I have always been fascinated with the Inn and the Innkeeper in the Christmas story. He is not a part of any Nativity scenes I have and is only a very small part of the story as it is told; therefore, it may seem he is an insignificant figure in the nativity world, but is he?

"No Room at the Inn," artist unknown

When I was a little girl, the story tellers always depicted this innkeeper as a man who was impatient and irritated. He was tired from all he had dealt with during the day and maybe even frustrated that Joseph had knocked on his door. He sometimes seemed selfish that he hadn’t tried harder to help the pregnant woman outside. I always wondered about this portrayal. It seems to me that if the innkeeper had been irritated or selfish, he would have shooed Joseph and Mary away and shut the door in their face, but he didn’t. Instead, he took them to his barn and allowed them to stay there – not great beds, but shelter nonetheless. This seems compassionate; he did his best to help a weary family, even as he himself was weary.

I am grateful for his example of compassion and giving. As the busyness of the season descends upon us, let’s remember the example God gives us with this subtle character and remember all of those around us, strangers included, even as we are weary and stressed