Jesus was born in a stable because there was no room at the inn (Luke 2: 7). It reminds me of a quotation, “Christmas is built upon a beautiful and intentional paradox; that the birth of the homeless should be celebrated in every home.”
A long time ago I came across a story which goes like this…
A poor little boy was sleeping on the street on a cold winter night. It was so cold that, he walked to a policeman and asked; “sir, do you know any place where a poor boy could find a warm place to sleep tonight? It is very cold, would be nice to have a warm place to stay.” The policeman looked down at the little boy and said; “you go down the street to that big house and you knock on the door. When they come out the door you just say; John 3:16 and they will let you in. So, he did. He walked up to the house and knocked on the door, and a lady answered. He looked up and said, “John 3:16.” The lady said come in son. She took him in and she sat him down in front of an old fireplace. The boy sat there for a while and thought, “I do not understand John 3:16, but sure it makes a cold boy warm.” After sometimes the lady asked him “Are you hungry?” he said, “yes”. The lady served him with different types of delicious food. He ate and ate until he could eat no more. Then he thought to himself, I am sure I still do not understand John 3:16, but it sure makes a hungry boy full. She took him upstairs to a bathroom to a huge bathtub filled with warm water, as he soaked, he thought, I still do not understand John 3:16, but it makes a dirty boy clean. After the bath, the lady took him to a room, tucked him into a big feather bed, and wished him good night. As he lay in darkness, he thought, Oh I still do not understand John 3:16 but it makes a tired boy rest. The next morning the lady served him as she did earlier. And then she sat down in front of him and asked, do you understand John 3:16? He replied, “no ma’am, I do not.” “The first time I ever heard it was last night when the policeman told me to use it,” she opened the Bible to John 3:16 and began to explain to him about God’s love through Jesus. He sat there and thought, “though I do not understand John 3:16, it sure makes a lost boy feel safe, I think that is how I ought to make other homeless people feel.”
Do we understand John 3:16? Our reflection on the innkeeper story invites us to explore how we offer welcome and hospitability, especially to those who have the greatest need among us; to see each other through the eyes of the one who came to offer God’s love and compassion, and to mirror the lessons of Christmas in our lives not just in this Holy season – but every day of the year. Let us be an agent of transformation today.
Prayer
Dear God, let our heart’s door be ever open, ready to welcome you and your people in need. Help us to be kind to our fellow travellers in life, a little more caring, compassionate and hospitable. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
Author: Gifta Angline Kumar
About the Author: Gifta hails from Odisha. She belongs to the Church of North India, Sambalpur Diocese. She recently completed her residential Doctoral Research from SATHRI.
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