Growing up in the 1960s, in Columbus, Ohio, our neighborhood was “one big happy family.” People felt safe leaving their doors unlocked. Neighbors often just knocked and walked in. Everyone knew everyone’s name. Kids could ride bikes and play outside without worry of being abducted, often being out of sight of the adults. When it was time to come home, each family had a way to call their own kids. My parents called me and my brothers home with a whistle. A neighbor whistled three times to call their kids. It was a much safer time.

In college we often left our dorm room door unlocked. If we needed something in a friend’s room, we usually just knocked and walked in. If you wanted privacy, you locked your door. But if you locked your door, you could expect to be “pennied” or have isopropyl alcohol poured under your door and lit on fire. Thankfully due to its fast evaporation, the alcohol burned itself out quickly. But one time not before my treasured Farrah Fawcett poster was a victim of such a prank. What boy in the 70s didn’t have this poster on his wall? We felt safe without having to lock our doors. It was a much safer time.

These days, people lock everything, often having two or three deadbolts on their doors. Security systems, handguns, apps on our phones, and “Beware of the Dog” signs, are commonplace, all intended to protect us, our possessions, and keep out unwanted guests.

You hear a knock on the door and before you open the door you pull the curtain back just a tiny bit to see who is there. If it is one of those young men in a white long sleeve shirt and skinny black tie, you probably quickly turn off the lights and whisper to the kids to be quiet, hoping those knocking don’t know you are home. These days, people do not dare walk into someone’s house without first being invited in. We just don’t enter anyone’s space without them inviting us in.

Jesus is the same way. He only enters your heart if you invite Him in. He never knocks and then just barges in. He never kicks down the door and pushes His way in. In the last book of the Bible, Revelation, John writes seven letters to seven literal churches while exiled on the Greek island of Patmos. The Church at Laodicea saw themselves as rich, prosperous, and needing nothing (3:17). However, this is what John hears Jesus saying to that church, to those people – “I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth” (3:15-16).

While this warning is directed to the Church in Laodicea, it also warns us today that Jesus despises lukewarmness. In that day, room temperature water was viewed with suspicion. Cold water suggested a flowing spring or river, thus “safe.” Hot water had been boiled and cleaned of potential bacteria, thus also “safe.” I believe Jesus is warning those of us who are his followers that He is saddened by us just “going through the motions,” Maybe your once burning hot faith has all but burned itself out.

Do you know that the seven warnings to the seven churches are considered circular? The seven cities are in a circular trade route. And while each church receives a specific warning addressing relevant to its specific situation, the warnings are to the community of believers at large. And to us today.

What does Jesus say is the answer to turning lukewarm into red hot? A few verses later, still to the Church at Laodicea, Jesus says this – “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me” (3:20).

Notice in this painting which depicts Jesus knocking on an overgrown and long-unopened door that the door has no handle and, thus, can only be opened from the inside.

So, in these remaining days of Advent, will you open, or re-open, your heart to Him? The very One who can be your Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Immanuel, God with us. 

This will be my last writing until after Christmas. I wish you and your family a very joyous and merry Christmas!

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In today’s culture, a word that gets thrown around is the word “peace,” most often used in the context of conflict or violence. It conjures up a picture of Hippies flashing peace signs as they protested the Vietnam War, opposing nations sitting down at a table to sign a peace accord (that will not last) to stop their fighting, someone being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, or maybe spouses trying to make peace after an ugly argument. The world fights for peace, it negotiates for peace, sometimes even buying peace, but ultimately the peace found in this world is only temporary.

In John 14:27 we see Jesus saying this, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” Here Jesus is not talking about the world being free of conflict, but rather the peace He is speaking of brings a state of tranquility, serenity or quietness to your soul, a calmness of confidence in God. This peace is not the absence of turmoil. Instead, it is the presence of the One who carries the quiet, the peace with Him. We can learn to be still, and quiet our own souls in the presence of God.

When Isaiah was prophesying about the birth of Jesus, some 700 years before His birth, one of the names he gave to the coming Messiah was Prince of Peace. Do you know the other three? Read Isaiah 9:6 to find out. Jesus, the Prince of Peace, brings a different kind of peace than is found in the world. He does not fight for, or negotiate for, peace, but instead, freely gives it away to all who trust in Him.

Isaiah also talks of being kept in perfect peace: “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you” (from Isaiah 26:1-4). This perfect peace is not something we achieve. Rather, it is a place kept for us, a place of peace. It is finding peace in God, and the promise of peace for those who trust in him. A peace that the world cannot take away.   

When the angels announced the birth of Jesus, here is what they proclaimed – “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased” (Luke 2:14).

This verse seems to indicate that with the birth of Jesus, who is the long-awaited Messiah, glory is to be given to God and that some new kind of peace is promised to those who are pleasing to Him.

So, just what does it mean to be pleasing to God? In my opinion – to live a life in obedience to God and in accordance with His will. When we live like this, we are pleasing to God. And as we saw in those Isaiah verses above,  Romans 5:1 tells us that we make peace with God when we commit our lives to Jesus and Philippians 4:7 promises us that we will have the peace of God when living a life pleasing to Him.

In this season of expectant waiting upon the coming Messiah, will you allow His lasting peace, His perfect peace, a peace that passes all understanding, to guard your heart and mind? A peacefulness and calmness even better than sitting by a trickling brook or watching snow blanket the ground.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope” (Romans 15:13).

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I originally wrote this back in 2003. I repost it every year in the days leading up to Christmas.

I think it important that we look beneath the words found on the pages of scripture and not simply gloss over them, missing the power and beauty of the where of Jesus’ birth.

We can all describe the classic nativity scene. A baby laying in a manger wrapped in a blanket in a barn surrounded by his parents, animals, shepherds, and three wise men. The barn is dark and dingy, the floor covered with straw and mud. I love the simplicity of the traditional manger scene. We have several displayed in our house. But, is it accurate?  

“And she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn” (Luke 2:7).

That verse notes there was no room for Joseph and Mary in the inn. The Greek term for inn is “kataluma,” which is translated as guest room, meaning a place of lodging for travelers, usually with no payment expected. Think spare bedroom. Only two places in the New Testament is the Greek word “kataluma” used – here in Luke’s birth narrative and in the Last Supper text (Luke 22:11; and parallel passage, Mark 14:14). In contrast, elsewhere in the New Testament (Luke 10:34) we find a different Greek word for “inn,” this time used in the context of a public lodging place. Maybe the equivalent of a modern-day hotel.  

What is a manger? A manger is a feeding trough for animals. So, you find feeding troughs in the barn, right? In ancient Middle East cultures animals were not kept in a barn or left outside. The family animals were always kept inside the house, usually on a lower level from the main floor. This helped to protect them from theft, disease, weather. 

Using that line of thinking, I see a very powerful picture being painted. One of the Messiah King born in a way that all could have access to Him. If He had been born in a castle or temple, only the wealthy, the noble, or the religious could have access to Him. Instead, this Savior, born of humble parents in a humble and ordinary setting, offered access to all. He does the same thing today – no matter our circumstances our Savior is willing to enter into our “house” and be born in us.   

What does all this mean? I believe Joseph and Mary arrived in Bethlehem only to find Joseph’s ancestral home full of people. They ended up in the lower level of the house and laid baby Jesus in the feeding trough because there was no room upstairs in the guest rooms.

So, if Jesus was not born in a detached barn or a stable, He was likely instead born in a house. Quite possibly a peasant house, maybe the house or a relative, or maybe even the house Joseph grew up in. Regardless of the actual house, it is very probable that Jesus was not born in a detached dwelling as our modern nativities portray.

Jesus began his life in a “lower room” of a kataluma and ended His earthly ministry in the “upper room” of a kataluma. Coincidence? Think about it!

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I once worked for a company where the owner changed the rules as often as the ocean tides. What was expected yesterday was often very different from what was required today. We needed a staff meeting every morning just to give that day’s marching orders. And as the manager charged with carrying out those marching orders I found that challenging, confusing, and exhausting. 

We all know people who have said they did this or that in their past only to find out that either they have clouded memories or they simply did not tell the truth. I have done a lot of hiring and what some people put on, or left off, their resumes bears witness to that sad reality. Right now in this country, we are facing a crisis in truth and facts, one that is creating deep mistrust in both people and institutions. Sadly, for many, the answer to “How do you know if he or she is lying?” is simply, “When their lips are moving.”           

Not only are people’s words often false, at times, their actions do not align with what they speak. While in ministry school, the director of the school pounded into us the need to avoid compromising situations, yet about a decade later, he was fired due to sexual impropriety. I had (have) a tremendous respect for this man. He was very instrumental in the early days of my journey into ministry. It stung to watch his fall from grace.

About six years ago, a well-known pastor of one of America’s largest and best-known megachurches got caught up in a scandal, forcing him to retire early. While he spoke publicly of integrity, what he walked out was full of inappropriate attitudes and behavior. This was someone I admired from afar, listening to many of his teachings as guidance for my own life.

Sadly, seemingly not a day goes by where we hear of someone who says one thing but does another. I think you will agree that these days it has become very difficult to find and know real truth. Our culture says that everything is relative and what is true for one might not be true for someone else. And what is truth anyway?

Because there is so much deception in the world, it gets harder and harder to trust anyone. We need to know where we can go to find truth. We need to have a place to go to make sense of the world around us. That place is God; His character is trustworthy. God does what He says He will do, every single time! David prays a prayer of thanksgiving in which he praises God for being faithful and trustworthy. In 2 Samuel 7:21 we read this, “Because of your promise, and according to your own heart, you have brought about all this greatness, to make your servant know it.”    

In Psalm 119:160 we read this, “All your words are true; all your righteous laws are eternal.”

And God desires to lead us in truth as well. Psalm 25:4-5 tells us, “Show me your ways, LORD, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior.”

So, today, in a culture filled with lies and deception, and competing views of what is true, ask God to reveal His truth to you by becoming grounded in Scripture, and as Jesus said, “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32).

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Not too long ago, the people companies used to sell products and services in television commercials were often not easily recognizable faces. But today, and it is certainly true during the Christmas season, many advertisers use “celebrity endorsements” to sell their products and services. The focus seems to have shifted from quality and affordability to using something because of who else uses it (or at least endorses it), thus in some way making those buy those products or services part of the “in” crowd.

While our culture uses the “high” to sell a message, God often uses the “low” to promote and advance His message. Sure, all throughout the pages of scripture there are stories of God using kings, rulers, priests, and famous people to “advertise” His kingdom, but those same pages are also full of accounts of people who held little or no status in society – tax collectors, fishermen, prostitutes, servants, widows, and even shepherds – being used by God in big ways. And if you are a follower of Jesus, while you might have committed your life to Him through the efforts of a well-known person, it is more likely that it occurred when someone not well known by the world invested time and effort into you. That is certainly the case for me.

Today I want to quickly look at one such story of when God used the lowly to share the best news ever told. We will be looking in Luke 2; the story of shepherds being used announce the birth of Jesus. What do we know about shepherds? Shepherds generally came from the base elements of society. They were on the lowest rung of the economic scale and had little of not formal education. Shepherds had no power or influence, they simply tended sheep.  It is also entirely possible that these shepherds who heard the angels singing were illiterate. Shepherds were also totally committed to their flock and would do anything, including risking life and limb, to care for and protect their sheep.

The story line in Luke 2 is that Jesus has been born and about that time an angel appeared to shepherds who were living in the fields while keeping watch over the flocks, simply doing their job. The angel announced that the Messiah had been born. These shepherds were very unlikely candidates to “advertise” this good news. Wouldn’t priests have been more credible since they were the well-known and well-connected religious people of their day? But the story tells us that these shepherds said to each other, “When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us’” (Luke 2:15).

Presumably they each packed an overnight bag (this is not in the biblical account) and hurried off to find the Baby Jesus (this is in the biblical account). Here is what we read, “And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them” (vv.16-18).       

So, here we have lowly shepherds, the bottom feeders of society, being used by God as the first to tell the world of the Messiah’s birth. He spoke through angels to lowly shepherds on a remote hillside outside a tiny Judean village. It didn’t seem a likely way to win the world, but God uses people like you and like me, just average “Joes” and “Janes” to share His good news with the world.

God wants to use you and me to proclaim His kingdom and His message. We don’t need to be rich and famous, wise and well-educated, or even well-versed in all things religious. We just need to be willing and available! The gift of Christ is the best gift anyone will ever receive. Are you asking God to use you as He used those shepherds 2000 years ago?  

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For most of us, the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas are filled with nonstop activities. It is run run run. Rinse and repeat. In the busyness we often end up “turning away” all that makes this season so joyous and beautiful. We need to be very intentional about creating time and space to just sit and reflect on those things. Let me get straight to the focus of this writing – throughout your holiday busyness, are you making room for Jesus?

In Luke’s telling of the birth of Jesus he tells us that Joseph and Mary were turned away when they were looking for a place for Jesus to be born. In Luke 2:7 we read, “And she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.”

Older translations use “inn” rather than “guest room.” The Greek word kataluma used for “inn/guest room” has several meanings: a guest room (as in a person’s home) or lodging place (as in a boarding house, hotel, or similar establishment). Have you ever wondered who it was that gave Joseph and Mary the “no vacancy” news? It could have been the proprietor of an ancient day bed-and-breakfast, or it could have been the owner of a personal residence. Let’s just call this person an “innkeeper.”

Look for a writing next Wednesday, asking the question, “Was Jesus really born in a barn?”

If you know this story, then you know that Joseph and Mary were returning to Bethlehem to register for a census. It is likely that Bethlehem was bustling with people, all returning to take part in the census, so rooms would likely have been in high demand. A “Sorry No Vacancy” sign probably hung in many lodging place windows. And when Joseph and Mary arrived looking for a place to give birth they were told by the “innkeeper” that there was just no room for them.

What caused this innkeeper to turn Joseph and Mary away? Maybe his “inn” was full, or maybe he was just preoccupied. He might have been busy with fixing meals, cleaning rooms, making beds, caring for animals, and providing for his family. All good and worthwhile activities. But he most likely saw that Mary was ready to give birth so couldn’t he have made some provision? There must have been some place he could have offered them. But the story tells us they were turned away and ended up in some lowly place that housed animals.  

What’s the point of all of this? We are like that at times, especially at Christmas. The rooms in our lives are filled, sometimes to overflow capacity. Our lives are consumed with activity – not necessarily sinful or bad activity, just things that keep us busy and often away from God. And when we are preoccupied, we miss the Christ of Christmas.

So, in the remaining twelve days before Christmas, my challenge is for each of us to make room for Jesus at our own inns. And in doing so, not being like the innkeeper in this story, saying “Sorry, no vacancy!” Don’t miss the Christ of Christmas!

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