Day Four:
The American Memorial Chapel

At the east end of the Cathedral behind the High Altar is the American Memorial Chapel, also known as the Jesus Chapel. This part of the Cathedral was destroyed during the Blitz and as part of the restoration it was decided that the people of Britain should commemorate the 28,000 Americans stationed in the United Kingdom during World War II. The images that adorn its wood, metalwork and stained glass include depictions of the flora and fauna of North America.

A friend who shared this story described it as “the best sermon” my dear friend and mentor Bill Coffin (Rev. William Sloane Coffin, Jr.) “never preached.” It was Christmas Eve and the pews at New York City’s Riverside Church were packed. The Christmas pageant was underway and had come to the point at which the innkeeper was to turn away Mary and Joseph with the resounding line, “There’s no room at the inn!”

Never mind that no figure of the innkeeper actually appears in scripture. We’ve all imagined him delivering the message of no room, of inhospitality to the baby Jesus and His parents. And it seemed the perfect part for Tim, an earnest youth of the congregation who has Down Syndrome. Only one line to remember: “There’s no room at the inn!” He had practiced it again and again with his parents and with the pageant director. He seemed to have mastered it.

So there he stood at the altar of the sanctuary, bathrobe costume firmly belted over his broad stomach, as Mary and Joseph made their way down the center aisle. They approached him, said their lines as rehearsed, and waited for his reply. Tim’s parents, the pageant director, and the whole congregation almost leaned forward as if willing him to remember his line.

“There’s no room at the inn!” Tim boomed out, just as rehearsed. But then, as Mary and Joseph turned on cue to travel further, Tim suddenly yelled “Wait!” They turned back, startled, and looked at him in surprise. “You can stay at my house!” he called.

Well, Tim had effectively preached the sermon at Riverside Church that Christmas Eve. Bill Coffin strode to the pulpit, said “Amen,” and sat down. It was the best sermon he never preached.

When, oh when will we individually and collectively as congregations, and as communities stop saying to our children, “There’s no room at the inn”? When will we, like Tim, start saying, “You can stay at my house”? When will we say to poor, hungry, and homeless children, “Wait! We’ll make a place for you at the table of plenty”?

It’s time to bring the baby out of the barn and into the inn. In Mark 9:37, Jesus says, “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.” In this holy season, we Christians celebrate the miracle of the incarnation—our belief that God actually came to live among us as a child— a child who cried and laughed, who loved and learned, who was born as a vulnerable baby needing us and who died as a Savior whom we all need. How do we recognize the Christ child in every child today—especially those who are poor?

I hope we can recognize and honor the Christ child today by reaching out and sharing our personal gifts of time and money and service with the needy. But I also hope we can honor Him by raising a mighty voice for justice and protection for all the children left behind in poverty and hopelessness. Jesus Christ challenged the cultural and political priorities of His time and stood up for the poor, the weak, and the vulnerable.  In this holy season, let us repent and reaffirm our commitment to building a world where all children find room in our inn.

— Marian Wright Edelman, Founder of The Children’s Defense Fund
Preface to Holding Children in Prayer: An Advent Guide

Hackney Choral is a youth choir led by St Paul’s Cathedral, with support from the Mayor of London. It is based at St Paul’s West Hackney and seeks to benefit young people at risk of exclusion. Its members are drawn from local secondary schools.

Words selected, written and performed by the Hackney Choral Senior Choir. Music written and produced by Guy Weir.