Welcome hall

Part 4 of 35 No room in the inn

"Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that a census should be taken of the whole empire" (Luke 2:1). Everyone had to go to their own town to be counted. Joseph belonged to the family of King David, so he and Mary traveled from Nazareth to Bethlehem, the town of David, just as the prophet Micah had said.

While they were there, Mary's baby was born. "She wrapped Him in swaddling cloths and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn" (Luke 2:7). A manger is a feeding box for animals. God's Son was born not in a palace, but in a place where animals were fed.

Imagined The hall

In this hall, a meal, a bed and a friend are waiting for every person who arrives, whoever they are and wherever they come from. Here, no one is ever told there is no room.

Real world The Church of the Nativity

In Bethlehem, the Church of the Nativity stands over a cave that Christians have honored as the place of Jesus's birth since at least the 300s. Its main door is so low, about 1.2 meters, that most visitors must bow to go in. In 2012 it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Think about it

1. Why do you think God's Son was born in such a humble place?
2. How would you have welcomed Mary and Joseph?
3. How could you make a newcomer feel welcome?

Key words

Census

An official count of the people in a country.

Manger

A box that holds food for animals.

Swaddling cloths

Strips of cloth wrapped snugly around a baby.