Lake Hills Presbyterian Church
...and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. - Luke 2:7
Everybody who's heard the Christmas story has their own unique vision of how it looked. I'm sure mine came from 1960's claymation TV specials. Or maybe Sunday School flannelgraphs.
If you don't know what a flannelgraph is, I'm so sorry. Imagine PowerPoint, with magic fabric cut-outs.
I always pictured a British inn, made of stone and covered in vines and moss. And a grumpy old innkeeper leaning out an upstairs window, shouting, "Go 'way, 'ew blinkin' 'umbugs!" Because, that's how all British people talk.
However the inn looked, the point is that Mary and Joseph ended up somewhere way less comfortable, in a place not fit for human residence. There was no cradle, so she placed the Baby Jesus in the animals' feeding trough, the manger.
The world had no place for Mary and Joseph and Jesus. So, God found a way.
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The Gospel of John says it like this,
He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.
Do you ever think about what this and the story from Luke are saying? Because it's really, really shocking. The world had no place for God. The world didn't recognize God. The world refused God.
But God found a way.
A lot of people say the reason the world's so messed up today, the reason our country's in such a fix, is because we've turned away from God. That's what they say.
But the Bible says, God finds a way.
You might be here tonight under duress. You might be here because you want to make your mom happy. And, speaking for all the moms, good. You might not be so sure about all this God and Jesus stuff. You might say you just don't have room for God. That's what you say.
The Bible says, God finds a way.
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Have you ever been in a situation where there's no room for you? Maybe a school cafeteria. That's everybody's nightmare. There's the cool table. There's the Hobbit table. There's the Manga-Goth table. You don't need a sorting hat to know where you fit in. Or not. "Sorry, loser. Maybe there's room for you at the "Glee" table."
Same thing when we grow up. Artists go to artist parties. Accountants go to accountant parties. (Woohoo.) Psychologists go to both parties and stand outside making video. ("Here we see the primitive ritual dance of the Copyright Lawyer.") We divide. Is there room? Depends on who you are. That's what society says.
The Bible says... well, let's get to that in a minute.
How do you make room for God?
A lot of people say by setting time each day for prayer and study. Maybe by meditating or yoga. You might make room for God by listening to music. Or exercising. Walking in the woods by yourself. And those are all good. They're great practices. You need to practice making room for God. That's why God sent John the Baptist. That's why the church has Advent. To tell everybody to get ready, to practice up, because Jesus is coming.
But there's a difference between practice and the real thing.
The real game comes and it's time to put the practice aside and get down and dirty. Enough theory; it's time to get down-to-earth. That's what Christmas is, after all. I mean, think about it. Christmas is God getting really, really down-to-earth. And it's an earthy earth. In a stable. In a manger. In a place for people who have no place.
In the Bible, in Matthew 25, Jesus tells a parable about when we really, really make room for God. And in the story, the people of the world were shocked and surprised. Because they thought they were doing something else.
It says,
"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
It says,
"The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'
The Bible says, if you really, really want to make room for God, then make room. Make room. For everybody.
Feed everybody. Care for everybody. Welcome everybody. Clothe everybody. Visit everybody. Even the most down. Even the most filthy. Make room. For everybody.
The Bible says, if you want to make room for God, make room. For everybody.
But even if you don't think you can do that. Even if you don't want to do that. Even if you say, "Sorry, Loser, there's no room at this table," God. Finds. A. Way.
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I am so excited about what you're going to do tonight, in giving to the offering for the Volunteer Ministry Center. I think it's moving beyond practicing your faith to actually doing what Jesus tells us.
There are Marys and Josephs on the streets of this city, who have no place to stay tonight. I have no doubt that some of the Marys are great with child. I have no doubt that some of the Josephs are wondering, "What in the world have I gotten myself into?" I have no doubt that there are children who are shivering, whose tummies are rumbling because it's cold, and they're hungry.
As much as we give to the least of them, we're giving to Jesus. We're moving beyond getting ready for Jesus, and we're making room for him.
When that plate comes around tonight, I hope Lake Hills... I hope the lake will flood in generosity, and the hills will unleash an avalanche of hope.
Now, the skeptic among you might say, but even so, it's such a small thing. We can't solve all the problems.
That's what you say.
But God finds a way.
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And one more thing, and this is important, too. Really important.
There's a table here tonight. It's not your table. It's Christ's table. We're going to share a piece of bread and a drink from a cup.
It's Jesus' table, and you know what? Jesus says, "Everyone's invited." Every one. Everyone. It doesn't matter who you are, how high society or how low brow you are. It doesn't even matter if you're a saint, or if you're not sure why you're here in the first place. There's room for you. There's room for your faith. There's room for your doubt. There's room for your parts in-between. There's room.
Everyone's. Invited. Everyone.
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Oh, and one more thing. (Never believe a preacher who says, "And one more thing." )
Have a very - merry - and blessed Christmas.
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