Untitled Sermon (23)

Title:  From Full to Open

Scripture:  Luke 2:7 Printable Lesson for Teaching

Introduction  Activity:  Stuffed

To introduce this Christmas Story lesson, give each person a small container and a handful of cotton balls.  When you say start, tell them to stuff as many as they can into the cup while keeping count.  For a larger group, you can make teams or use blown up balloons and a garbage bag for stuffing. Make a chart to see how many each could fit.

Ask - Why didn't you stuff more in?  Their answer should be something like, no more would fit!

Too Full...No Room  - Read Luke 2:7

Have everyone turn to the Gospel of Luke chapter 2:4-7 and challenge them to find the innkeeper.

Wonder: Have we ever realized the innkeeper is never really mentioned?  He is "assumed." All we really know is - "there was no room for them in the inn."

Bethlehem was not a huge city, but it was the ancestral home of David's descendants.  ALL of them came to this small town to be counted in a census ordered by Casear Augustus.  It may have been the innkeeper was doing all he could to "stuff" people into his inn.  His heart may have wanted to make room, but couldn't just like you couldn't make anymore cotton balls fit into the cup.

"Now Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, 5 in order to register along with Mary, who was betrothed to him, and was pregnant. 6 While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn." Luke 2:4-7

It's easy to allow our lives to become "overbooked" just like the innkeeper's inn.  His inn being full was not a bad thing; in fact he probably saw it as a really great problem to have.

We can learn a lot from this Christmas story "unmentioned" innkeeper/owner.  Sometimes our own lives quickly fill up with possessions, activities, responsibilities, etc. until we feel we have "no room" left for God.

No More Room  - A Christmas Story Activity

Give each person a small post-it note and pen.  Give them 1-3 minutes to fill the sheet with "things" in their life - job, family, school, tv, gaming, Facebook, cleaning, cooking, etc.  Tell them to write each where the size of the word depicts the amount of time spent on it. Now have them write "Jesus" somewhere on the sheet.  Did they have a hard time finding space for Him?  Yep, that happens quite often in our lives too.  Our life becomes so full...there is no room for Jesus.  Hmmm...now do we have a better understanding of what the innkeeper may have been feeling? Ask someone to share how they felt. Sad? Disappointed? Like a failure?

Life happens, and if we are not careful, our "inn" fills up so fast that before we know it there is no room left for Jesus.

Busyness can be deceiving.  It makes us feel like our life is too full, when actually our life may have become empty.  Busyness or "doing" cannot fulfill our need for true purpose.  It cannot give our life that deeper meaning. It cannot lead to an abundant life. It cannot fill the emptiness.

Only Jesus and His presence can do that, and to experience His presence we must slow down, sit down and be with Him...abide with Him.

The Christmas story can help us move from DOING to BEING!

"He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;  I will be exalted among the nations,  I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10 NIV "She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”  41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one.[a] Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:39-41 NIV "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me." John 15:4 NKJV

God knows our struggle with busyness.  That's why He continually invites us to seek Him...to seek His face...to seek His presence.  This Christmas season and on into this new year, may we slow down and become more aware of His presence.  May we make room for Jesus first before other things fill our life too full.

Remember, He is Emmanuel - "God with us!"  Enjoy the fullness of His presence!

"When You said, “Seek My face,” my heart said to You, “I shall seek Your face, Lord.”  Psalm 27:8 "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."  Jeremiah 19:13 "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you."  Matthew 6:33 "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."  Hebrews 11:6