No Room, No Room!

Yesterday I visited our local James Paget Hospital. The sign by the car park entrance said ‘SPACES’ in green illuminated letters. It lied. There was no room. I joined thirty other cars driving round the car park waiting for someone to leave.

Eventually a space became available. This ‘No Room’ required patience.

In ‘Alice in Wonderland’ Alice approaches the March Hare, Hatter and Dormouse sitting at a tea table: ‘The table was a large one, but the three were all crowded at one corner of it. ‘No room! No room!’ they cried out when they saw Alice coming.

‘There’s plenty of room!’ said Alice indignantly…’ This ‘No Room’ needed challenging.

The recent Christmas season has seen countless nativity plays where an innkeeper has announced ‘No room’ to a desperate Joseph and pregnant Mary. His inn was full! The couple are offered the stable where baby Jesus is born.

Angels, shepherds and wisemen put in an appearance… This ‘No Room’ required a creative alternative.

When we attend football matches there’s an announcement: ‘There is no room in this club for racism. We urge fans to show their support by challenging and reporting any form of racist or discriminatory behaviour…’

At school I may have said: ‘There’s no room in this school for bullies.’ This ‘No Room’ takes a moral stand.

The story of Joseph starts with his brothers saying: ‘There’s no room in this family for a cocky dreamer, our dad’s favourite.’ It ends with Joseph saying, ‘You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good.’

A human ‘No Room’ was turned upside-down by divine involvement.

We often hear the ‘No Room’ call… ‘There’s no room in our country for immigrants, for refugees…’ ‘There’s no room in our church for gay marriage, for supporters of assisted dying…’ ‘There’s no room at our table for the homeless, for the criminal…’

We must ask which ‘No Room’ it is… One that requires patient waiting… robust challenging… a creative alternative… a moral stand… changing by divine involvement…?