Room in the Inn

We should help each other but too often we pass by on the other side – for whatever reason.

As we come to the inn (the church) with the good samaritan (Christ) we learn 5 things about the Savior

1. We come to the inn as we are.
   • In Him we find clarity, not dissonance
2. He entreats us to make His inn a place of grace and space.
3. In His inn we learn that perfection is in Jesus Christ, not in the perfectionism of the world.
   • I love the reference to “insta-filters”
4. At His inn we become part of a gospel community centered in Christ.
5. We rejoice that God loves His children in our different nations and circumstances.
   • The majority of our adult church members are now unmarried – this has been true in the worldwide church since 1992

I see a pattern of invitations and examples of being welcoming to all.

Like Adam and Eve, we come into a world of thorns and thistles.

On our dusty roads to Jericho, we are beset upon, wounded, and left in pain.

Though we should help each other, too often we pass to the other side of the road, for whatever reason.

However, with compassion, the Good Samaritan stops and binds our wounds with wine and oil. Symbols of the sacrament and other ordinances, the wine and oil point us to the spiritual healing in Jesus Christ. The Good Samaritan puts us on His own donkey or, in some stained-glass accounts, carries us on His shoulders. He brings us to the inn, which can represent His Church. At the Inn, the Good Samaritan says, “Take care of him; … when I come again, I will repay thee.” The Good Samaritan, a symbol of our Savior, promises to return, this time in majesty and glory.

The Spirit brings people into the church but reach of us in the church is charged to help take care of the wounds of others while awaiting more said from the Lord.

As we come with the Good Samaritan to the Inn, we learn five things about Jesus Christ and ourselves.

1. We come to the Inn as we are, with the foibles and imperfections we each have. Yet we all have something needed to contribute.
   • As our hearts change and we receive His image in our countenance, we see Him and ourselves in His Church. In Him, we find clarity, not dissonance. In Him, we find cause to do good, reason to be good, and increasing capacity to become better.
   • He trusts us to help make the Inn the place He needs it to be. As we offer our talents and best efforts, His spiritual gifts also strengthen and bless.
2. He entreats us to make His Inn a place of grace and space, where each can gather, with room for all. As disciples of Jesus Christ, all are equal, with no second-class groups.
   • Imagining ourselves in their place, we welcome friends, visitors, new move-ins, busy individuals pulled in too many directions. We mourn, rejoice, and are there for each other. When we fall short of our ideals and are rushed, unaware, judgmental, or prejudiced, we seek each other’s forgiveness and do better.
3. In His Inn we learn perfection is in Jesus Christ, not in the perfectionism of the world.
   • Our Savior, Jesus Christ, knows everything about us we don’t want anyone else to know, and He still loves us. His is a gospel of second and third chances, made possible by His atoning sacrifice. He invites each of us to be a good Samaritan, less judgmental and more forgiving of ourselves and of each other, even as we strive more fully to keep His commandments.
4. At His Inn we become part of a gospel community centered in Jesus Christ, anchored in restored truth, living prophets and apostles, and another testament of Jesus Christ—the Book of Mormon. He brings us to His Inn and also to His house—the holy temple.
5. We rejoice that God loves His children in our different backgrounds and circumstances, in every nation, kindred, and tongue, with room for all in His Inn.
   • Since 1998, more Church members have lived outside than inside the United States and Canada.
   • By 2025, we anticipate as many Church members may live in Latin America as in the United States and Canada.
   • The majority of adult Church members are now unmarried, widowed, or divorced.…Our standing before the Lord and in His Church is not a matter of our marital status but of our becoming faithful and valiant disciples of Jesus Christ. Adults want to be seen as adults and to be responsible and contribute as adults.