“Prepare Him Room”

By: Brian Lee, Pastor for Worship and Administration, Nansemond River Baptist Church

The colder weather is slowly creeping in, the hustle and bustle of the Fall is upon us, and that means that sooner or later…. the Holidays will arrive. 

Perhaps this magical time of year starts the day after Halloween as you pull out your Christmas Tree and get it decorated for the remainder of the year.  Maybe that means you are busy making plans with family members to see who is going to travel or host. Maybe you draw straws to find out who is going to cook the turkey for Thanksgiving or perhaps draw names to find out which niece, nephew, or cousin you will buy a gift for.  There are so many traditions to keep up, so many treats to bake, so many recipes to find, gifts to buy, decorations to unpack and put out, parties to plan (and attend), events to shuttle kids to and from, Hallmark Movie Marathons to watch. The excitement builds and builds, week after week, but so can the anxiety.

 For some, the mere thought of the Holidays can elicit fear and anxiety as we think about all the things we have to do to get ready for them so we can “enjoy” them.  Perhaps we make grandiose statements as soon as the first leaf hits the ground such as, “This year, I’m getting everything done early so I can just relax and enjoy the season.” It can sometimes seem like preparing for the Holidays is the final boss on a video game that you must defeat to win the game and have some peace and quiet.

Whatever the case may be, whether you look forward to the Holidays with joy and excitement (much like many of our children do) or you look forward to them with dread, anxiety, and hypertension, it can sometimes feel like the Holidays are this unavoidable freight train barreling towards you at full speed with no intention of slowing down or braking.  You think of the daunting to-do lists, the weight you’ll inevitably gain because those Christmas cookies are just so irresistible, or the fear of failing to get the right gift and disappointing someone you love.  Perhaps the year has been challenging, and you just can’t do the Holidays like you had wanted to, with all the things you had hoped you could. Maybe it’s your first holiday without a beloved family member, so you’re carrying a weight of grief with you that makes you feel guilty for any hope or joy you might feel during the Holidays.  Christian, I have three words for you.

 Prepare… Him… Room…

 In the popular Christmas song, Joy to the World, there is a line that says, “Let every heart, prepare Him room.”Have you stopped to think about what that means or even how you are to go about doing that? Is it just a phrase we happily sing through on a Sunday morning or as we’re driving around in Holiday traffic, listening to the radio, trying desperately to keep our sanity and Christian witness intact? In all the busyness we’re caught up in, have you stopped to ponder how YOUR heart might prepare Him room?

I think back to a Charlie Brown Christmas when Charlie Brown is searching for the meaning of Christmas, what it’s all about, why this particular season is so busy, and everyone is in such a frenzy.  He, like many of us, seemed hopeless.  That is until Linus says his famous line: “Lights, please. “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.  And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.  And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.  And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.  And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men’.”

The account of Jesus’ birth in Luke 2 frames what this season is all about.  The Birth of Christ.  Not the stores, the traditions, the gatherings, or goodies.  All those things are fine to participate in, but the caution we must take as Christians is not to let those things be THE most important thing.  We must remember the WHY, which is the Birth of Christ. Without Christ, there is no joy.  Without Christ, there is no hope.  Without Christ, there is no Christmas. The excitement, joy, and hope that we sing about during the Holidays come from the very fact that we have good news to share! Just as the angels heralded the coming of Christ to the shepherds in Luke 2, we should also herald the message of the gospel.

So how do we do that? Among the chaos that can sometimes be the holiday season, how do we keep the main thing the main thing?  How do we keep the message of the Gospel at the forefront while dealing with the noise of the chaos around us? Christian, Prepare Him Room.  Take time as you wrap gifts to ponder the gift of the Gospel. Maybe write a favorite passage of Scripture on the tag that directs the recipient to the Gospel. As you bake cookies and take in the sights, remember that the Gospel is the Good News, and it is beautiful. As you prepare for guests to arrive and are making up the guest bed, remember that Christ has gone to prepare a place for you (John 14:2-3). As the day draws closer and the excitement builds, remember the angels proclaiming the coming of Jesus to the shepherds in the field and their overwhelming excitement as they rushed to the city to tell everyone the things that they had seen (Luke 2:15-20). Prepare Him Room.

In the quiet of the night, before turning in for the evening, or perhaps in the quiet of the morning before anyone gets up, sit in the quiet, in the soft, warm glow of your Christmas tree, and thank God for the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Take time each day to remember Jesus. Let every heart prepare Him room this Holiday Season.

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas!

Pastor Brian