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The Supporting Cast
Pastor Ed Boston
Leonard Sweet wrote about the following story:
A number of years ago a couple traveled to the offices of an Adoption Society in England to receive a baby. They had been on the waiting list a long time. They had been interviewed and carefully scrutinized. Now at last their dreams were to be fulfilled. But their day of happiness was another’s pain.
Arriving at the offices of the Society they were led up a flight of stairs to a waiting room. After a few minutes they heard someone else climbing the stairs. It was the young student mother whose baby was to be adopted. She was met by the lady responsible for the adoption arrangements and taken into another room. Our friends heard a muffled conversation and a few minutes later footsteps on the stairs as the young mother left. They heard her convulsive sobbing until the front door of the office was closed. Then, there was silence.
How do I know that the following are important in the story of the Birth of Christ? Because they were included in God’s word, and everything in God’s word is important.
We don’t have popcorn, or even a movie screen, but sit back and listen to “The Supporting Cast”.
8And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping
watch over their flocks at night. 9An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 15When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that
has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
13Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel,
praising God and saying, 14″Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”
9After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the eastwent ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. 12And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
7and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
Ron Clarkson in an article entitled “The Innkeeper”, gives this account of what the innkeeper may have been thinking that night:
Bethlehem was swollen from the influx of travelers because of the census. My inn was packed, but I just wanted to escape, I was so . . . so tired. And even though I had no vacancy, people kept coming, and I hated to turn people away. The look in their eye when I said, I’m so sorry, but there is just no more room, just no more room. My name is Thaddeus, my name is known throughout Bethlehem. Thaddeus, the Innkeeper, everyone knows Thaddeus, president of the chamber of commerce, heads up the welcome wagon committee, coaches the kids chariot racing team, they all know Thaddeus. . he would help anyone with anything at any time.
I saw the image of a taller person and then there was a shorter person who was leaning over, bending over. And I was shaking my head and I was going to have to say it again, like I had several times that night, ‘No more room, no more room.”
Silent night, holy night
Silent night, holy night!