Let every heart prepare Him room (Dec 18)

 ^“but in your hearts honour Christ the Lord as holy” 1 Peter 3:15
There is section in the classic carol Joy to the World that goes “let every heart prepare Him room” that I think is an important reminder reminder for us as we approach Christ. We need to remember to honour Christ the Lord as holy. There is so much going on around us with the final few days of work or study before the holidays, the parties going on, the last minute shopping to do, the Christmas movies to watch, the carol services to get to, the mince-pies to eat, presents to wrap, food to cook, all sorts to be done as we get ready for Christmas.
But the most important thing we can do as we prepare for Christmas is in our hearts honour Christ the Lord as holy. That means being still. Taking time to worship and adore Him. To set aside the things that distract us from what Christmas is about and set our eyes on Christ. It doesn’t mean we have to totally reject all the ‘trimmings’ that go along with Christmas. We just need to make sure our focus is on Christ our King and that while we enjoy the other things they don’t distract or take away for our adoration of Jesus for all He has done for us.
Christ alone is holy. He alone has the power to save us. He alone has lifted us from the pit of death and restored us to a relationship with our everlasting Father. We need to make sure there is room in our hearts for Him this Christmas. Don’t push Jesus to the margins of your Christmas celebrations. Keep Him firmly at the centre, for He alone is worthy. Let your heart be full of wonder afresh as you marvel at all He has done for us. he came down out of love to reach out to us!
We need to be intentional about preparing Him room in our heart. We need to be intentional about keeping our focus on Jesus. When He came that first Christmas Bethlehem had no room for Him and so He was laid in a manger by the animals. Let us not be guilty this Christmas of that same blindness to the arrival of our Saviour. Make room for Him in your heart this Christmas. Come, let us adore the Wonderful Counsellor who died in our place. Come, let us sing songs of joy to the world, for our Saviour reigns!