Turn that failure into some peace
Advent Reading Week 3: One of the Bible's biggest facepalms 🤦🏻♀️
He made one of the biggest face palms in biblical history. The man who had no room available at his inn when the God of the universe was born in Bethlehem. The innkeeper shares that God’s genuine peace is available for all, even those who are slow to perceive how God is working out redemption.
This reading is featured in Andrew’s new book Gather for Advent, designed to help your family nurture wonder as reflect on the true meaning of Christmas.
Go to the source: Luke 2:7
Reading time: 1-2 mins
How to use:
Read on your own for quiet reflection
Gather your family or friends at the table or in the living room. Have a candle ready to light. Reflect on the story and scripture together.
Reading
Innkeeper: True confession. I can claim the biggest face palm in biblical history.
You know what I mean, right, by a facepalm? It’s when you do something so silly, when you look back on it you just want to cover your face in shame.
Some of you can probably compete with me for embarrassing moments. Maybe you’re far enough removed from the moment when you made a complete fool of yourself that you can laugh at it now.
I’m not there. Not yet.
What’s yours? Maybe you gave a presentation in front of an auditorium only to realize at the end of the speech that your fly was down.
Or maybe you’ve had an entire conversation only to discover, when you see your reflection later, that you had something stuck between your teeth the whole time. By the way…you can tell a lot about a person if they don’t tell you that you have something stuck between your teeth.
Maybe you got out of the bathroom, checked your phone, only to realize that the Instagram Live you thought you’d ended ten minutes ago is still recording.
“How can my embarrassing moment be worse than that?” you may ask.
Because I’m the guy that didn’t have any room available when the God of the universe was born on a cold night in Bethlehem, okay? I’m the guy that didn’t listen to Joseph when he desperately pleaded for a place for his pregnant wife to comfortably rest before she gave birth to the most consequential person in world history.
Yes, I’m the No-room-at-the-inn Innkeeper.
It took some time for it all to make sense… for all the pieces to come together. Years later when people started popping in to see our little hotel because word had spread that it was the place where the Messiah was born, I clued in.
That’s when it started to all get really real, when I wanted to die of shame or build a time machine and travel back to that fateful night. The Messiah and his family came knocking on my door and I failed to show them hospitality?! Not only that, I sent them to the barn behind my inn!
Praise God that his will is still accomplished even when we’re slow to perceive it.
Maybe, like me, you aren’t known for your big acts of faith. Like me, you might be slow to tune into what God is up to in your life, in your community, or in the world around you.
Today I light the candle of Peace, for God has everything under control.
May the peace of God rule in your homes no matter how attuned you feel to God’s will. And may the peace of Christ help you recognize the miracle of redemption at work in your life as it unfolds.
Amen.
A Christmas gift that will spark hope for years to come
Purchase the book for that busy mom in your life who wants to nurture some wonder in their home with Gather for Advent, Andrew’s new book of poems and stories designed for families.