The innkeeper missed an opportunity to welcome the Savior - not because he was unwilling, but because he was unaware. What about YOU?
--
The PursueGOD Truth podcast is the “easy button” for making disciples – whether you’re looking for resources to lead a family devotional, a small group at church, or a one-on-one mentoring relationship. Join us for new episodes every Tuesday and Friday.
Find resources to talk about these episodes at pursueGOD.org.
Help others go "full circle" as a follower of Jesus through our 12-week Pursuit series.
Click here to learn more about how to use these resources at home, with a small group, or in a one-on-one discipleship relationship.
Got questions or want to leave a note? Email us at podcast@pursueGOD.org.
Donate Now
--
Intro
- New Series starting today!
- The Christmas Story from People Who Were Actually There
- The Innkeeper (today)
- The Shepherds
- The Wise Men
- King Herod
- Baby Jesus on Christmas Eve
- Every week we’ll be digging deep on stuff you didn’t know
- But I just want to take a few moments to ask you, Q. Are you making room for Jesus in your life?
- Maybe you think it’s hard to be focused at Christmas, after all there are:
- Projects to finish at work, budgets to set for next year, proposals to submit before the end of the year.
- Family vacations to plan, parties to throw, presents to buy, and kids’ schedules to keep up with.
- In fact, life can get so busy in December that it’s pretty easy to push Christ out of Christmas.
- We can spend so much time focusing on all the stuff around Christmas that we fail to make room for Jesus.
- But here’s what’s amazing, the same thing happened on the very first Christmas.
- Let me show you what I mean:
Luke 2:1, 4-5 (NLT) 1 At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire…. 4 And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. 5 He took with him Mary, to whom he was engaged, who was now expecting a child.
- Describe craziness of census
- Connect to the busyness of travel during the holidays
- Check out these stats from AAA
- Nearly 80 Million Americans Expected to Travel over Thanksgiving (new record)
- 72 million by car
- 6 million by air
- 2 million by “other” (joke)
- Can you imagine the stress of Joseph and Mary?
- She was VERY pregnant, worst time to travel
Luke 2:6-7 (NLT) 6 And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. 7 She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.
- (ESV) because there was no place for them in the inn.
- This, of course, refers to the famous point in the Christmas story where Mary and Joseph were shooed away by an uncaring, busy, and inattentive innkeeper. As a result, they were forced to find a barn or cave which is where baby Jesus was born.
- Although this is how the story is typically told, the real story of the first Christmas might have actually been a bit different.
- The word “inn” is a tricky word to translate.
- It can refer to a hotel as in the traditional understanding of the story.
- Or, it can refer to a finished guest room in a home.
- For example, the same word
