On Sunday morning, as I was walking with as much care as I could muster through snow and slush and the slippery combination of the two, I was quietly singing one of the many songs that had been stuck in my head this past week: joy to the world.
As I continued to dodge ice pockets and muddy slush puddles, I began to contemplate the words that I was singing:
Joy to the world, the Lord is come. Let earth receive her King. Let every heart prepare him room and heaven and nature sing...
It is an interesting moment when the familiar is illuminated anew and you see truths you never noticed before...
Sometimes the nativity story can get lost in the hustle and bustle of this busy season. There are presents to buy, meals to plan, people to see. Hidden between the snowmen, Santas, reindeer, and winter scenes can be found the iconic image of Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus surrounded by reverent shepherds and sheep while the star, angel, and wisemen linger nearby. A small idyllic snapshot of a hugely significant moment in our world. A moment that can so easily be overlooked as we go about our busy days. Have we taken time to prepare our hearts for our King?
Although the world had been aching and yearning for the coming messiah for generations, his arrival was also in a time of great motion. A census required every family to return to the cities of their forefathers. A very pregnant Mary and her husband, Joseph, had to traverse a great distance to a place where there was no room for them. The inns were full. They had to improvise and stay in the stable because there simply wasn't enough space. And in that humble place was born the prophesied king. Immanuel, God with us.
Let every heart prepare him room.
While I was singing, this line struck a chord in me. Just as there was no room for Jesus in the Inns of Bethlehem, have I really made room for him in my heart this year? And what type of room would it be? Does he get the master suite or is he relegated to the stable out back? Is he just another figure in the sidelines, another stranger among the multitude, or is he the treasured and revered King? Have I really embraced the joy that has come to the world as the result of what Jesus has done or have I been swept away with all the other Christmas things? Ultimately, Jesus is the source of our great joy this season. His love, kindness, humility, and sacrifice is the wonderful gift He offers so freely if we but open the door to him...
So take a moment. Take a breath. Pause. Think. Wonder. Is your heart prepared to receive your king? Do you have room?
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