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From the Margins


Luke 2:6-7: While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

Jesus' life began from the margin of society. There wasn't room for him at the inn. When he began his ministry, he called people from the margins. There wasn't room for him in the religious center. From the margins, Jesus fulfilled his mission.

William Barclay writes, "That there was no room in the inn was symbolic of what was to happen to Jesus." In our communion ritual during Christmas we say, "As Mary and Joseph went from Galilee to Bethlehem and there found no room, so Jesus went from Galilee to Jerusalem and was despised and rejected."

Do you ever feel like you are on the margins? You know, when you say you're alright but you're really not. When you try to be strong but you're falling apart on the inside. Do you ever feel that way?

This week I heard one pastor claim that we are trying to fit 130% of life into our 100% schedule. The constant busyness and doing is exhausting. If we do not find rest in Jesus, we put our souls in a dangerous position.

It's perfectly fine to feel that you're on the margins. It's perfectly fine to admit that we need more--more love, more grace, more peace, more forgiveness. It's not okay to pretend that we don't.

John Wesley wrote a short note on Luke 2:7, he said, "Now, also, there is seldom room for Christ in an inn." Are you inviting him in? Are you allowing him to work in your life?

This theme of being on the margins is a place where God's moves. Even when you don't feel like you belong, even when you're rejected, even when you're denied, Jesus is with you. You find him on the margins, waiting for you.


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