Making Room For Christmas

It is through these humble beginnings that a Savior was born . . . 

“And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”

King Jesus, Savior for ALL mankind—God’s Son, God’s only Son. Come to save the world from sin and death—to save us from the SUFFOCATING CLUTCHES of Satan’s hold on our lives.

A king ought to arrive in splendor, in the ease of comfort and niceties. Bethlehem should have prepared, honored, respected the arrival of such a king, and reserved the best seat, bed-and-breakfast, five-star inn the city had to offer. But there was no room for Mary and Joseph. There was no room for Mary to give birth in the city of Bethlehem. So Jesus was born in a manger—a stable. It was a barn for stock animals,  cows, chickens, and the like. Mary, as any mother would do, wrapped her newborn baby to warm Him, keep him safe, then she laid she laid her newborn infant in a trough, not a bassinet, or a crib, but a trough that farm animals ate from. All because, Bethlehem would not, could not make room for the Savior of the world!

This is an amazing story that leaves us faced with sobering questions, “Have you prepared for the coming of the King, the Lord Jesus Christ? Have you made room for Jesus in your City, your home, and your hearts?

About slennertz

Dr. Steven Lennertz is Founder and Lead Pastor of Eagle Ridge Church in Menifee, California. Steve accepted Christ as his Savior and Lord in 1975 during what is known as the "Jesus Movement" at a Saturday night concert at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa. As a young man, Steve worked in cabinet shops, and later obtained a Contractor’s License. He owned one of the Inland Empire’s premier cabinet shops for over twelve years. It was during this time Steve sensed God calling him into full time ministry. He surrendered to God’s leading to plant a church in Menifee in 1994. Steve has a passion for life and for helping others find their purpose. His in-depth teaching from God’s Word equips people to be effective followers of Jesus Christ. In addition to shepherding the flock at Eagle Ridge, Steve had served as a Chaplain for the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department and is now devoting all his energies at Eagle Ridge. Steve earned a Bachelor’s Degree from California Baptist University, a Master of Arts in Theology with a concentration in Pastoral Ministry from Fuller Theological Seminary, and a Doctor of Ministry Degree from Gateway Seminary in December of 2017. Pastor Steve is a native Californian; married for 40 years to Kathryn, who is also a graduate of CBU with a Bachelor, and a Masters in Education. Steve and his wife enjoy spending time with their family. They have a daughter, two sons, and they are especially blessed with eleven grandchildren. You can email Steve at steve@eagleridge.church View all posts by slennertz

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Log Out /  Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out /  Change )

Connecting to %s

%d bloggers like this: