Making Room for Jesus in Our Imperfect Lives

Devotional

Day 1: God Shows Up When Pieces Are Missing

Sometimes the nativity of our lives looks a little busted up—ears chipped, dust everywhere, and a few key pieces we can’t seem to find. We don’t usually mean to let Jesus slip from the center; we just get busy, tired, and overwhelmed. The wonder of Christmas is that God shows up even when some of the pieces are missing. The first Christmas wasn’t tidy either—no room at the inn, no clear plan—and still, Jesus came. So the question for today is simple and brave: where can you make room for Jesus—room for kindness, forgiveness, and those who feel forgotten? [24:29]

Luke 2:6–14 — While they were in Bethlehem, the time came and Mary gave birth to her first child. With no guest room available, she laid him in a feeding trough. Out in the fields, shepherds were startled by a radiant messenger who announced good news of great joy: a Savior, the Anointed One, was born in David’s town. Suddenly the sky filled with heaven’s army, praising God: “Glory to God in the highest places, and peace spreading over the earth to those embraced by God’s favor.”

Reflection: What is one specific place in your week that feels incomplete or messy, and how will you make a little room there for Jesus today—one concrete act of kindness or forgiveness you can actually do?

Day 2: Make Room: Kindness, Forgiveness, and Welcome

At the table of Jesus there is room for everyone—kids and adults, joy and grief, faith and questions. You don’t have to fix yourself up to come; you just come as you are. Jesus meets you here not because you have it all together, but precisely because you don’t. This is not a separate-but-equal moment; it’s one bread and one cup for all, y’all. Let your hands open, and let your heart open too, because the same Jesus born in a manger meets you with love, grace, and welcome. [25:25]

Luke 22:19–20 — Jesus took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and shared it, saying that this was his life given for them, to be remembered whenever they ate. After supper he took the cup and said it signaled a new covenant, poured out for many so their sins could be carried away. He invited them to keep remembering him whenever they drank it.

Reflection: Who in your actual life needs a seat at your table right now, and what one specific change—an invitation, a schedule shift, a dietary accommodation—will you make to welcome them this week?

Day 3: When Jesus Feels Missing, He Comes Looking

There are seasons when Jesus feels quiet and small and somehow not where you thought you left him. Life piles on; the dust settles thick; you can’t find the piece you need. But Jesus is not waiting for you to get perfect—he comes looking for you. Hold on to a tangible reminder if you need to, y’all, because his love is already holding on to you. Trust that even when you can’t find him right away, he hasn’t lost track of you. [23:38]

Luke 15:4–7 — Imagine a shepherd with a hundred sheep who notices one has wandered off. He leaves the ninety-nine safe in the open country and searches until he finds the missing one. When he does, he lifts it onto his shoulders with joy and calls friends and neighbors to celebrate. In the same way, heaven throws a party over one lost heart that turns back.

Reflection: Where do you sense you’ve drifted lately, and what small daily practice—like a two-minute quiet prayer or a note of gratitude—will help you let Jesus find you there?

Day 4: Light In The Darkness That Won’t Overcome

We pass the flame one to another, holding steady so the light spreads without rushing or burning out. That’s how God’s light moves through the world—quiet, shared, and strong. Lift it high, y’all: you are God’s light shining into a dark world, and the darkness doesn’t get the last word. Even a small glow changes the room. Let your life sing “Silent Night” in the way you speak, serve, and forgive. [50:43]

John 1:4–5 — In him was life, and that life lit up humanity. The light keeps on shining in the dark, and the darkness cannot shut it down or swallow it up.

Reflection: What is one specific dark corner you’ll carry the flame into this week—a tense meeting, a weary neighbor, a hard conversation—and what will shining look like in that moment?

Day 5: Grace That Makes Us One For The World

Confession clears space in us, and grace fills it with hope. We hear the good news: while we were still tangled up in sin, Christ died for us—proving God’s love. Then the Spirit knits us together at the table so we can be the body of Christ for the sake of the world. As Jesus goes with you into the new year, open your hands and your heart for joy, for questions, and for generous love. From that overflow, y’all, step into the work of peace, justice, and welcome right where you live. [31:02]

Romans 5:8 — Here’s the proof of God’s love: Christ gave his life for us while we were still missing the mark and not asking for it.

Reflection: Where is Jesus inviting you to open your hands—toward reconciliation, service, or generosity—and what is one concrete action you’ll take this week to share that grace?

Sermon Summary

I began by sharing the wonder behind the phrase in excelsis Deo—glory to God in the highest—and how these words likely echo voices from very near the time of Jesus. Then I took you into my December ritual of posting nativity scenes, confessing I might be on a two-a-day pace and still not finish by Epiphany. That love for nativities led to a discovery here at Crossroads: our own set was tucked away in a closet, dusty, chipped, and missing pieces—including Joseph, the manger, and Jesus. Kids asked, “Why would you put this out?” And that question became the doorway into what Christmas insists we face: our lives are not complete either. We’re tired, a little banged up, sometimes missing a piece we didn’t mean to lose—especially the quiet centrality of Jesus.

I named something true about the season: we rarely intend to leave Jesus out; we just get hurried, overwhelmed, and forgetful. Yet the good news of Christmas is stubborn—God shows up even when the pieces are missing. The first Christmas was not a curated scene: no vacancy, uncertainty, vulnerability—and still, the Child came. So I invited us to ask, “Where can I make room?” Room for Jesus; room for kindness and forgiveness; room for the overlooked and the left out. And when we can’t find Jesus right away, we remember that Jesus finds us. He always comes looking.

We moved to the Table where there is room for everyone—kids and adults, joy and grief, faith and questions. We prayed, confessed, received assurance, and shared the bread and the cup with the conviction that God doesn’t do “separate but equal.” Then we placed a small, tangible Jesus in your hands—a reminder you can carry into the days ahead: a sign that he keeps seeking us, even when we feel lost.

Finally, we passed the flame from the Christ candle. I reminded us to hold the lit candle steady while the unlit leans in—because that’s how light moves best: someone steadies the flame, someone reaches with need. With the sanctuary aglow, we lifted candles high, remembering that the light shines in the darkness and the darkness does not overcome it. As we stepped back into the night, I sent you as bright spots—God’s light in a weary world—singing Joy to the World with full hearts.

Key Takeaways

1. Bring your broken pieces to Christmas. Perfection is not a prerequisite for God’s presence. The first Christmas was marked by scarcity and uncertainty, and still the Child arrived. Naming our fractures invites grace to meet us where we truly are, not where we pretend to be. Let your lack become the very place of encounter. [21:21]
2. Make room where it’s hardest. Space for Jesus looks like space for kindness, forgiveness, and the overlooked. We practice presence by choosing interruption over efficiency and mercy over correctness. The margins become manger-space when we open our schedules, wallets, and tables to those who don’t fit neatly. [24:29]
3. When Jesus feels missing, he seeks you. We don’t usually reject him; we misplace him in the noise. The hope of Christmas is not that we hold fast, but that he holds us—coming small, persistent, and near. Even our forgetfulness becomes a meeting place because he’s already on the way. [24:58]
4. Meet him at the open table. Communion is a weekly protest against exclusion and a weekly practice of welcome. Here, we confess, receive, and are re-knit into a people who remember who we are. If your heart is cluttered, put your hands out—he fills the space you make. [25:25]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[13:11] - In excelsis Deo and wonder
[13:33] - Invitation to give
[17:58] - My nativity obsession
[19:48] - Finding Crossroads’ hidden nativity
[20:48] - Missing Jesus and Joseph
[21:21] - Imperfect pieces, imperfect lives
[23:38] - God shows up anyway
[24:29] - Make room for Jesus and others
[25:25] - Communion: room for everyone
[26:13] - A take-home Jesus reminder
[31:36] - Praying the Lord’s Prayer
[41:42] - Passing Christ’s light safely
[50:43] - Be light in the darkness

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading

- Luke 2:7

And she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

- John 1:5

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

- Luke 19:10

For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.

Observation questions

In Luke 2:7, what concrete details show the scarcity and uncertainty around Jesus’ birth?
According to John 1:5, what happens when light meets darkness? Put it in your own words.
In Luke 19:10, who takes the initiative, and toward whom?
What pieces of the Crossroads nativity were missing or broken, and what question did the kids ask about putting it out? “Why would you put this out?” [20:30]

Interpretation questions

If there was “no room in the inn” (Luke 2:7), what does that suggest about where God chooses to show up when our lives feel crowded or incomplete? How does that connect to the invitation, “Where can we make room…?” [24:29]
John 1:5 says the light shines in the darkness. How does the candle practice—“whoever has the lit candle holds it steady, and the person without the lit candle leans in”—help picture how God’s light travels from one life to another? [41:42]
Luke 19:10 says Jesus came to seek and save the lost. How does that shape the moment when Jesus feels “missing”? What changes if the truth is “Jesus always comes looking for us”? [24:58]
If the first Christmas was messy and open to whoever would come, how does that line up with the claim that “At this table, there’s room for everyone—kids and adults, joy and grief, faith and questions”? [25:25]

Application questions

Identify a “missing piece” in your life right now—something chipped, dusty, or just worn out. Where might God be meeting you right in that lack, not after you’ve cleaned it up? “It’s not complete. But you see, neither are our lives.” [21:21]
Where is it hardest to make room—your schedule, your wallet, or your table? Name one specific way you’ll make space this week for kindness, forgiveness, or someone who feels left out. “Where can we make room…?” [24:29]
When Jesus feels small or far away, what would it look like to pause and let yourself be found? Try a tangible reminder you can carry or place where you’ll see it every day. “A Jesus that you can hold on to… to remind you that Jesus is always coming to find us.” [26:13]
Who needs an open seat at your table (home, lunch break, small group) in the next two weeks? What barrier can you lower—time, food preference, awkwardness—to make that seat truly welcoming? “At this table, there’s room for everyone.” [25:25]
Think of the candle image: who has been holding a steady flame for you lately? How can you thank them? And for whom will you hold the flame steady this week so they can “lean in” and catch light? [41:42]
Where do you see a pocket of darkness around you—loneliness on your street, tension at work, discouragement in a friend? Name one simple action (a text, a meal, a ride, forgiveness) you’ll take to bring light there. “We are God’s light shining into a dark world… be a bright spot.” [50:43]
Busyness and overwhelm can nudge Jesus out of the center. What is one small daily practice (a 2-minute prayer at a certain time, a Scripture on your lock screen, pausing before meals) that will help you keep room for him this week? “We just get busy… and Jesus… can slip from the center of our lives.” [23:17]

Sermon Clips

I was wiping them down with a paper towel when we first got here because they had layers and layers and layers of dust And the kids were helping me wipe it down And they're like why are we putting this out It's not It's not complete But you see neither are our lives Our lives aren't perfect Some of us maybe are missing an ear Or maybe we just have trouble hearing [00:21:09] (32 seconds) #BeautifullyBroken

Maybe some of us are a little banged up We're a little scratched Maybe we're a little covered in dust Maybe we just feel like we're covered in dust because we're so freaking tired Maybe we just feel like the world just keeps piling onto us and we don't know how to shake it off [00:21:41] (19 seconds) #WornButLoved

God shows up even when it's not perfect You see the first Christmas it wasn't perfect There was no room in the end The family didn't feel safe The plan for what they were going to do wasn't at all clear And still the baby came Jesus came Even in the not perfectness [00:23:57] (25 seconds) #JesusCameAnyway

The plan for what they were going to do wasn't at all clear And still the baby came Jesus came Even in the not perfectness So tonight Christmas invites us to ask this simple question Where can we make room for Jesus Where can we make room for kindness Where can we make room for forgiveness Where can we make room for people who feel left out or who feel forgotten [00:24:09] (36 seconds) #MakeRoomForJesus

Where can we make room for Jesus Where can we make room for kindness Where can we make room for forgiveness Where can we make room for people who feel left out or who feel forgotten And when we can't find Jesus right away maybe we can remember this that Jesus always comes looking for us Jesus is always looking for us [00:24:29] (29 seconds) #JesusFindsUs

And tonight when you come to the table we have this whole bag of Jesuses So Jesus was here the whole time This whole bag of Jesuses And when you come for communion we're going to give you a Jesus to go with you through the rest of this season through the rest of this year and into next year A Jesus that you can hold on to a tangible thing to remind you that Jesus is always coming to find us [00:25:58] (58 seconds) #JesusToGo

It's gorgeous seeing all the candles burning It is a wonderful feeling to know that our light is a light in the darkness and the darkness will never overcome it God's light in the world We are God's light shining into a dark world It's you of that light So tonight as you go forth as you go into the world where it's dark where it's night know that you are a bright spot dear Jesus [00:50:25] (53 seconds) #BeTheLight

It is a wonderful feeling to know that our light is a light in the darkness and the darkness will never overcome it God's light in the world We are God's light shining into a dark world It's you of that light So tonight as you go forth as you go into the world where it's dark where it's night know that you are a bright spot dear Jesus [00:50:29] (49 seconds) #LightInDarkness

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Making Room for Jesus in Our Imperfect Lives

Devotional

Day 1: God Shows Up When Pieces Are Missing

Day 2: Make Room: Kindness, Forgiveness, and Welcome

Day 3: When Jesus Feels Missing, He Comes Looking

Day 4: Light In The Darkness That Won’t Overcome

Day 5: Grace That Makes Us One For The World

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Chatbot

Making Room for Jesus in Our Imperfect Lives

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