No ROOM at the INN

Because so many people had traveled to Bethlehem for the census, there wasn’t any room at the inn for Mary and Joseph, even though Mary was about to give birth to Jesus. The only place that they could stay was in a stable. Jesus was born there, and slept in a manger, a box that is used to hold hay for animals to eat. Jesus spent His first night in the world there in that stable. Many houses had a stable on the lowest floor, and that might’ve been where Jesus was born. Some people think it might’ve been in a cave used as a stable. Most Nativity scenes show a small shack. Today, the Church of the Nativity, the oldest church in the world that’s still used, is built around a cave where many people believe Jesus was born.

No matter what it looked like, a stable was a very humble place to be born, God made it clear that something very special had happened that night. An angel appeared to some shepherds who had to stay outside all night to guard their sheep from wild animals. It was scary to see an angel in the sky, but the angel brought them good news: it told them that the Messiah had been born and that they should go to the stable and see Him. Other angels appeared in the sky to sing songs praising God, and the shepherds went to the stable to see Jesus. They told other people about the wonderful news that the angel had told them and celebrated the birth of the Messiah.

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
– Luke 2:14

Long Journey

Joseph and Mary had to travel 90 miles to the city of Joseph’s ancestors: south along the flatlands of the Jordan River, then west over the hills surrounding Jerusalem, and on into Bethlehem. It was a grueling trip.