Prepare Your Heart for Christmas: An Advent Devotion
“And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths and laid Him in a manger because there was no place for them in the inn.” Luke 2:6-7
Christmas. Christ came down. The King of Kings did not demand a palace in which to be born. Instead, He chose a smelly barn full of hay and animals to bring Hope into the world. And in so doing, He was immediately accessible to all who would seek Him. The shepherds would not have been allowed to visit a palace, but they were invited to visit the place where lambs slept. And there they found the Lamb of God, a Savior who promised new life free from the burden and debt of sin. They found Him tenderly wrapped by His mother and sleeping in a manger. Their Savior, the Bread of Life, resting in a feeding trough.
Christmas. A Savior was born, yet people were too busy to make room for Him. They were preoccupied with the busyness of the census. No Vacancy signs hung on doors all over town, and so He was given a leftover space in which to make a humble entrance. Christ was with them, but many missed Him. Their days were too full of other things to have room for this Little One. They didn’t understand that their Messiah had just entered the world to save them.
Christmas. A very busy time for us today. We run around checking items off our to-do lists, making sure we have just the right present for loved ones. We stock our pantry shelves with all the ingredients to make our favorite family recipes passed down through the generations. We make sure our homes are filled with lighted trees and holiday decorations. We greet one another with Merry Christmas and sing Christmas carols filled with the joyous announcement of the Newborn King. But do we really take time to meditate on the significance of His birth?
Christmas. I wonder if we allow the season to become so filled with traditions and holiday cheer that we forget to make room for Jesus–Emmanuel, God with us. I think it is easy to become so wrapped up in preparing for the season that we forget that the most important preparation takes place in our hearts.
“Come, Jesus! There is room in my heart for You! Settle in. Make Yourself at home. Show me what You want me to do this Christmas. In whom do you want me to invest? Is there anything I need to give up in order to take down the No Vacancy sign on my heart?”
Christmas. A Holy season. Christ, our Savior, entered the world! May we not be too busy for what He has in store for us not only at Christmas but every day of our lives. May we give Him full reign of our hearts, not just the leftover spaces, and truly delight in Him. He alone is worthy of our worship. O come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord!
