Make Room - Advent #2

No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old cloak, for the patch pulls away from the cloak, and a worse tear is made. Neither is new wine put into old wineskins; otherwise, the skins burst, and the wine is spilled, and the skins are destroyed; but new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved.” While he was saying these things to them, suddenly a leader of the synagogue came in and knelt before him, saying, “My daughter has just died; but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.” And Jesus got up and followed him, with his disciples. Then suddenly a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his cloak, for she said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be made well.” Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And instantly the woman was made well.

INTRODUCTION

ONE OF THE MOST TELLING, IMPACTFUL AND IMPORTANT LINES IN THE BIRTH STORY OF JESUS ACTUALLY OCCURS

FOR US, THIS SEASON OF ADVENT 2022, IN THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST LUKE WHERE IT READS LIKE THIS LUKE

2:4-7

Luke 2:4–7 KJV 1900

And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Beth-lehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

COME WITH ME ON THIS JOURNEY OF ADVENT BELOVEDS AS WE PURSUE THE IDEA THAT SCRIPTURE TELLS US

WITH AN ALMOST LITERAL PERSPECTIVE AND POWER THAT GOD SAW FIT TO FINALLY SEND JESUS INTO THE

WORLD, AND YET HERE IN OUR WORLD, IN THE VERY PLACE THAT HE WAS TO BE BORN....IN THE CITY OF NAZARETH

AND THE ROMAN PROVINCE OF JUDEA, WHERE THE CAPITAL CITY WAS JERUSALEM....THERE WAS NO ROOM FOR

JESUS.....

-NO ROOM FOR JESUS…OH WE’VE SOLVED THAT NOW, RIGHT BELOVEDS????

-WITH OUR WARRING FACTIONS IN UKRAINE.....AND THE DESPOT IN RUSSIA

-WITH THE ANSWER TO THE QUESTION YOU CAN ACTIVELY ASK GOOGLE WITH ME RIGHT NOW, ARE THERE ANY

WARS IN AFRICA RIGHT NOW????? AND THE ANSWER IS:

ISSAFRICA.ORG REPORTS THAT LIBYA, SOUTH SUDAN, THE CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC, NORTHERN

MOZAMBIQUE, ETHIOPIA AND CAMAROON’S NORTH-WEST AND SOUTH-WEST REGIONS ARE 6 AFRICAN CONFLICT

HOTBEDS TO WATCH IN 2022…HOTBEDS SOME OF WHICH BECAME WAR ZONES IN 2022

AT THE WORLD CUP WHERE THE OVERARCHING AGENDA IS SUPPOSED TO BE ABOUT SOCCER OR FOOTBALL AS

IT’S CALLED IN MOST EVERY OTHER COUNTRY WHERE OUR OWN NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE PLAYS AS VISITORS,

SOCCER PLAYERS WHO SPEAK OUT TO MUCH OR WEAR ARMBANDS ESPOUSING ONE LOVE ARE BEING ACTIVELY

SANCTIONED, PUNISHED OUR OTHERWISE MADE PARIAHS IN THEIR OWN HOMELANDS

IN ALL THIS, AND THE PREVALENCE OF POVERTY IN OUR OWN COUNTRY, ONE OF THE RICHEST IN THE HISTORY OF

THE WORLD...

AND JUST IN CASE YOU BELIEVE THE WORST EXAMPLES OF UGLY ACTIVITIES, CRIMINAL BEHAVIORS AND

DESTESTABLE HUMAN ACTIONS ARE TAKING PLACE A LONG WAY FROM THE SHEER SHINE, SUNLIGHT AND BEAUTY

OF OUR GREAT CITY OF DENVER......THE DENVER OFFICE OF THE FBI REPORTED ON AN OPERATION THAT TOOK

PLACE HERE IN THE MONTH OF AUGUST, 2022:

The FBI Denver’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force joined with some 40 agencies across

the Front Range Aug. 4-6 in Operation Cross Country, a national, intelligence-driven FBI initiative focused

on identifying and locating child victims of sex trafficking. The operation also investigates and arrests

individuals and criminal enterprises involved in the sex trafficking of both children and adults.

In Denver, the permanent task force includes detailees from the Denver Police Department, Arapahoe

County Sheriff’s Office, Colorado State Patrol, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, and the 17th Judicial District

Attorney’s Office. They were joined by state and local agencies, the U.S. Marshals Service, and victim

advocacy groups.

During this operation, the FBI Denver Field Office and our partners recovered and provided services to 11

child victims of sexual exploitation. In addition, 27 missing or endangered children were located, and they

were offered services. Eleven adult victims were recovered. Six traffickers were identified and two were

arrested on unrelated felony warrants.

The Denver Field Office located more victims than any other field office in the country, and we were tied for

first in the number of subjects identified or arrested.

IT WOULD SEEM OUR WEARY WORLD AND CHALLENGING TIMES MAKE US UNREADY TO MAKE ROOM FOR

JESUS......UNREADY TO RECEIVE THE MANDATE AND INVITATION OF HEBREWS 12: 14

Hebrews 12:14 NRSV

Pursue peace with everyone, and the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.

ADVENT IS THE SEASON TO MAKE ROOM FOR JESUS

LIKE A PIECE OF LOVELY POETRY, AN ANONYMOUS WRITER PENNED AN ADVENT DEVOTION WITH JESUS’ OWN

INVITATION IN IT’S CONCLUDING LINE......IT IMAGINES JESUS SAYING:

I MADE THE JOURNEY FROM HEAVEN TO EARTH, FULFILLING GOD’S PLAN THROUGH MY HUMAN BIRTH

WITH AN ANGEL CHORUS AND A STARLIT SKY, SHEPHERDS AND CATTLE HEARD MY CRY

SOON WISE MEN CAME THEIR GIFTS TO BRING AND LEFT THEIR HEARTS AS AN OFFERING.

AND THERE’S ROOM FOR YOU AT THE MANGER STILL TO CELEBRATE JESUS AND TO KNOW GOD’S WILL...

BELOVEDS, JESUS HIMSELF HAS MADE ROOM AT THE MANGER FOR YOU....AND IN THESE SEEMINGLY RANDOM

SAYINGS OF JESUS IN OUR TEXT FOR THE MORNING......THE THEME THAT EMERGES FROM EACH SAYING, EACH

STORY ITSELF IS YET ANOTHER ENCOURAGEMENT, YET ANOTHER INVITATION, YET ANOTHER SUMMONS,

BELOVEDS....FOR YOU TO MAKE ROOM FOR JESUS TOO.....

CONSIDER MATTHEW 9:9-11

Matthew 9:9–11 NRSV

As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him. And as he sat at dinner in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came and were sitting with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

HERE IN THE CALL OF MATTHEW STORY THIS IS OUR SAVIOR, JESUS SHOWING THE PHARISEES....THEY NEEDED TO

MAKE ROOM IN THEIR THINKING, TO MAKE ROOM IN THEIR HEARTS, TO MAKE ROOM FOR THE NOTION THAT JESUS

DID NOT COME TO EARTH TO LEAVE TAX COLLECTORS AND SINNERS BEHIND......THEY’D HAVE TO MAKE ROOM....

CONSIDER MATTHEW 9:16-17

Matthew 9:16–17 NRSV

AS JESUS TEACHES ABOUT PUTTING NEW WINE INTO NEW WINE SKINS HE IS SHOWING HIS FOLLOWERS WHAT TO

DO.....NOT JUST TO KEEP THE BEST WINE ON HAND SO WE CAN HOLD ONTO IT UNTIL THE LAST DROP......

THE FRESH WINE SKIN IS AN INVITATION TO USE WHAT WE NEED TO USE, AND TO DO WHAT WE NEED TO DO.....TO

MAKE ROOM FOR NEW WINE.....TO MAKE ROOM SO WE WON’T WASTE, OR WEAR OURSELVES OUT TRYING TO PATCH

UP ALL THE OLD STUFF…TO MAKE ROOM BELOVEDS WITH THE NEW WINE SKIN.....

CONSIDER MATTHEW 9:18-22

Matthew 9:18–22 NRSV

While he was saying these things to them, suddenly a leader of the synagogue came in and knelt before him, saying, “My daughter has just died; but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.” And Jesus got up and followed him, with his disciples. Then suddenly a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his cloak, for she said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be made well.” Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And instantly the woman was made well.

CAN YOU IMAGINE JESUS TELLING JAIRUS, WHOSE DAUGHTER HAD JUST DIED, MAKE ROOM.....YOUR DAUGHTER

WILL RETURN TO LIFE........FOR JESUS RAISED JAIRUS’ DAUGHTER BACK TO LIFE....AND HIS ACTIONS SPOKE

LOUDER THAN HIS WORDS.....AMEN?

AND FINALLY, JESUS TURNED TO THE WOMAN WITH THE ISSUE OF BLOOD....AND LET HER KNOW, AFTER SHE HAD

TOUCHED THE HEM OF HIS GARMENT.....MAKE ROOM, DAUGHTER....MAKE ROOM FOR HEALTH AND

WELLNESS....MAKE ROOM FOR YOUR FAITH TO KEEP SUSTAINING AND STRENGTHENING YOU.....MAKE ROOM, FOR

YOUR FAITH HAS MADE YOU WELL......

WHEN YOU MAKE ROOM JESUS

WHEN YOU MAKE ROOM FOR JESUS THIS ADVENT SEASON YOU DO SO RECOGNIZING HOW WELL BROADCASTER

BOB LEPINE NAMED THE VERY FEELINGS OF THIS SEASON WHEN HE WROTE:

CHRISTMAS JOYS ARE DEEPER THAN OTHER JOYS. SO ARE CHRISTMAS SORROWS. AND CHRISTMAS

STRESSES. THE SEASON THAT PROMISES HOPE AND PEACE AND JOY CAN OFTEN BRING VERY DIFFERENT,

VERY DIFFICULT EMOTIONS. THESE EMOTIONS CAN OVERWHELM US. WE FIND OURSELVES WONDERING

WHY THE MAGIC DOESN’T SEEM TO BE WORKING FOR US THIS YEAR. WE WONDER WHY WE’RE FEELING AN

EMPTINESS INSTEAD OF PEACE AND JOY AND HOPE.........

WHEN YOU MAKE ROOM FOR JESUS THE SAVIOR KNOWS HOW TO SPEAK TO YOUR NEEDS AND LEAD YOU IN THE

MIDST OF ALL THAT KEEPS YOU BUSY AND ALL THAT KEEPS YOUR EMOTIONS IN KNOTS.....

CONCLUSION

WHEN WE MAKE ROOM FOR JESUS, THE REASON FOR THE SEASON......WE COME TO THE THE THRONE OF GRACE

HUMBLY KNOWING:

God enters our lives in unexpected ways, changing our course and bringing us to places unforeseen. God

enables us to do the unimaginable; to bring life from MARY’S womb and a young woman who has never

“known” a man. God challenges us to believe regardless. During the season of Advent, we celebrate our

belief by looking ahead to the birth of that child who gave us life and enables us to love fully and without

fear.

WHEN WE MAKE ROOM FOR THE PRINCE OF PEACE....EVEN PEACE BECOMES POSSIBLE....EVEN JESUS’ OWN SWEET

PEACE....A PEACE THAT PASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING......AND IF YOU’RE WONDERING WHETHER YOU HAVE THE

MEASURE OF PEACE YOU NEED ALREADY....I GIVE YOU DR MAYA ANGELOU’S BRIEF TEST TO KNOW IF YOU NEED TO

MAKE MORE ROOM FOR JESUS AND JESUS’ OWN PEACE.....HERE’S THE TEST, AS I CLOSE:

"You can tell a lot about a person by the way they handle three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and

tangled Christmas tree lights."

LET US PRAY......

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