Making Room: Relationships as Sanctuary and Renewal

There is room in relationships. Amen. The story of Mary and Elizabeth shows us the most important of having a relationship. The relationship can serve as sanctuary place for us. Relationship serves as a place where people can come together and make rooms for each other. It is a place where we can share our joys, our fears, and we can be full ourselves. We can be our authentic selves. If you look through your life, there are relationships that have saved you. [00:27:21] (53 seconds)  #RoomForEachOther

And it increases the grief. It increases the... Even it becomes more intense even in holiday seasons like this. Where people are making time with friends. Where people are making time with their families. There are many people in our culture today that don't have relationships and don't have connections. And some people need to do this life just alone. The body of Christ helps us to break through this barrier. Amen? The body of Christ helps us to go through this barrier and bring transformation and relational joy to others. [00:29:04] (53 seconds)  #BreakIsolationTogether

Mary and Elizabeth, each of them face their own challenges with different reasons. Through relationship with one another, God blesses them to share their burdens together. God creates space for them to be blessed and supported. Elizabeth was living somehow in isolation. Just before Zachariah was told about the angel of the inability to speak because of the birth of John. That may have added an unexpected isolation to them. [00:29:58] (53 seconds)  #CompanionshipHeals

While Elizabeth's pregnancy would lift, you know, and shame away from her, Mary's pregnancy would rather bring shame to her. But both of them have experienced the miraculous. They've experienced the miraculous hands of God. They've experienced what God can do, what God only can do. Both of them have experienced the power of God that can be made manifest. Amen? [00:33:30] (36 seconds)  #MiraclesInRelationships

And so we can be in a larger group, but we can get lost. Because the story of the relationship between both Mary and Elizabeth reminds us that we can share our burdens together. And sometimes you don't need to explain anything because we see that Mary did not, and Elizabeth also did not have to explain their own issues. We notice that Elizabeth did not offer any advice. To Mary. She didn't give any advice. She just affirmed what the scripture has said. She just affirmed. [00:35:45] (58 seconds)  #PresenceOverAdvice

And God calls us to open our hearts in this season for new and renewed relationships. Amen? For new and renewed relationships. Renewed relationships mean that we make up the broken relationships. We make up the, we make up, we find ways to forgive, we find ways to bring back, we find ways to have peace among us. Amen? And that is the blessing that Elizabeth gives to us. [00:41:25] (40 seconds)  #RenewedRelationships

Elizabeth gives the blessing to Mary. Elizabeth shares her experience with her. Elizabeth shares what she knows with her. And she herself in return, because when you share your experience with others, when you open your heart in the room, in making room for relation with others, in turn, you are also blessed. Amen? So let us share, let us share, let us share with renewed love, renewed joy. When we embrace all of God's activity, it brings us joy. [00:42:04] (44 seconds)  #BlessedBySharing

The church will be a beautiful place where we move from the place of just focusing on our soul and having small, intimate relationships. But sometimes, some relationships are complex. Sometimes, there are troublemakers. Sometimes, there are people that will give you trouble. There are sometimes, there are. But God gives us wisdom. Amen? To deal with all the relationships that we have. May our relationships in this season be renewed. And may God open new doors for us to receive new relationships. And may they be found in Christ. [00:43:49] (49 seconds)  #ChurchAsSanctuary