Last week, we learned about Jesus coming into a world engulfed by darkness. The prophecy about his coming and birth described him as the “Light of the world.” I quoted the prophet Isaiah when he said in Isaiah 9:2, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness—on them light has shined.” Isaiah was describing the human condition of ignorance and sinfulness in an unjust and suffering world. And he was prophesizing about the coming of “a great light” that would come to heal people.

An example I gave about this darkness was what happened to Jesus and many families when he was born: king Herod ordered to kill every child who was two years old or under as he was trying to remove the threat of Jesus as the promised Messiah. Jesus and his parents were saved because they left town just in time, but many families suffered the greatest heartache and nightmare that is impossible to imagine.

These memories and images may not come to mind when we think of Christmas. We don’t think how Christmas happened in a vicious world and that, more than a jolly story, it is one of faith, trust, and bravery in the backdrop of terrible pain and overcoming evil.

Still, in the center of it all, a young married couple is having a baby. I can’t think of many more images that are as vulnerable as picturing them traveling about 90 miles to Bethlehem because of a government-edicted census so they could get tax more. This was not a safe journey for a young couple, and a soon-to-be mother, who I am sure was deeply concerned about having her baby by the road.

Yet, in their vulnerability, they overcame the forces of darkness and accomplished their purpose. Despite all challenges, as they acted on their faith and trusted God’s provision, they found favor among some people.

Today I want to talk about that favor or blessing the first Christmas family experienced. To speak to this, a controversial character in the middle of this story gives us an often-overlook lesson about how even small acts of kindness and compassion are a blessing. I am talking about the innkeeper.

This is the story as told by the apostle Luke in the gospel of Luke 2: 1-7,

“In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.”

I have preached this text before, and the point I often make is how a husband with his very pregnant wife couldn’t find a place to stay. Besides the innkeeper, couldn’t people see the critical condition in which Mary and Joseph were? Couldn’t other women, other mothers see their need? Couldn’t they sacrifice a little and make room for them so they could have their baby in a safe and clean place?

Often, we blame the innkeeper as a heartless person who just offered them a dirty stable to stay among animals. But was he that terrible?

Who is the innkeeper? The Bible doesn’t mention him. We assume there is an innkeeper because there is an inn, which of course, makes sense.

The common view of the innkeeper is that he was heartless or at least too busy and distracted to pay attention to Mary and Joseph when they came requesting a room. So we may picture him dismissing them quickly, pointing them towards the stable, “Go there…”

Now, to be fair, we need to remember that Bethlehem was experiencing an abnormal season. It had become a city swollen with visitors, and every room in town had someone in it. I am sure people were not too happy having to travel to their hometown to register so they could be charged more in taxes. They were in a not-so-pleasant state of mind. And, while many lived in town and did not have to suffer a long trip, others had to travel long distances to get there and had to struggle to find a room to stay in—such as Joseph and Mary. I am sure the innkeeper was dealing with many tired, grouchy, and impatient patrons most of the time.

So, against this backdrop, we can understand how the innkeeper could have simply been too busy and tired to deal with Mary and Joseph.

That is the typical way we picture and talk about the innkeeper and why many have disdain for him because we judge him for what little he did. But I want to offer an alternative view of him. Instead of seeing him as indifferent to Joseph and Mary’s needs, let’s look at him as compassionate and giving them what he could, as little as it was.

What if the innkeeper felt bad for Mary and Joseph and wanted to help them out but knew there wasn’t any space left at his inn? He could not offer them a room, but neither turned them away. Instead, he did what he could, taking them to the only sheltered, private space he had available, the stable. He couldn’t offer them what he knew they deserved but gave them what he was able to provide.

I wonder if Mary and Joseph had stopped at other places in Bethlehem and been turned away before this man gave them a place in his stable.

It is easy to look at the story in hindsight and say the innkeeper did not do enough and what we would have done instead. But try to put yourself in the sandals of the innkeeper for a moment. Imagine that you have a house full of people for the holidays. You have been running like crazy for days, trying to get things ready and making sure all of your guests are comfortable and cared for, and you are just getting ready to sit down with everyone for your first few moments of rest in days when there is a knock at the door. Two out-of-town young people are standing on your doorstep asking if they could stay with you for the night.

If we are honest, most people will not be as charitable as the innkeeper. I want to think that I would try to give them some leads on where they could stay, but I don’t think I would do much to help them myself. The innkeeper helped them himself. Rather than simply passing them off to someone else (knowing full well that no one else had any room either), he met their needs to the best of his ability.

While some people are inclined to believe that the innkeeper ignored the needs of Mary and Joseph, I am inclined to think that when he saw this couple’s needs, he did what he could to take care of them. He did not send them away but made room for them in the stable when there was no room elsewhere.

This may look like almost nothing to many, but as small as this act of kindness and compassion was, it was enough for God to accomplish the greatest miracle ever.

This new insight into the innkeeper invites us to reflect on how often we overlook the small acts of kindness we can do for others. Our challenge is that when we think about serving God or being a blessing to someone else, we pray for God to use us in great ways but dismiss the “little” chances we get every day to make a difference. It is like we are just waiting for the right time to do good. Imagine if the innkeeper had thought, “Well, I could offer them the stable, but that is too little; let someone else take care of them.” But he did not. He did not have a room for them, but he made room with what little he had to offer. If he had not, the Christmas story would have been about a young couple having their baby on the streets.

My friends, never underestimate the power of small acts of kindness. Do what you can with what you have; don’t wait for a better or bigger chance to be a blessing. If you have a chance, as small as it may be, to be a blessing, that is the one you take. Over time, they add up.

Here is the invitation and good news: If you want to be faithful to God and fulfill God’s plan for you, then learn to open yourselves to the daily opportunities that God puts in front of you to make room for others, that is, to be a blessing to them in any way you can. Making room for others means acting on our faith to show kindness and compassion, even with the smallest gestures. Often, we miss out on the blessings God has for us and others because we choose not to act when he gives us a chance to be a blessing. We underestimate what we can do or have to offer. But think of the kid who brought the five loaves of bread and two fish to Jesus and how Jesus used that little to feed thousands. So don’t take for granted any opportunity you have to bless someone.

And the good news, in my experience, is that you only need to do the next right or kind thing for God to do marvelous things. So, take that first step, as small as it may be, to bless others, and you and others will be blessed in ways you couldn’t have imagined.

Let there be room through small acts of love.