We Make Room
The Innkeeper’s Redemption: Little Ricky Steals the Show
Little Ricky had waited five long years to play Joseph, in the church Christmas pageant. He’d played every supporting role imaginable—from Sheep #3 to Angel #2, to Shepherd #1. This was supposed to be his year for a starring role. But no. The director handed the role to a new kid named, of all things, Joseph.
When Ricky saw “Innkeeper” next to his name on the cast list, he pretended to throw up. No one wants to be the innkeeper. You’re not even a good villain like Herod. You’re just the grouch who slams the door on a pregnant woman.
Ricky decided he wouldn’t accept this slight without a fight. On the big night of the performance, when Mary and Joseph knocked on his door, Ricky paused dramatically before declaring, “We’ve got plenty of room—come on in!” The director nearly fainted, the congregation erupted in laughter, and the cast was thrown into chaos until Mary recovered with, “Never mind. There’s room in the stable. We’ll go there. It’ll be better for everyone. This might be loud.” It was too late. Ricky had flipped the script—and was the star of the show.
The Gift of Hospitality: Making Room for What Matters
Where did Ricky get the idea to say there’s plenty of room? Maybe he grew up in a family like mine, where he saw his grandmother make room for unexpected guests. My grandmother, always a nervous wreck at Christmas, would stress over every detail. One year, my cousin brought an unexpected guest to dinner. I thought Grandma would blow a gasket over having her perfectly orchestrated plans unravel. But instead, she smiled and said, “Of course we have room. There’s plenty.” Plates appeared, a chair was retrieved, and room was made. And we were all blessed by adding another to our gathering. It’s what you do.
Tonight, at this very moment, Jesus comes and asks if you have any room for him to be born anew in you. You thought Bethlehem was in the Middle East, but it’s your heart tonight. And you? You’re the innkeeper. And just like the story, maybe your life feels too full to squeeze in anything else.
“Ain’t Nobody Got Time for That!”
I think of a woman I saw on a video reporting about how she breathed in smoke from a fire and said it felt like “the bronchitis.” Then she said, “Ain’t nobody got no time for that!” You might be thinking your inn and schedule is full. Prayer? Ain’t nobody got time for that! Church? Ain’t nobody got time for that! Be a listening ear for someone traversing a rough patch? That’s like “the bronchitis.”
It’s your choice: you can tell Jesus, “Go be born someplace else.” Or you can take a chance and push some things aside and make room. It’s not enough to be busy all the time. We have to be busy with the right things—things that add blessings to our lives instead of draining us. Let Christmas be the great sorting where we get our priorities in order.
The Innkeeper’s Regret: “If Only I Had Known”
However, we learn from the innkeeper that we might not recognize Jesus when he comes. The innkeeper didn’t know that the Savior of the world was at his doorstep. I wonder if later he regretted it. “How was I supposed to know he was the Prince of Peace, King of Kings, Lord of Lords? If only I had made room, the little Rickys of the world would see the innkeeper as the hero of the story instead of the buffoon of the play.”
That’s the thing—Jesus comes in unexpected ways. That’s his M.O. He comes as one who is in need or sad or broken. He comes as the stranger, unhoused person, or that girl at the cash register dealing with a “Karen.” You never know. You may think you’re just being nice, but it may be the most important thing you can do for someone.
Jesus: The Ultimate Secret Shopper
Back in the day, Dayna was a secret shopper for our bank. Every time she entered the lobby, she got $5 to complete a survey. One day, I went with her, and the teller wasn’t as delightful as I thought she should have been. I thought, “If she only knew who she was dealing with, she’d be nicer.”
If we only knew that Jesus comes to us in the form of others—people who bear the image of God—maybe we’d all be kinder, more attentive, and look for goodness in each other.
The Heart of Christmas: Honoring Those Told ‘No Room’
In fairness, the Bible doesn’t mention the innkeeper—only that there was no room in the inn. The word translated as “inn” was likely an upper room, with the stable below. Nevertheless, the Christmas story reminds us that Jesus identifies with all who have been told, “There’s no room.”
Can you feel what it’s like to be told there’s no room?
- The middle schooler who can’t find a table in the lunchroom because the others slide over and block every seat. No room.
- Like my friend Mark who’s mother told him, “I wish you had never been born.” No room.
- The spouse whose partner says, “I don’t love you anymore.” No room.
- The asylum-seeker who just wants a safe place to raise her family. No room.
- The person rejected by their family or church because of who they love. No room.
Christmas is God’s way of honoring those who have been told there is no room for them. Jesus was the ultimate outsider. So were the shepherds, the only guests invited to the manger. Maybe you feel like one too—like you’re on the outside looking in at people who seem to have their act together. Christmas says you are at the center of God’s love and care. Whoever you are and wherever you are on life’s journey, you are welcome there. There is room for you.
Why God Came: A Light in the Darkness
God didn’t come to the world in Jesus just so you could have a holly jolly Christmas—though there’s nothing wrong with that. God came to save lives and change the world, to remind us to make room for each other.
God came because the cries of suffering were unbearable. There needed to be an intervention.
- Hatred tears families apart and turns friends into enemies. There needs to be a message of non-retaliation and love.
- War reduces little children to “collateral damage.” There needs to be a prince of peace.
- Greed leaves billions starving while others hoard unimaginable wealth. There needs to be a message of generosity.
- Sin twists us until we no longer recognize the goodness we were created for. There needs to be one who shows us a new integrity.
- Hopelessness whispers that nothing we do will ever make a difference.
- Loneliness isolates, convincing countless souls they are unworthy of love or belonging.
God came because it is a matter of life and death. God came to be a light that the darkness cannot overcome. God came to remind us that no one is beyond redemption, to breathe hope into despair, and to show us how to love in ways that heal the broken world. Jesus came to rekindle the flame of possibility when it feels like all is lost, to show us that there is always room for new life with God.
Your Role in the Story: The Innkeeper Who Made Room
And tonight, God has posted the cast list for the universal drama of the world. Your name is there, and next to it is your part: “Innkeeper—the one who makes room.”
This Christmas, will you make room for Jesus? For kindness, for forgiveness, for those in need? Let your heart be an open inn, and when the knock comes, may your answer always be, “Come on in—there’s plenty of room.”
Amen.