The Sanctuary Makes Room for All

I began with a moment that changed me: sitting alone in a sanctuary with a young man in chains so he could grieve his brother’s overdose. The building was surrounded by officers; it was just the two of us before God. It felt risky, heavy, and uncharted. But in that space of costly hospitality, God created room for comfort, tears, and a quiet filling—and a year later I hugged that same man, now without chains. Life happens. When pressure mounts and the rules don’t fit the pain in front of us, we are still called to make room.

That’s the thread we follow with Rahab. Under pressure from a king, from a fearful city, and from Israel’s spies, she acted with courage and creativity. She hid the vulnerable, negotiated a covenant, and tied a red cord that marked her home as sanctuary. That cord echoes the Passover doors: a sign that violence must pass by. Scripture honors her not for neatness but for faithful, risky love that preserves life—and astonishingly, God weaves her into Jesus’ own family line.

So what are our signs now? Crosses lit on rooftops. A Bible on a desk. A people known in town as a place where shame doesn’t stick and confidences are kept. A sanctuary that makes space for AA on Mondays, for kids who are loud but listening, for families who are tired and still hopeful. Advent invites us to practice this spacious life: to refuse a closed, anxious season and instead mark our hearts and homes with a visible welcome. Boundaries matter, but fear cannot be our shepherd. The lineage of Christ trains us to widen the table—lifting dignity, creating belonging, and protecting the vulnerable in complex moments.

Here’s the surprise: when we make room for others, God makes room for us. Rahab thought she was saving strangers; she discovered God was saving her household. That is not a transaction; it is the grain of grace in the world. In this season, may we carry a visible sign—on our doors, in our calendars, in our tone—and be known as a refuge. And may that refuge become the space where Christ is born among us again.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Hospitality under pressure changes destinies Costly welcome often arrives when the scripts fail and the pressure is on. Rahab’s courage and a red cord became the doorway through which God preserved a family and advanced his promise. Our risky yes can open futures we do not see yet, including our own. Faith plants sanctuary in the exact spot where fear expects a wall. [23:00]
• 2. Risky obedience is often required There are moments when the choice isn’t tidy but the call is clear: preserve life. Rahab’s decision wasn’t about performative correctness; it was about protecting the vulnerable under threat. Love, not fear, must govern our ethics when danger closes in. God meets us in those costly choices with protection and purpose. [20:20]
• 3. Mark your life as sanctuary Rahab’s red cord invites us to adopt visible, faithful signs that say, “Refuge lives here.” Whether it’s a cross on a building, a practice at the dinner table, or the way we hold confidences, our signals should guide the weary to safety. Such signs train our own hearts to be ready when need knocks. Let your thresholds preach welcome before your words do. [29:33]
• 4. Make room for silenced voices The women in Jesus’ genealogy—Rahab among them—reveal God’s pattern: those pushed aside are central to his story. To follow Christ’s lineage is to participate in God’s work of making space for safety, dignity, and belonging. We do this by listening, protecting, and platforming stories that rarely get heard. Spacious love becomes our family resemblance. [36:40]
• 5. In blessing others, we are kept Rahab discovered that her protection of strangers became the means of her own salvation. This is the paradox of grace: generosity does not diminish us—it creates the room where God also shelters us. When a church becomes a refuge, it finds refuge. Make room, and watch God make room for you. [42:49]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [17:04] - A call from the sheriff
• [20:20] - Risky ministry and God’s help
• [23:00] - Rahab under pressure
• [28:19] - The red cord covenant
• [29:33] - Signs of sanctuary today
• [31:31] - The cross as public witness
• [35:36] - Women in Jesus’ genealogy
• [37:08] - Making room in Christ’s line
• [40:46] - Church as a safe refuge
• [44:53] - Making room for the young
• [47:52] - Advent: sanctuary for all
• [56:14] - Caroling and outreach details
• [58:28] - Giving as an act of refuge
• [63:44] - Benediction: choose others’ safety

Bible Reading

- Joshua 2:1–11 — 1 And Joshua the son of Nun sent from Shittim two men secretly, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.” And they went and came into the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab and lodged there. 2 The king of Jericho was told, “Some men of Israel have come here tonight to search out the land.” 3 So the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, “Bring out the men who have come to you, who have entered your house, for they have come to search out all the land.” 4 But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. And she said, “True, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. 5 And when it was time to shut the gate, the men went out. I do not know where the men went. Pursue them quickly, for you will overtake them.” 6 (But she had brought them up to the roof and hidden them with the stalks of flax that she had laid in order on the roof.) 7 So the men pursued after them on the way to the Jordan as far as the fords. And the gate was shut as soon as the pursuers had gone out. 8 Before the men lay down, she came up to them on the roof 9 and said to the men, “I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. 10 For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction. 11 And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath. - Joshua 6:22–25 22 But Joshua had said to the two men who had spied out the land, “Go into the prostitute’s house and bring out from there the woman and all who belong to her, as you swore to her.” 23 So the young men who had done the spying went in and brought out Rahab and her father and her mother and her brothers and all who belonged to her. And they brought out all her relatives and put them outside the camp of Israel. 24 And they burned the city with fire, everything in it. Only the silver and gold, and the vessels of bronze and iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the Lord. 25 But Rahab the prostitute and her father’s household and all who belonged to her Joshua saved alive. And she has lived in Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho. - Matthew 1:5 5 Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse,

Observation Questions

1. Read Joshua 2:1–11. What specific pressures surround Rahab in this scene (political, social, military)? Which details show the risks she faced and the concrete steps she took to protect the spies? [23:00]
2. Read Joshua 6:22–25. What was the visible sign that sealed the agreement for Rahab’s safety, and what immediate result followed when the city fell? How does the text describe the covenant’s outcome? [28:19]
3. Read Matthew 1:5. How does Rahab’s presence in the genealogy interrupt common expectations about who belongs in God’s family? What fact in the genealogy feels most surprising? [35:36]
4. The sermon named several modern “signs of sanctuary” (a cross on a building, a Bible on a desk, hosting AA meetings, being known as a place that keeps confidences). Which of those signs were mentioned, and what practical work does each sign point toward in a neighborhood church? [29:33]

Interpretation Questions

1. Rahab hid strangers under threat from her own city. What does Rahab’s choice reveal about how to weigh legal or social norms against the imperative to preserve life? How should this shape decisions when rules and mercy seem to conflict? [25:21]
2. The red cord functioned as a signal of protection and as an echo of the Passover marking. How does a visible sign operate theologically and practically to protect a household? What does this tell the group about sacramental or symbolic acts that mark a place as refuge? [28:19]
3. The inclusion of marginalized women in the Messiah’s lineage suggests a pattern. What pattern does this reveal about God’s priorities in choosing instruments and heirs of promise? How should that pattern affect who the community listens to and protects? [35:36]
4. The sermon affirmed both healthy boundaries and a call to “make room.” How should a congregation or household decide when to open its doors and when to set boundaries? What criteria or practices would help balance safety and welcome? [40:04]

Application Questions

1. Hold in mind someone you know who is under pressure or vulnerable. What one concrete, low-risk action could you take this week to make space for that person (a phone call, a visit, offering a meal, a safe conversation)? Be specific about day/time. [17:04]
2. Choose one visible sign you can place at home, work, or in your car this Advent that signals “refuge here” (a small cross, a Bible on your desk, a red ribbon, an invitation card). What will you put, where, and when will you put it? [29:33]
3. Identify one situation in your life where loving someone will feel risky (speaking up for them, protecting a secret, hosting a struggling person). What safety boundaries will you set so you can help without burning out? Describe the boundary and a back-up plan. [20:20]
4. The church opens space for AA and for noisy young people. What regular ministry or person could your household or small group host (a recovery group, a tutoring hour, a young-family meal)? Name one step this week to begin making room (reach out, reserve a space, commit to a date). [42:22]
5. Making room often involves giving—time, attention, or money. What specific gift can you make this month to help the church be a refuge (an item, a meal, financial support, volunteering)? When and how will you give it? [58:28]
6. Think of a time when showing hospitality or protection unexpectedly blessed you back. Tell the group the story and name one lesson from that experience you can apply now when deciding whether to make room for someone. [42:49]