Meet Wally

Luke 2:1-7
2 At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. 2 (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. 4 And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. 5 He took with him Mary, his fiancée, who was now obviously pregnant.
6 And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. 7 She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.

For years now whenever Christmas pageants are talked about in a certain little town in the Midwest, someone is sure to mention the name of Wallace Purling. Wally’s performance in one annual production of the Nativity play has slipped into the realm of legend. But the old timers who were in the audience that night never tire of recalling exactly what happened.
Wally was nine that year and in the second grade, though he should have been in the fourth. Most people in town knew that he had difficulty in keeping up. He was big and clumsy, slow in movement and mind. Still, Wally was well liked by the other children in his class, all of whom were smaller than he, though the boys had trouble hiding their irritation if the uncoordinated Wally asked to play ball with them.
Most often they’d find a way to keep him off the field, but Wally would hang around anyway—not sulking, just hoping. He was always a helpful boy, a willing and smiling one, and the natural protector, paradoxically, of the underdog. Sometimes if the older boys chased the younger ones away, it would always be Wally who’d say, “Can’t they stay? They’re no bother.”
Wally fancied the idea of being a shepherd with a flute in the Christmas pageant that year, but the play’s director, Miss Lumbard, assigned him to a more important role. After all, she reasoned, the Innkeeper did not have too many lines, and Wally’s size would make his refusal of lodging to Joseph more forceful.
And so it happened that the usual large, partisan audience gathered for the town’s Yuletide extravaganza of the staffs and creches, of beards, crowns, halos and a whole stageful of squeaky voices. No one on stage or off was more caught up in the magic of the night than Wallace Purling. They said later that he stood in the wings and watched the performance with such fascination that from time to time Miss Lumbard had to make sure he didn’t wander onstage before his cue.
Then the time came when Joseph appeared, slowly, tenderly guiding Mary to the door of the inn. Joseph knocked hard on the wooden door set into the painted backdrop. Wally the Innkeeper was there, waiting. “What do you want?” Wally said, swinging the door open with a brusque gesture.
“We seek lodging.”
“Seek it elsewhere.” Wally looked straight ahead but spoke vigorously. “The inn is filled.”
“Sir, we have asked everywhere in vain. We have traveled far and are very weary.”
“There is no room in this inn for you.” Wally looked properly stern.
“Please, good innkeeper, this is my wife, Mary. She is heavy with child and needs a place to rest. Surely you must have some small corner for her. She is so tired.”
Now, for the first time, the Innkeeper relaxed his stiff stance and looked down at Mary. With that, there was a long pause, long enough to make the audience a bit tense with embarrassment.
“No! Begone!” the prompter whispered from the wings.
“No!” Wally repeated automatically. “Begone!”
Joseph sadly placed his arm around Mary, and Mary laid her head upon his shoulder, and the two of them started to move away. The Innkeeper did not return inside his inn, however. Wally stood there in the doorway, watching the forlorn couple. His mouth was open, his brow creased with concern, his eyes filling unmistakably with tears.
“Don’t go, Joseph,” Wally called out. “Bring Mary back.” And Wallace Purling’s face grew into a bright smile. “You can have my room.”
Some people in town thought that the pageant had been ruined. Yet there were others—many others—who considered it the most Christmas of all Christmas pageants they had ever seen.

Wally totally gets the story of Christmas.

The humble beginning of Jesus is very humbling. Jesus was born into poverty not privilege. He was born into humility, not power He was born in obscurity not prominence.

All of this was done on purpose.

Jesus’ humble beginnings aren’t for the sake of a beautiful Hallmark story, they serve notice to everyone on Earth that Jesus’ way of doing things is completely different than anything they had seen before.

God chose Joseph not Ceasar. He didn’t choose what we would consider to be an important man like Ceasar or anyone else of that magnitude. He chose a carpenter who only the village people knew.

Joseph and Mary were nobodies. But Joseph and Mary were focused. Their focus was on the will of God and not their own. They even obeyed Ceasar. He was just a part of the story not the focus of the story. He issues this decree that a census should be taken. Joseph and Mary had to walk for a week to get to their home town.

Jesus was not born into comfort, power, or authority. Jesus did not inherit any power from his family. His family was no one special. Jesus had a very difficult beginning to his life. Joseph and Mary did the best they could with the resources they had and gave Jesus the best start in life they could give him.

What we learn from this story is Jesus was not born into comfort but He becomes the Comforter. He was not born into power but God gave him the power to be the most powerful man on earth. He was not born into a position of authority but God gave him the authority to heal the blind, lame, deaf, and diseased. These truths remind us that Jesus’ kingship was to be completely different than any earthly rulers.

God purpose for Jesus was not to be an earthly ruler. As you read through the OT/NT you will discover that earthly rulers constantly failed and many of them rarely obeyed God. None of them could change the heart of man. God purpose for Jesus was to be the ruler of our heart. We want him to change what’s going on in the world. We want him to change our circumstances. We want him to change everything about this world but He really only wants to change only one thing – OUR HEART.

God chose Jesus to be born in the small town of Bethlehem not Rome. Bethlehem was not a wealthy or exciting town and it definitely wasn’t a town of influence.  All the powerful, influential socially significant people lived in Rome. Jesus was not born into social prominence or exceptional wealth  but was the most influential man in history.  Jesus’ influence and significance did not come from his family background. His influence and significance came from his Father. Jesus’ focus was not on himself and how important he was. His focus was on others:

For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Matt. 20:28

God chose Jesus to be born in a manger and not on a throne. Jesus was not of royal birth. He was not powerful as a baby. He was born in lowly way – in a stable outdoors. God didn’t want his son just to be another earthly king. God needed a king that was willing to die on a cross for his subjects.

God was in control this whole time. 

Mary and Joseph, who are the central human figures in this story chose to be obedient. I’m sure they wouldn’t have chosen a manger to put their first born in. They wouldn’t have chosen a week long donkey ride while being nearly nine months pregnant. Those are choices they didn’t get to make. These choices were made for them.

They did choose obedience. Things didn’t exactly go the way they planned but they chose to be obedience and trust what God was telling them was true.

Choices don’t necessarily define us but they do direct us. Choices are made either based on pride / which are about us or humility/ which is about others. Joseph and Mary’s choice was about others.

In this story God was/is very intentional about everything He does and says. The ongoing theme throughout this whole story is humility.  He was born in a manger and not a throne. He was born to a commoner not to royalty. He was born into poverty and not into riches. The story continues on through the teachings of Jesus. He spoke about selling everything you have have and giving it to the poor. He said the first will be last and the last will be first.

He was born in a manger on purpose. Joseph and Mary were his parents on purpose. He was born in the little town of Bethlehem was on purpose.

Everything that God did/does is intentional.

The way He designed you was on purpose. The parents have/had was on purpose. The spouse you have/had is on purpose. The circumstances you are walking through or have walked through good or bad are on purpose. Even your bad choices you make or have made were/are on purpose. Romans 8:28 reminds us,

“28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”

God is intentional with everything he does. His intention is to work everything in your life for His good purpose. The good, bad, and the ugly. Nothing that has happened in your life surprises God.  Your bad choices don’t even surprise him. He will use those choices for his purpose – if we would humble ourselves.

He is the one who gives us purpose. Only when we humble ourselves do we find that  purpose. Like I shared in the last blog entry , I really wanted to be a college athlete. But I had some limitations. I could have pouted about my limitations but I chose instead to be the best basketball manager for Anderson University. I got the same perks as the basketball players. I was
good at it. God knew I loved basketball. God knew I loved to serve others. I just had to be willing to humble myself and recognize the opportunity.

God has a purpose for everything you do, every decision you make, for every choice you are faced with. God purposes are higher than your purposes. God’s thoughts are higher than your thoughts. God’s way of doing things is higher than your way of doing things.

Jesus was born in a manger which is in the most humbling surroundings. Only God could turn the most humble circumstances to be born in into an event that is still celebrated 2000+ years later. Because of Jesus’ birth a once pagan holiday that was celebrated at the beginning of the winter solstice was turned into a Christian holiday that celebrates the birth of a baby born in a manger. Only God could do that.

Then God takes His son’s humble beginnings in a manger and concludes His son’s life by letting Him die the most humiliating death – death on a cross.

As your read and understand this story you learn that what God did was in direct opposition to the culture and the way we think things should go. He sent shepherds out to tell others about his birth. Wisemen  humbled themselves and bowed down in front of a baby and gave him the most extravagant gifts – gifts fit for a king.

I don’t believe any of us would write a script like that. We wouldn’t have put in a manger. Like Wally said – I believe all of us would say – he could have my room.

All of us reading this would not have written the script of our lives the way it has been written. We would leave out the hard times, the tragedies, the bad choices, and get rid of all our negative things that have happened to us. In other words, our life has not gone the way we planned it in our head. My wife wanted Brad Pitt and got me. I think she made the right choice. I know I made the right choice. God knew I needed her and God knew she needed me. We have helped each other grow and mature in our relationship with Him. That’s why we needed each other. Going through all the hurt and pain before I met her was worth it. Did I understand it at the time? No. God was in control the whole time. God’s way is higher than my way. As I look back everything about what God has done in my life was very intentional.

Everything about what God does is intentional. You will not understand it at the time. No one does. God picked two humble servants. God provided a manger not a throne. God sent shepherds to be the first witnesses of the most important event in the history of mankind not professionals.

God is trying to convince us that his kingdom is in direct opposition of this earthly kingdom. None of what God does makes sense on this earth. Which reminds us that the kingdom Jesus wants to be king over has nothing to do with this world. God didn’t want him to be the king of an earthly kingdom. He wants him to be the ruler/king of our hearts.

Will we humble ourselves and give him our room by:

1. Trusting Him with the things going on in our life even though, to you, it doesn’t make sense.
2. Trusting Him that everything that is going on in your life right now is intentional.
3. Trusting Him that He will every choice you make – the good, bad, and the ugly – He will work out for his purposes.

Will you give Him your room?