| |
December 11, 2005
|
God is With Us
|
Pastor Brian Shimer
|
|
"Jethro: Travelers Welcome!"
Luke 2: 1-14
- (Jethro carrying a broom)
Well, Well, Well -- Good to see all of you Waiting to come in. You stay, no? All travelers are Welcome! You come in? You no come?
Perhaps because of my appearance? Well, it has been a busy day. I am covered with Schmootz, I am, after cleaning out the house, and caring for the animals in the stable. My, there are a lot of yous.
I heard you may be coming this morning, but Wasn't thinking so many would be coming. We are not too busy this season. Ay, you should have seen us the year of the census. Oi Veh, that vas a time I got furblungit. I did not know Which Way I was heading, this way, that way! Ai! D' other inn keepers in Bethlehem and I -- we couldn't handle any more people.
I remember them sending d' children to see if I had room. No one had room.
There were not just the Jews to register, no, but all those government workers. Joshua had more than too many at this place. He said he had enough of the Goyim -- the Romans (pah) -- to last a lifetime! Salmon said he too was full. As did Micah, Judah, Simeon and Zach.
People shoving and pushing, animals everywhere, all the stables full, the fire at the house blazing as all my guests cooked the food they brought with them.
Perhaps you need to know. When I say "Inn" do you think of your modern "Holiday Inn"? No, that is small city compared to our inns. No our inns were small places -- our homes, perhaps with a few extra rooms, mostly open areas, places to bed down but not in private areas. Who know anything of private? I take the animals to the stable -- ah, the stable it was nice. Smell clean, fresh, was warm, with the soft, warm breath of the animals. Sometimes I think, ah, if I were just an animal?
- You know, when Luke interviewed me in his research for his careful account of the Savior, Adoni be praised, I did not know you would take what he wrote and make me out to be a villain. I have ways of knowing. Am I named in his book? No. Yet, still it is said I "turned away the couple" with a nasty attitude!
Character assassination, I say. Were you here? Did you see? Why if Luke not mention me at all, would you say I chased away the couple.
Now, Salmon, I know, he did chase them away. And Joshua did not think it right to have them come in with all the Goyim (pah!).
But me? Ah, let me tell you.
It was a cold, cold night that year. All my guests were sleeping wen another knock came to the door. Nothing but knocks at the door, all evening. I start to get up, my wife, Sarah, she said, "Don't go. We are asleep, we are full. Were can we put anyone? Gay schloffing," she tell me, urging me to lie back down.
She was so tired and ferklempt, we say. How you say, ah, in a bad mood.
Ever had a time when you cannot stop to rest? When you are so busy, nothing but rushing one thing to the next? Ah, that is what it was like this time. We never had such a busy time before or since. I have never seen so many people. Oi Veh.
But, somehow, I had to get up. I had to check. Perhaps there is another place for someone, the night, it is cold. So, I go.
And there before me is this couple, she about ready to have a baby, I can see. I thought I was tired, but them, oh, they were so tired. She had been crying. He was so weary. She on the donkey, he holding the rope.
"Please sir," the man said. "Please. My wife, she is with child. And we have come so far. We have been turned away. Again and again. She is at the point of despair, and near to the point d' baby will come. Please, do you not have some room."
At that she looked up, and something in those eyes so moved my heart. "How could my heartless brothers have turned this couple away?" I thought. But, what could I do? There was no room in the inn -- that was true. Den a picture came to mind. The stable! The stable?
I thought of the noise inside the house and the still, peaceful, quiet in the stable. Perhaps.
"Sir," I said, "there are no places inside, but come, I show you the stable. There you will find a place of warmth and comfort. I led them to the stable, a large cave behind my home. Within it was sheltered, warm, sweet smelling, and so very still. There in the corner, the woman, the man called her Mary, laid down to rest on the straw.
- I did what I could and then went back to the bed. But there I could not sleep. No. I lay awake. Have you ever been so tired that when you lay down to sleep you wake up? I mean you are so tired and you lie down and your eyes open not close? That happen to me. I wondered how they were in the stable. I thought about that young girl's face. I think, that girl, she has seen beautiful things. I think, something very special about her. Then, the night, it exploded. Light everywhere. Glorious music. I thought, "the Messiah!"
I had waited for his coming. All my life, and suddenly I thought of that couple. I got up and ran to the stable. I heard the cry of a newborn. She held a child, the most beautiful child I have ever seen. Mozel Tov! I thought, but as she placed him sleeping into the manger, I realized I was crying. Me, Crying? I knew. Suddenly my heart knew before my head could acknowledge that the beautiful child, I was seeing was Him I had longed to see. Yeshua! The savior.
I knelt there, hearing the choirs sing and soon shepherds arrived. They too hushed their chatter upon seeing the child. They bowed. We all bowed and worshiped.
The king had come. He had arrived. And I did not give up my room? Why not just kick out my guests and give the king room. Why did he have to be born in the stable? But, What was I thinking? Was Adoni not involved? Did He wake up this morning and say, "Oi Veh! How did I miss this? Why didn't I keep a room available in Bethlehem?" Did the stable come as a surprise to d' Holy One? No! Adoni, may His name be praised, Adoni knew. He planned. He allowed me to be involved in His plan.
Adoni, the Holy One of Israel, the King eternal, He was at work even when it did not look like it. He planned for no room so that this child could be born here, in this stable, in this village, at this time, in this place. Holy is His name.
Why the stable? For when born in a stable it said to the world that this one had come for all people, from least to the greatest. Yes, the stable among the least was the statement almighty God wanted to make.
Yes, God is always working, behind the scenes, in places you cannot see. And what did I do to welcome God's work into my busyness? I open the door. You too can do that. God is always working, so open the door to Him.
Now I have watched Jesus live, die and know he rose from the dead. I know yes, He is the Messiah, He is the Lord and God. Now I can walk with him, day by day, for He is with me. All I had to do is accept what he had done and his work began.
Can you imagine that God is also working behind the scenes in your life? Yes. He is. Perhaps there are places in your life, where no one lives, into which the savior can come. All you do is open the door and the God who is always working will go to work in and through you.
I know that somewhere in your Scriptures there is a place where it is written that the Savior stands at the door and knocks and if anyone opens the door He will come in and eat with you and you with him.
Yes. You need to open the door. Have you opened the door for the savior in your life?
Well, thank you for coming and if you no stay, I must go get back to work. Much to do to prepare for those who may yet come. Yes, I get all covered with schmootz, but that is life and Yahweh, may His name be praised, He understand and He clean me up.
|
|
|