No Room If you’re new to Lifpoint | Worthington, take 30 seconds to fill out our Welcome Card! Have a question about today's message? Ask it here. Luke 2:1–7 (ESV) 1 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. The Pain of Exclusion Psychologists tell us that the human brain processes rejection in the exact same place it processes physical pain. To your nervous system, a broken heart and a broken leg look surprisingly similar. The story of Jesus does not begin in a warm, cozy setting; it begins exactly where our pain often lives: it is a story wrapped in rejection. God did not come to fix our pain from a distance, but to share in it. The Setting: A Homecoming Without a Welcome By Luke 2, Joseph and Mary are still together, but they are only betrothed. Joseph travels back to Bethlehem, his hometown, meaning he has family and likely property there. In the ancient world, a returning family member—especially one with a new baby—should have been met with a celebration. Instead of a welcome party or a homecoming meal, they are met with silence. The “Inn” vs. The Guest Room We often imagine a Motel 6 that was simply fully booked due to the census. However, the Greek word Luke uses (katalyma) does not mean hotel; it translates best as guest room. Hospitality in this culture was not just nice; it was a sacred duty. If the guest room was full, a loving family would have given up their own bed rather than putting a pregnant relative with the animals. Luke is not describing a booking error; he is describing rejection. The family’s message was subtle but painful: “You can stay, but not in the guest room. You can stay with the animals.” Have a question or pushback on this? Ask it here. The Four Faces of Rejection Belonging is not just a want; it is a fundamental human need for survival. Rejection wears different masks in our lives, and we see them in the Christmas story. 1. Elimination The sharpest kind of rejection that says, “I don't want you here at all.” Examples: Herod wanting to kill the child, or the modern pain of being ghosted or cancelled. 2. Assimilation A subtle rejection that says, “I will accept you if you become like me.” This is the pressure to edit your personality or hide your mess to fit in. 3. Domination The rejection of being used. Like Joseph and Mary in the house, you are included but kept down; you are never equal. 4. Abandonment The message here isn't hate; it is simply, “I don't think about you at all.” While Mary was in labor, the village was asleep; this is the rejection of neglect. We Are the Innkeepers If we stop at our own pain, we are just victims. The hard truth is that we often put up No Room signs for people who are different, inconvenient, or needy. We don't have room for Jesus or others because we are too full of ourselves. We are building our own little kingdoms where we want to maintain control. Have a question or pushback on this? Ask it here. The Gospel of the Manger What does God do with a world that rejects Him? He stays. God decided that if the world had no room for Him in the clean places, He would build His Kingdom in the dirty ones. Jesus was rejected for you, so that you could be accepted by Him. The Great Reversal Luke says there was no “place” (topos) for Jesus in the inn. Years later, in John 14, Jesus uses that exact word again: “I go to prepare a place (topos) for you.” Jesus entered a world that had No Place for Him, so that He could go and prepare a place for us. On the Cross, Jesus took our eviction so we could receive a welcome. Application: From Exclusion to Embrace For the Rejected The “Innkeepers” of your life do not hold the verdict on your soul. Your healing begins when you stop looking to the Inn for approval and start looking to the Manger for your identity. For the Rejectors The call of Christmas is to move from Exclusion to Embrace. We must be a people of the Open Door in a world of locked gates. Challenge: Look for the “No Room” people in your life this week and create space for them. As always, if you'd like to talk more with me about anything we discussed, you can sign up for meeting time. If you have any questions from the message today, send them here and I'll follow up!