warmest greetings to you and your family
this Christmas season is our delight
here at Crossway in partnership with
desiring God to present a small gift to
you and your church as together we
anticipate celebrating the birth of our
Savior this Christmas the gift we want
to give to you is this video
presentation of John Piper's powerful
dramatic reading of his poem the
innkeeper along with beautifully created
paintings by artist Glen Harrington all
of us here at cross way and desiring God
counted a great privilege to publish
gospel-centered books especially at
Christmastime when the world offers such
a different understanding of our saviors
birth and now it is my pleasure to
introduce John Piper reading his poem
the innkeeper
[Music]
so quickly do we pass over the Christmas
words Herod slew all the male children
two years old and under but the poet
lingers weeping raging looking at the
dark spot in hope that any prick of
light might become a portal for the son
and what he sees he strains with words
to show pressing us against the
perforation of the wall of pain
the innkeeper seeks to reveal the light
that shines behind this brutal moment in
history and our own path of suffering
come and see
Jake's wife would have been 58 the day
that Jesus passed the gate of Bethlehem
and slowly walked towards Jacobs in the
people talked with friends the children
played along the paths and Jesus hummed
a song and smiled at every child he saw
he paused with one small laugh to draw a
camel in the dirt then said what's this
the girl bent down her head to study
what the Lord had made she smiled a
camel sir and laid her finger on the
bulging backward merchants behind their
leather pack it's got a hump
indeed it does and who do you believe it
was who made this camel with his hump
without a thought that this would stump
the rabbi guild and be reviled she said
God did and Jesus smiled good eyes my
child and would that all Jerusalem
within that wall of yonder stone would
see the signs of peace
he left the lass with lines of simple
wonder in her face and slowly went to
find the place where he was born
folks said the inn had never been a
place for sin for Jacob was a holy man
and he and Rachel had a plan to marry
have a child or two and served the folks
who travelled through especially the
poor who brought their meal and
turtledoves and sought a place to stay
near Zions gate they'd rise up early and
stay up late to help the pilgrims go and
come and when the place was full to
Psalm especially the poorest they would
say we're sorry there's no room but stay
now if you like out back there's lots of
hay and we have extra cots that you can
use there'll be no charge
the stable isn't very large but Noah
keeps it safe he was a wedding gift to
Jake because the shepherds knew he loved
the dog there's nothing in the Decalogue
he used to joke the says a man can't
love a dog
the children ran ahead of Jesus as he
strode towards Jacobs in the stony road
that led up to the end was deep with
centuries of where and steep at one
point just before the door the Lord
knocked once and twice before he heard
an old man's voice round back it called
so Jesus took the track that led around
the end the old man leaned back in his
chair and told the dog to never mind
and had no one to tend the door Malad
for 30 years I'm sorry for the
inconvenience to your sore feet the road
to Jerusalem is hard ain't don't mind ol
shin he's harmless
like his dad won't bite a Roman soldier
in the night sit down
[Music]
Jacob waved the stump of his right arm
we're gonna slump right now I've got
lots of time to think and talk
come sit have a drink from Jacob's Well
he left you only in the Lord acquired on
loan you better say God owns the end at
that the Lord knew they were kin and
ventured on do you recall the tax when
Caesar said to all the world that each
must be enrolled well Jacob winced our
north winds cold our deserts dry two
fishes swim and Ravens fly I do a grim
and awful year it was for me when God
ordained that strange decree how could I
such a time forget why do you ask I have
a debt to pay and I must see how much
why do you say that it was such a grim
and awful year he raised the stump of
his right arm so dazed young man I
didn't know I'd lost my arm do you know
what it costs for me to house the son of
God
the old man took his cedar rod and swept
it around the place
empty for 30 years alone you see old
Jacob poor old Jacob runs it with one
arm a dog no sons but I had sons once
Joseph was my firstborn he was small
because his mother was so sick when he
turned 3 the Lord was good to me and
Rachel and our baby band was born the
very fortnight when the Blessed family
arrived
[Music]
and Rachel's gracious heart contrived
away for them to stay there in that very
stall the man was thin and and tired you
look a lot like
but Jesus said why was it grim we got a
reputation here that night nothing at
all to fear and that we thought it was
of God but in one year the slaughter
squat from Herod came and where do you
suppose they started not a clue we
didn't have a clue what they had come to
do no time to pray no time to run no
time to get poor Joseph off the street
and let him say goodbye to Ben or me or
Rachel only time to see a lifted spear
smash through his spine and chest he
stumbled to the sign that welcome
strangers to the place and looked with
panic at my face as if to ask what he
had done young man you ever lost the son
the tears streamed down the Savior's
cheek he shook his head but couldn't
speak
before I found the breath to scream I
heard the words a horrid dream kill
every child who's two or less spare not
for autumn or make accessory that this
one be the oldest here and if you count
your own life dear let non escape I had
no sword no weapons in my house but Lord
I had my hands and I would save the son
of my right hand so brave Rachel was so
brave her hands were like a thousand
iron bands around the boy she wouldn't
let him go and so her own back met with
every thrust and blow I lost my arm my
wife my sons the cost of housing the
Messiah here why would you simply
disappear and never come to help they
sat in silence and Jacob wondered
at The Strangers Tears
[Music]
I am the boy
I am the boy that Herod wanted to
destroy you gave my parents room to give
me life and then God let me live and
took your wife asked me not why the one
should live another died God's ways are
high and you will know in time but I
have come to show you what the Lord
prepared the night you made a place for
heaven's light in two weeks they will
crucify my flesh but mark this jacob i
will rise in three days from the dead
and place my foot upon the head of him
who has the power of death and i will
raise with life and breath your wife and
Ben and Joseph - and give them Jacob
back to you with everything the world
can store and you will reign forevermore
[Music]
you