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Parables
of the Pastor’s Cats
No Room in the Inn
We keep our cats in the
barn, because they are barn cats. There is a certain logic to it. The cats came here to this property for a
reason. They
roam our little plot of ground to keep the rodents away.
They would like to come in the house. But that can't happen.
Don't feel sorry for the
cats. They have a very comfortable place to spend the night. Actually,
they have a small neighborhood of suitable lodging.
There is an ample supply
of straw in the barn, and a great deal of energy has been expended to
sculpt
little apartments here and there.
The favorite is cave or
dugout at ground level with a wooden ceiling and straw piled on top.
It's quite warm, even on the coldest nights. And the cats pile in to
the cave like sardines in a can, which must really keep the place warm.
Not too bad for being
exiled from the house.
When Mary and Joseph went looking for lodging, they couldn't find a
place in the local motel. But they were apparently given room in a
stable.
That used to bother me. Not having any experience with barns, I
couldn't imagine that they would have anything close to a comfortable
place to live.
But now I don't worry about it quite so much. A place out of the cold,
with a soft cradle to lay their newborn baby. Maybe it was harsh, but
then life was harsh for everyone.
Maybe the stable was one more sign that God was preparing the way for
them, even amid the crush of the Christmas season. Even among the
throng of travelers, they found a home.
He would always be a traveler, this baby. Even when he grew up, he was
destined to walk from town to town, from one crowd to another.
And as he wandered, God would be there to always provide a place
for him.
It wouldn't be fancy. But it would be enough.
(You can read about the birth of Jesus in
your Bible in Luke 2.)
Open my eyes so that I might see great and
wonderful things in your word.
Psalm 119:18
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