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SERMON: Have You Any Room For Jesus? This Advent message invites us to open our hearts to the One who stands at the door and knocks. It reminds us that while our hearts often make room for many earthly concerns, Jesus—the Giver of peace, hope, and eternal life—still waits for a place within us. Through stories of compassion, repentance, love, and renewal, we are called to prepare room for Christ this Advent. As the candles of hope, peace, joy, and love are lit, we are reminded that Jesus draws near and desires to be born not only in Bethlehem, but in each of us. Advent’s central question remains simple and life-changing: Is there room in your heart for Jesus? Beloved, Advent is the season when heaven leans close to earth. With each passing week, the candles on the Advent wreath burn brighter, reminding us that the Light of Christ is drawing near. Advent is also God’s gentle and loving question to every human heart: Is there room for My Son? The hymn we sing today echoes that question with both tenderness and urgency, asking whether we have room for Jesus, the One who bore our load of sin, the One who knocks and asks admission. Advent is not only about the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem long ago; it is about His birth in us—within our hearts, our homes, our relationships, our broken places, our fears, and our hopes. The real question of Advent is simple, deeply personal, and life-changing: Is there room in your heart for Jesus? Jesus is still standing at the door, still knocking, still waiting. Scripture reminds us that He does not force His way in. He knocks patiently, He waits lovingly, and He calls each of us by name. Years ago, a pastor went to visit an elderly woman who had stopped attending church. When he arrived, she would not open the door and instead called through it, saying she was ashamed, that her life was a mess, and that she did not want anyone to see. The pastor sat down quietly on her porch and spoke gently through the door, saying that he was not there to see her house but to see her, and that Jesus wanted the same. After a few moments, she slowly opened the door, expecting judgment but receiving compassion instead. That moment became the beginning of her healing. Jesus is not waiting for us to be perfect; He is waiting for us to open the door. The hymn continues by asking a searching question about how easily we make room for pleasure and business, yet leave no place for Christ in the very heart for which He died. This is the tragedy that often unfolds during the Christmas season. We make room for shopping, decorations, travel, gatherings, food, and endless busyness, yet so often not for Jesus. One family once decided to have a simple Christmas. They chose not to put up a full tree but instead decorated a small branch. They decided not to exchange gifts, believing they already had what they needed. Some of their friends thought they were strange. But on Christmas Eve, they did something beautiful. They invited a lonely widower from their neighborhood to join them at their table. They listened to his stories, prayed with him, and embraced him with genuine love. That night, the man said quietly, “Tonight, you made room for me.” The family replied that they had made room for him and for Jesus. Their simple home became a holy place because they made room for love. Advent calls us to choose the eternal over the temporary. So often, we cling to what will soon fade. Advent asks us to reflect on what we are truly living for, what we are holding onto, and what will last. Money fades. Success fades. Popularity fades. Pleasure fades. But Jesus remains. A businessman once said that December was his busiest month and that he had no time for church, prayer, or reflection. One year, just before Christmas, he became very ill and was forced to slow down. Lying in a hospital bed, he prayed for the first time in decades, confessing that he had filled his life with everything except God and asking Jesus to come in. That Christmas became the turning point of his life. He realized that what he almost lost—his life—was nothing compared to what Jesus gave him: hope, forgiveness, peace, and a new beginning. Advent also invites us to think honestly about the future. Strength fades, and life itself fades. These are not words meant to frighten us, but words of wisdom and love. Life is fragile, time is precious, salvation is the greatest gift, eternity matters, and our hearts need a Savior. A nurse once told a pastor that she had held the hands of hundreds of dying people and that she could tell within a minute who had Jesus in their heart and who did not. She said that those who knew Christ died with peace, while those who rejected Him often died with fear. Her words were not spoken in judgment, but in truth. There is no greater peace than knowing Jesus, and no richer future than eternity with Him. The final invitation of the hymn is simple and clear: let Jesus into your heart, and your life is rescued. In Him is eternal life, and that life is offered freely. This is the heart of Advent. Christ wants to be born in you—not just in Bethlehem, but in you. This is why He stands at the door. This is why He knocks. This is why He comes as a child, gentle, humble, and approachable. A pastor once asked a group of children what the best place was for Jesus to be born. Some answered the manger, others the stable, others the church. But one little girl whispered softly that the best place was in her heart. That is Advent. That is Christmas. That is salvation. So let us make room for Jesus. Advent is the season when God asks us again, Is there room in your heart for My Son? Let us open our hearts, our homes, our time, our priorities, our wounds, our fears, and our hopes. Let us open every locked door and say, “Come in, Lord Jesus. There is room for You.” When we do, we discover that the One who enters our hearts brings peace, joy, forgiveness, healing, and eternal life. As we prepare to leave this time of worship, we lift our hearts to God in gratitude. We thank Him for speaking to us and for reminding us that He is the God who seeks us, loves us, and gently calls us back to Himself. He is patient and kind, waiting at the door of our hearts with a love that never forces but always invites. In this Advent season, we ask God to teach us to choose what is eternal over what is temporary and to quiet the noise around us so that we may hear His voice calling our name. We thank Jesus Christ, our Savior, Redeemer, and Emmanuel, for standing at the door and knocking, desiring not only to visit but to dwell within us. We ask for the courage to open every hidden room of our hearts, to receive healing for the wounds we hide, relief from the burdens we carry, forgiveness for the sins we struggle to forgive ourselves, and peace where fear once lived. May His light shine through us into a world longing for hope. We invite the Holy Spirit, our Comforter and Giver of Life, to surround us and seal the Word we have heard deep within our hearts. May we be reminded that Advent is not only a season but a posture of expectation, surrender, and openness. Empower us to live as people who have truly made room for Jesus. Show us whom we need to forgive, what kindness we need to offer, and where we can become the hands and feet of Christ. Fill us with gentleness, compassion, patience, and courage, and let our lives become a manger where the presence of Christ rests and is made known. We entrust the coming week to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, asking for guidance, protection, deepened faith, and abiding blessing as we prepare our hearts for the coming King. With longing and with hope we pray, Come, Lord Jesus. Fill our hearts. Fill our homes. Fill our lives. Amen. Hymns:
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