist, but at the bottom of the cup is God

Steve Brown:
Great statement.

Pete Alwinson:
And I love how that sort of is there, you know, we think we got it together, but there’s more going on.

Steve Brown:
And you know, I think if you could have stood on Calvary when Jesus was crucified or been in Bethlehem when he was born and your spiritual blindness had been removed, you would see things going on that would absolutely blow you away. And God shows us in the next passage, so continue.

Pete Alwinson:
All right. All right.

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shown around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!'”

Steve Brown:
Oh man. You know, that, you know, just listening to you read that just makes me want to dance and celebrate because you know that’s going on now. I mean, there are things going, and as you said in the background, that we don’t see because of our fleshly blindness. But God’s angels, God’s actions, God’s love is manifested in a thousand ways. And then with these shepherds, man, I would’ve gone to the king, what are you doing going to a shepherd? I mean, I’d go to the president, I’d go, I’d go to the places of power, maybe the stock exchange. What do you mean going to shepherds out in a field? What’s with that?

Pete Alwinson:
Blow Herod away, appeal to, you know, appear to Herod. Yeah, yeah. I know, it is absolutely, I think there is this sense that Christmas, what it can be for us, is it can stop us in our tracks and remind us and create holy moments for us. Christmas Eve, times to stop and think about this. Okay. Here’s a pedantic question for you. Swaddling cloths, what in the world are swaddling cloths?

Steve Brown:
I’m not sure, but I think it’s wrapped rather than fitted.

Pete Alwinson:
Yeah. Right. But they’re not like Depends for adults.

Steve Brown:
They didn’t have Depends in those days. And a lot of people read that as as clothes and when they read the Christmas story and you want to say, no, no, no. That’s not what it says, it’s cloths.

Pete Alwinson:
Cloths. Yeah. That’s what it is. And even in, that’s why even reading this story, you see there’s a holiness to the moment, and yet it’s, it conveys so many of these basic historical marks that shows this is not a made up story. This is a real situation that happens. It’s too real life, to have been made up. But those eight, I love those shepherd guys, that’s one of my favorite texts right there.

Steve Brown:
I do too. I love, and as you read it, I wanted, I felt great joy. That is so cool. And so real, and you’ve got to go back to the wise men. These were nobodies. You know, on the social scale, they didn’t count. And we live in a culture where elitism, self righteousness, I’m better than you, I’ve got more money than you, I’ve got more power than you. And you don’t matter. And you don’t care. This is a statement by God about normal people, about real people who will never get their names in the headlines, who will never be the president of the United States, but who do their jobs and keep at it and God comes.

Pete Alwinson:
I love that, Max Lucado has a line that you reminded me of, he says, you play no small part because there’s no small part to play. And these shepherds, we remember the shepherds, but we’re not even talking about Herod here hardly. And so, these very, these very real, God came for us, all of us.

Steve Brown:
That’s right.

Pete Alwinson:
The 12 ordinary men were disciples.

Steve Brown:
And it, exactly. And it’s no accident that when you read the Christmas story, it’s not about them, it’s about us. And that is really cool, you know what I have in my mind’s eye, you know, that really is a bummer of a job out in the wilderness with sheep. You know, and you know, the food’s not that great, the, it’s cold at night. And then all of this happens. I think there was probably one shepherd, who heard the noise and turned over and went back to sleep. And I think his name was George, and later on the shepherds say, George, you missed it. You really missed it. You went back to sleep, you dummy. If you had been awake, you would’ve seen things that would’ve blown your mind for the rest of your life. And I think sometimes that happens at Christmas.

Pete Alwinson:
Oh yeah. We can, we can miss it. We can miss the reality.

Steve Brown:
We miss the reality of it. And I think it’s not only not an accident that the angels came to shepherds out in the wilderness. I suspect that there’s a sign there that so many people do miss it. In my dreamed up story about the shepherd who went back to sleep, a lot of people do go back to sleep. You know, people, there are people that will listen to Beethoven symphony and bang on a garbage can top and say the taste is relative. And that drives me nuts. This is true, that at Christmas it would be awful not to be a Christian. I mean, at Christmas there is no party so good that it would cover the emptiness of Christmas without him.

Pete Alwinson:
And that really is what so many of the Christmas parties are, is empty as people are just, you know, they’re drinking and it’s a great, it’s an excuse, but we have the opportunity as Christians to maybe go to those parties cause there are our work parties and ask questions. Hey, what is Christmas? What does it mean to you? I mean, is it significant to you? I mean, at least have one or two of those conversations.

Steve Brown:
That’s a great question, by the way. And it’s not offensive.

Pete Alwinson:
No.

Steve Brown:
Because you’re sharing and listening.

Pete Alwinson:
Yeah. And then you could, then you can say, go on record and say, I’m a Christian, this means everything to me. Really? I think more people are willing to listen if we’re willing to talk. And, so there’s an evangelistic component to this, but the shepherds went back. When the angels went away and they saw it was all true. Back to what you’ve been saying.

Steve Brown:
Oh, and it’s something that we can say to the world, you’re not gonna believe this, you’re going to think I’m crazy, but I’m not. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that if you’ll reach out to him, for those who believe in him, won’t die, they’ll have eternal life. And that’s the gift he gives at Christmas.

Pete Alwinson:
Absolutely.

Steve Brown:
Okay. One more day and we’ll talk about this and next time we’ll look at theology. Okay?

Pete Alwinson:
Good.

Steve Brown:
Meanwhile, Merry Christmas.

Matthew Porter:
Thank you Steve and Pete. What a great week long discussion about reviving the thrill of Christmas and guess what? We’re going to do it for one more day tomorrow. Don’t miss that. And just in case you missed it earlier, our text today was John 1:1 through 18 and Hebrews 1:1 through 4. So Sunday, Christmas, it’s finally here, or already here, depending on how you look at it. I don’t know about you, but with everything going on in our world, I sometimes have trouble getting my heart in the right place to prepare for God with us. And if that’s ever you, we would love to send you a special free gift from Key Life. It’s a booklet called Christmas Meditations. It’s a newly reprinted collection of Steve’s writings on the real meaning of Christmas, the Incarnation of God in Christ. The booklet also contains Scriptures and devotional questions to help you focus and reflect on the impact of Christ coming. Get it right now by calling us at 1-800-KEY-LIFE that’s 1-800-539-5433. You can also e-mail [email protected] to ask for that booklet. If you’d like to mail your request, go to keylife.org/contact to find our mailing addresses for the U.S. and Canada. Just ask for the booklet called Christmas Meditations. Okay, and before you go, would you prayerfully consider partnering in the work of Key Life through your giving. You can charge a gift on your credit card or include a gift in your envelope. Or join the growing number of folks who simply text Key Life to 28950 that’s Key Life, one word, two words. It doesn’t matter. Text that to 28950. Key Life is a member of ECFA in the States and CCCC in Canada. And we are a listener supported production of Key Life Network.