…for there was no room for them at the inn.
Luke 2, 7

It must have been a miserable room in which God became a member of mankind!
Anyone discovering God in this child must feel how unbearable this poverty is.

Paul Gerhardt sings:

"... alas hay and straw are much too base.
Silk, satin, purple should be used,
As bedding for this child"

Time and again we should realise that it is this giving up of every value that is the best part of God. The bible says: "He became poor for our sakes, so that we could become rich through his poverty."

Not only is the stable a poor room, but it is also a room for the poor.

A modern poet writes:

"One should question,
Whether it is worthwhile,
Redeeming this world.
And when one questions,
Then one should say,
That apart from that old
Asthmatic woman,
Craving for air
In the house opposite,
That apart from the blind cripple
… And the shy,
Despairing youth,
Wishing to secretly hang himself,
Actually no-one
Is waiting for Him.
In fact it would be best
If we were to hang
A notice on the door,
Saying that for the lack of
Interest and participation
This year God's becoming a member of mankind
Will not take place."

NO! This notice will not be hung on the door! God's becoming a member of mankind will take place - for the "old asthmatic woman", for the "shy, despairing youth", and for miserable hearts, for burdened consciences, for people who cannot come to terms with themselves, for all who fear the Lord.