Joseph and Mary traveled from Nazareth to Bethlehem to be registered. Bethlehem was crowded and bustling with activity as others were making the same journey. Everyone had a place to be. In the middle of this crowded, busy scene, Mary gave birth to Jesus in a humble manger.
Yet Bethlehem’s busyness is more than just a story about a full inn, it’s a mirror reflecting our own lives today. We live in a world filled with noise, deadlines and distractions. Our schedules quickly become packed and leave little space for the quiet, sacred moments that invite Jesus in. Like those who filled Bethlehem, we often don’t make room for Christ, not because we reject Him, but because life feels so full and our focus tends to be elsewhere.
In the midst of crowded schedules, seasonal busyness and the noise of the world, are we like the masses in Bethlehem, too distracted to notice God’s quiet arrival in our day to day? May we choose to pause, slow down, create room amid the noise and welcome the Savior anew.
