Make Room. | Sunday Series.

We like to go around the table and share with what we're thankful for and things like that, and so hopefully you guys got an opportunity to do that.

But Thanksgiving is over and we know that, actually knew that, like in October, because it started playing Christmas music earlier this year.

It's ridiculous.

And so we have moved on to Christmas.

Right, we're decorating trees already, we've got everything up, we're ready to go, we're ready to celebrate, and so last week we had a beautiful thankfulness service and Baptism Sunday.

It was really cool to welcome everybody that was baptized into the family and just a great, inspirational, beautiful way to kick off the holiday season right With pointing everyone to Christ.

It was really cool.

Some family members were able to come that may have been in church in a long time and they were able to experience something that they haven't experienced in a while and that is super encouraging, inspiring to us that we had the opportunity to facilitate that and God to move the way he did last Sunday.

So thank you for being a part of that and all those who helped.

So the holiday season we get bundled up real quick and we get really focused on shopping and who needs what and when are we going to meet?

When are we going to eat?

When are we going to get together?

How are we going to do it?

What time, what day?

Who gets what?

You know, if you're married, you've got two sides of the family, so who gets what day, who gets what time and who gets the priority this year over last year and however that works out for you.

But something you might not focus on or think of each year is the Advent season.

So Advent starts December 1st and you might ask you know what's Advent Chance?

What are we talking about?

Our kids always like the little Advent calendars.

I don't know if you've ever seen them where you there's a little door or window and you open it and there's a piece of chocolate in there.

That's not what we're talking about, but that's what they liked.

Even our mother-in-law I can't remember if it was last year or the year before she likes to send us a lot of these little Advent calendars with different things.

I think last year we got Star Wars socks, which was really cool Very different, but it was really cool and so you opened up the yellow door each day and you got a different Star Wars sock.

So it's kind of cool.

I've lost a bunch of them since then, but it's still happened, so it's really cool.

So for the kids it was like a countdown right to Christmas.

It started on December 1st and then Christmas Eve was like you know, all right, we're so excited we made it.

But Advent is more than just getting a little tiny chocolate every day, right, and then a build up and a countdown to the bigger present.

Right, advent really is a season observed.

Most Christian denominations observe the Advent season.

We don't talk about it at the time, but it's a time of expectant, waiting and preparation for the celebration of the birth of Christ at Christmas.

Advent's not the countdown to Santa coming to town, it's the countdown of the birth of Christ, right, and so I want to talk to you a little bit about what this provides the believers and the churches.

Advent season is a great time to be a witness and an evangelist, even sometimes unintentionally.

Everybody's strapped for cash, right.

Everybody's going through hard times, still wants to provide their family with what they need, and it's hard.

And you got a job, and when am I going to shop?

And all the cells are already done and all the good stuff's already taken, and so you know, there's all this stress that comes with it, right, and sometimes we can lose a little bit of our focus, but it's really something that we can take and re-prioritize how we view the Christmas season, right?

So we go to Mattie's Christmas choir concerts and what are they doing?

They're singing about Jesus Christ.

And then you talk to some of the kids, they don't even believe in a God.

You talk to some of the teachers they don't even believe in a God, but they're singing this in front of hundreds of people.

Right, they're singing these songs that are proclaiming Christ is coming, the Messiah is coming, and they're not even really aware.

You know, if you have kids or office parties or family events, or even some of the shows on TV, like Charlie Brown, at the end Linus gives the speech.

Charlie Brown says, well, who even knows what Christmas is about?

And Linus, you know, gets up there and says why do you, charlie Brown?

And he gives a quote.

And he quotes Luke too.

Right, he talks about the coming of the Messiah, and so Jesus is there.

Whether people want it or recognize it or not, jesus is present, he's being talked about, he's being discussed.

So we have a big opportunity.

We have a huge opportunity to point people to Christ during this season.

No, you don't have to be a pastor to do that.

When you signed up to follow God, you signed up to draw people to Him, right?

You signed up to tell people the good news, the gospel, and there's an easy way to do it.

And our big idea for the day is as we enter the Advent season, we must make room for a few things, and the first thing we want to make room for is Christ.

Right, we want to make room for Christ.

We had a friend that invited us to a Christmas dinner.

They were really close friends of ours, they were.

They did ministry with us at another church in Tulsa and we get there and there was no tree and there was no decorations, anything like that.

It was a birthday party and we're like, oh man, we did not know we were coming to one of the kids' birthday parties.

That really stinks.

We're not prepared.

It was Jesus' birthday.

That's how they celebrate Christmas every year of birthday party for Jesus.

And it was the most amazing experience and it completely took all this stress off of you immediately.

Why?

Because you're focused on Christ.

You're focused on what he's coming to give, what he's coming to do, what he's coming to provide and you're taking that focus off of you and off your stresses and your you know just your depression and anxiety and everything that comes with the season.

So the first thing we want to do is we want to make room for Christ.

The phrase make room can be said in a lot of different ways.

I actually have never thought about using that term make room until I don't know.

If you guys know, we have a drummer.

He's sick today, but David David is is blind, and so I've known David for about five years and walking around with David Sometimes you don't think like people aren't going to move, but they don't, and so I have.

I found myself using that phrase make room and it's just like whoa, I mean people clear out.

When you hear make room, it's like, oh, something was happening, you know, and then, oh, sorry, yeah, we should have noticed that.

Sorry, go ahead.

You know, and it's been something that I've never really noticed.

But you might say it while walking through a crowd, you know.

You might say it while trying to set something down on a crowded table to make room for something, or someone can imply that there is too much in the way.

It means to clear a space for to physically move things out of the way.

So the Advent season is about waiting and preparing for Jesus, taking stock of our crowded lives to make room for Christ.

But what the Advent started as and what it's talked about, I did a little bit of study because I liked to find out why things started, why we called it that.

You might not like this, but I geeked out on a little bit and so I checked out the Holman Bible dictionary, found some background.

It was originally a Latin word that means coming, and Christians of earlier generations spoke of the Advent of our Lord and of his second Advent, his second coming.

And the first phrase, the Advent of our Lord, refers to God's becoming incarnate or becoming human in the birth of Jesus of Nazareth.

Advent designates a period before Christmas when Christians prepare for the celebration of Jesus' birth.

The second phrase refers to Jesus' second coming, which, if you aren't taken told of what's going on around us, we might be getting closer than you think.

And so they say the practice may be gone as early as like the late fourth century in churches, and it actually began as a time of fasting.

The Advent was a fast until Jesus returned.

That's how it began by the Middle Ages, four Sundays had become the standard length of the Advent season.

Since then, advent has been considered to be the beginning of the church year.

So just a little bit of history.

I love learning that.

I also feel like when you go back and you learn why things are done and how things are done, it can help grow your faith as well, because it gives you time to study his word and to study more about him, study more about the season and the time.

So Deuteronomy 6, 4 through 9 tells us here O Israel, the Lord, our God, the Lord is one.

Love the Lord, your God, with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.

Impress them on your children, talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.

Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates.

What is he saying there?

Make it a priority.

Make it a priority.

Love the Lord, your God, with all your heart.

Tie it on your hands, put on your foreheads.

Love the Lord, your God.

And so we have the story of Isaiah and the book of Isaiah, which provides insight into the importance of the coming of Jesus and kind of is a foreshadowing and a prophecy of what's going to happen.

And then also, what is being talked about in the New Testament is reflection of Isaiah's prophecy, and so he talks about how God's people were walking around in a deep and thick darkness, only to have a bright light completely illuminate them.

The light would come about through the birth of a child with extraordinary names.

So Isaiah 9, verses 2 through 7.

Isaiah 9:2–7

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light.

On those living in the land of deep darkness, a light has dawned.

You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy.

They rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as warriors rejoice when dividing the plunder.

For, as in the day of millions, millions defeat.

You have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor.

Every warrior's boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders and he will be called wonderful counselor, mighty God, everlasting father, prince of peace.

Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end.

He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness.

From that time on and forever, the zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.

So context here is they're in a political and religious struggle of the nation of Israel, and so the prophecy is how a savior will come and provide justice to them.

This is the prophecy of Jesus, and so it's also a reminder of God's promise to his people.

His promise was to bring peace and to bring justice and to this world.

It's going to be through the Messiah, which is an encouraging message, because our political times can kind of reflect some of the things that we're going on back then.

It's hard, it's ugly, it's messy, there's a lot of fighting going on, but it's just as dark and hopeless as days of Isaiah.

So there's something very important mentioned here that's going on that you might not have caught.

The verse says a child is born.

This is prophecy.

A child is going to be born, who will be the Messiah.

A child being born is talking about a fully human baby.

Then it says unto us a son is given which is the exact description of the eternal God, the Father, giving his son to us.

So it happened just as this prophecy was given.

Then it says wonderful counselor is revealed.

The cool thing is, then he goes and has ministry.

Right, jesus has a ministry, and what does he do?

Miracles.

He counsels his disciples, but he provides wonderful miracles.

And so all this was talked about years before the birth of Jesus and a lot of things that we've discussed before, but a lot of things you'll see Jesus quote or Jesus respond to.

The disciples are not new words.

Why?

Because they've studied the Torah, they studied the first five books of the Bible.

So he's here now in flesh with them, but then he goes remember what was said.

They ask questions all the time of Jesus as they're going and as they're doing ministry, and what does he respond with Prophecy.

It was already discussed, it was already talked about years and years and years ago.

You already know it, you memorize it, you say it, you quote it.

Now I'm hearing the flesh doing what you've been quoting, right, and so here's another way we can think about it.

A good example would be sharing a meal.

You know, some of our most memorable moments can be found around crowded tables.

Some of you might not sit down at a table and share a meal.

We did for Thanksgiving night.

We hadn't done that in a long time because we're all going in different directions and it was just cool, just whether the food was great or the food wasn't great.

Because it wasn't great, it was not great, it wasn't what we normally have.

But the time to sit with the kids and just to have conversation, not be huddled around the TV, and to sit around a table and look each other in the face and just have a conversation over a meal, those are some of our most memorable moments.

And if you think of a cafeteria or a family diner dinner where you have to, you know, scoot over and make room for everyone to be seated right, so, in the same way, god invites us to his table.

Like Israel, we're walking around in darkness, for God reveals his light to us.

He's made room for us and we can enjoy the same hope and promise Isaiah made to the people of Israel in that prophecy.

God made room for us, but we make sure that we make room for Jesus.

So has our table or our life become too crowded.

Where does Christ fit in that picture?

The coming one is Jesus.

He is the hope for God's people.

So one of the ways that we can focus a little bit of Scripture to make room for Christ during the season is Matthew 6.33.

It says but seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

So we have to choose to allow God to be a part of our every day.

We have to move things around physically, even if you have to this season, just to spend time with Him and to make Him a priority right.

Maybe we have to get up a little bit earlier.

I got a lot going on today.

So, instead of cutting God out, go to bed a little bit earlier than I before.

Get up 10 minutes early, 15 minutes early.

Make Him a priority right, and I would say that that would be enough right.

That would be enough for us to focus our attention on that.

But God tells us to go a step further.

Matthew 22, verse 30, 60, 38 says first off, teacher, what is the greatest commandment in the law?

Matthew 22:30

There are disciples asking and discussing Him because they are still focused on the Ten Commandments.

So which one is the greatest?

Which one is the best?

Jesus replied love the Lord, your God, with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.

This is the first and greatest commandment.

That's the prophecy from Deuteronomy 6.

He's just quoting it back to them so they already know right.

But he doesn't stop there.

Matthew 22, 39, and 40 says and the second is like it Love your neighbor as yourself.

All the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments.

So Jesus says something in the beginning of that conversation.

He says I did not come to abolish the law.

So, in other words, I did not come to abandon the law.

We're not saying we're getting rid of the law, but I'm going to sum it up in these two things.

All of that law is found in love the Lord, your God, and then love your neighbor as yourself.

All 10 of those commandments are wrapped up in those two sentences.

But it's the intent of why we follow those, of why we adhere to those commandments.

It's not because those commandments, in doing that, makes us holy.

It's not your works.

Those are for you as a guide, to be an example to the world.

How do we be more Christ-like?

Love your neighbor.

Not just love your neighbor, but love your neighbor like you love yourself, which we all know.

We love ourselves pretty good, right, I like myself pretty good, so I should love my neighbor as much as I love myself.

We want to be more Christ-like.

Those 10 commandments are just a guide.

They are not something that gets you into heaven, but they are a guide, still to this day, for believers.

You'll hear all the time oh, we left the law, we're not done, we're not legalistic anymore, we're not in intent, but those commandments are still talked about all throughout the New Testament, over and over and over and over and over and over.

There are commandments that we're supposed to obey.

I know we don't like that word, but we're supposed to obey his words and his commandments.

That's what we've signed up for.

And so the second thing that we make room for is our neighbor.

We make room for others.

So we should take this opportunity to make room for others, because the peace that is brought by Christ is not just for you, it's for the whole world, right?

And so Leviticus 19-18 says do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself.

I am the Lord.

So there's the quote.

That's what he quoted.

They already know, they already hear right, and so he just repeated what they've already known.

And so we make room for others.

Isaiah 40, verses three through five, says a voice of one calling in the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low, the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain, and the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together.

The hope and waiting of God's future glory is not just for us.

That hope is for the world.

That last verse five says in the glory of the Lord will be revealed.

All people will see it together.

So we know that God sent his Son for the entire world.

Not everyone will choose to accept him, but the table has a seat open for everyone.

He's provided a place for every single one of us.

It's then on us to choose to take a seat at that table or not, and so Advent is a time of preparation.

The way that we prepare for Christ is by being Christ's like, by being Christ's followers.

God cares about the whole world, and that includes our neighbor around us.

A lot of times we think, oh, the preparing for the way of Jesus was just the job of John the Baptist Second coming.

John the Baptist did it for the first one, right?

John the Baptist prepared the way for the first coming of Jesus, so then who's left to do the job for the second coming of Jesus?

It's us, that's us, and so Jesus tells us to go into all the world and tell people who is our neighbor.

Well, if you ever watched Mr Rogers, you know everyone's neighbor.

He was always talking about it, and so sometimes we might think that we're in this exclusive club.

Right, we're the believers and they're not the believers, and so this is an exclusive club, it's just for us.

But that's not the way that God destined it to be.

Everyone is invited to be a member of His kingdom.

Not all will accept, but the best example of loving your neighbor that I can think of is Jesus, jesus.

Jesus made room for all types of people.

It's poor strangers, right?

Prostitutes, sinners, and that wasn't very popular.

The rabbis and the religious leaders of that day.

They talked bad about them because of that.

Well, he sits and eats dinner with sinners.

What kind of teacher is this?

Well, who else are you going after?

They were opposed to the people Jesus hung out with.

Not only that, some of His closest, the disciples, were women.

The women weren't even allowed to study the Torah.

The rabbis and the Pharisees, they didn't let them do that.

Jesus allowed them to come close.

He broke all of the rules right.

Love his neighbor properly.

And so Galatians 3, verse 27 and 28 says for all of you who are baptized into Christ, have closed yourself with Christ.

Galatians 3:27

There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed and heirs, according to the promise Paul is saying.

Once we receive Christ and we decide to follow him, it doesn't matter your past, it doesn't matter if you were a sinner before you met Jesus.

It doesn't matter if you're a Jew or non-Jew, it doesn't matter if you're a man or a woman.

We're all children of God.

Once we decide to follow him, we're all part of the family from that point on.

So how do we make room for our neighbor?

We be Christ-like.

Jesus gives us sermon, which is a pretty big deal, sermon on the Mount and he builds up for it and it's a long sermon and it has a lot to say.

We're just gonna look at a little part, but if you have time I encourage you to check out Matthew 5, 6 and 7, because they label it a couple different times the beatitudes, and it really is a good guide.

But at that time it was really harsh to be accepted.

Because you have to understand, jews didn't like anyone but Jewish people, jesus kind of prejudice.

They were the chosen right and so anyone else is outside of the group.

So for Jesus to come in and say you must love your neighbor, not just love your neighbor, love your enemies, love those who oppose you, love those who persecute you, that's a hard pill to swallow for them.

That's a hard pill to swallow, right.

But I want to look at just a little part here.

Matthew 5, verse 13 through 16.

Matthew 5:13–16

You are the salt of the earth.

But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?

It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

You are the light of the world.

A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.

Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.

Instead they put it on its stand and it gives light to everyone in the house In the same way.

Let your light shine before others that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Now it doesn't say do it as a spectacle, go out and scream on the corners and let everybody know I just dropped $600 to feed the homeless.

That's not what he's talking about.

He's saying do it out of your heart, don't hide that.

You're doing it because people need to see you being a Christian.

People need to know that you're not just a nice person.

I just do good deeds because I'm a nice person.

You're doing it because the compassion and the love that God has placed inside of you to share it with others right, let them see that.

That's what he's saying, and so strive to show love to those you come in contact with.

Be kind, be patient.

I'm not saying you have to have everybody over for Christmas dinner and provide Christmas presents for everyone you've ever met.

We've met a lot of people over the years.

That would be rough.

But take a second and listen to someone.

Maybe you've heard the story before, but just take a second and listen, because maybe what they need is someone just to give them a little bit of kindness and attention.

Maybe they've been locked in and they don't have anywhere to go and they don't have anyone to talk to and they don't have anything to do, and just that human interaction is.

It's gonna just light up their day.

That's Christ's like to consider others before we consider ourselves right, and so we can see that instead of saying, you know, like, I'll be praying for you.

That's a really common thing.

I hear a lot of people, even in passing, like, okay, I'll be praying for you, and then they go take a second and just say hey, can I pray for you?

Like, right now, nobody's watching, it's just you and I.

When they share a story, ora, hard time they're going through.

You got a second before you go, let's just pray right now.

What that will do for that person and how they will see God through that could change everything for them.

It could change everything Instead of what oh yeah, you're struggling, oh yeah, I know, man, everybody's having a rough time.

Okay, all right, I'm praying for you.

That's not compassion, that's not consideration, right?

And so, instead of getting caught up in the hustle and bustle, the holiday season, which is extremely easy to do for all of us.

Right, making room can simply be making time for Jesus and for the people in your life.

Time is a big deal.

To me, time is a precious commodity, right, maybe I'm not the only one, but it is to me.

Other things don't bother me, but if you take up my time with unnecessary things, man, that's what.

That's one of my things.

I don't know why, but that's just one of my things.

So for me to slow my life down and stop and give time, it's really hard, but it really does.

It really does change the person doing it, maybe more so than the person receiving it, because I have to take my focus off of my schedule, my agenda, my plans, my thoughts, my opinions and go go ahead.

Man, let's talk and just sit and listen.

You'd be surprised how big of a thing that is for people.

You'd be surprised.

It's a big deal.

And so you only get so much time.

We never get it back.

We can't make more, and so the advent means learning to reprioritize our time to the things that really matter our relationship with God and our relationships with people.

If you've had, you know that it's coming up to the time and some of us get anxiety with thinking, oh my gosh, I got a plan for my family and maybe your family situation is not great.

Or maybe you know you're married and you have two situations and not everybody in the household gets along and crossways and all those things, and maybe last year you didn't get to see one and they're still mad about last year and so are we going to get to be first and all these different things.

Right that happen and it stresses you out and you might be harboring some bitterness or some unforgiveness there.

Just take a second and give that over to God.

Jesus came to bring peace.

Everybody's always crying for world peace.

Jesus came to bring peace and what do we do?

We hung them on a cross.

He provides your peace, he becomes your peace.

But you have to lean into that and you have to trust His Word.

You have to trust the prophecy that's been given.

You have to trust the promises that he's given to us.

You have to do something in the relationship.

It's not one-sided.

He doesn't do it all.

He's taking care of everything for you.

You have to receive it, accept it and walk it out like it's true, which sounds easy, but it's really hard.

We might get hung up on some things.

Sometimes I don't even remember what gifts I got last year.

I'm not a big gift person anyway.

I'd rather just go on a trip or do something fun, and so I don't even.

I probably got gifts all over the place that I don't even know about, in the garage and the shed and Storage and under the bed and who knows where in the closet, somewhere that I haven't opened or open.

One sounds like that's pretty cool, you know so.

So how important are those things really?

Or even what we ate for Christmas?

Last year, not tape might remember what we ate for Christmas and tastes of our foodie, but most of time we don't remember those things.

Right?

What do we remember?

The relationships, the experience.

So if we make room for Christ and we make room for others and we take our focus off of all the hustle and bustle, the piece that Jesus provides should be enough For us to get through the holidays without looking like the rest of the world, all stressed out and crazy and chaotic.

Right, should be enough.

So imagine we're sitting at a dinner table, we've made room for Christ, we gave him a chair, and now what do we have to do with the scooch over and say here you go, neighbor, I Save that spot for you.

It could be as simple as inviting someone to church who hasn't been in years that you've been talking to.

It could be just that simple.

And guess what?

This is time of season.

They're open to it.

But I would say go a step further.

Hey, what are you guys gonna be doing Christmas Eve?

Our church is having a service, but you want to grab bite?

Before that?

I haven't talked in a while.

Let's hang out.

It could be a humongous deal.

We are Helping prepare the way for the coming of the Messiah, the king of kings, the baby Jesus, the Savior.

And if you knew the Messiah was coming.

When you want to tell everyone, when you want to tell your family, when you want to tell your friends, when you want to tell the World, when you want them all to have that opportunity to experience him, to know him, to sit with him at a table, God has equipped you with everything you need to have more than enough for you and others this holiday season.

You just have to make room and letting him work in you and letting him work through you.

When we make room for Christ, he gives us hope.

He becomes our hope.

When we make room for our neighbors, we help to be examples of peace which Christ being brings to us.

So I mentioned Charlie Brown.

Any of you guys watch Charlie Brown every year.

We watch all the Charlie Browns Holiday season and so there's a speech there.

If you want, you can go and check out what the quote is.

It's Luke to and Linus and Charlie Brown are talking.

And Charlie Brown, he says I guess you were right, linus, I shouldn't have picked this little tree.

Everything I do turns into a disaster.

I guess I don't really know what Christmas is all about.

Isn't there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?

Sure, charlie Brown, I can tell you what Christmas is all about, said Linus.

He walks to the center of the stage.

Lights, please.

And there were, in the same country, shepherds abiding in the field keeping watch over their flock by night and low.

The angel of the Lord Came upon them and the glory of the Lord shone around them and they were sore, afraid.

And the angel said unto them fear not, I For behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people, for unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ, the Lord, and this shall be a sign unto you.

You shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger, and suddenly there was, with the angel, a multitude of the heavenly hosts praising God and saying Glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace, goodwill toward man.

Even in the worldly things they know Jesus exists.

So let's just be that light, let's be that salt to the earth, right that we've been called to be.

Take a second, consider someone else, take a second, forgive someone, take a second and put yourself aside and consider Christ and consider others.

Let's pray, father.

God, we thank you for this day that you've given us.

Lord.

We're so very thankful for all that you are and all that you do, and pray that you would help us prepare for your son, for his birth, to tell people the good news, the gospel, that there is a Messiah, there is a Savior.

He is coming for every single one of us.

That you would help us to walk out the fruit and the gifts of the Spirit this season, lord, during this Advent season, and for us to prioritize our time to spend with you.

Father.

We thank you for the many meals that are going to happen, the parties that are happening.

Father God, we thank you for all the planning and opening of houses to have guests over.

But even during all that, father God, we pray that you would give us divine opportunities to share you with others, to point people towards you on a daily basis, to make the reason for the season.

Jesus Christ, we thank you for all that you're doing in and through all of our lives.

We bless those all that are here, father God, as they go.

Keep them safe and driving, and we just thank you for what you're doing in and through Mercy Church and in Greeley Colorado.

In the church, father God, in Jesus' name, we pray Amen.