Getting Ready

It’s less than two weeks until Christmas, but a quick glance around my house reveals that we’re not ready.  The tree is up but boasts no ornaments.   Boxes of unpacked decorations sit still and silent. The dining table still sports autumn leaves and adventurous pilgrims, and the stack of gifts waiting to be wrapped is woefully small.  

It’s not that I’m a Scrooge; it just that the season has sprung quickly upon us.  Lest you think I jest, know that I wrote October on a student’s hall pass yesterday.  That seems about right—I should have a few more weeks before I start thinking thankful and at least two whole months to make a Merry Christmas.  But such is not so.  The day of celebration is fast approaching, and I’d better get busy.  

“Busy doing what?” is the question I now must answer.  Since there isn’t time to do it all, preparations should be prioritized.  I need to decide what’s foundational and what’s filler.  Tasks flood my mind—trim the tree, hang the lights, bake some cookies, mail some cards, finish shopping, and fill (no, first find!) the stockings.  The list is long and loud, but above all the mental hustle and bustle, I clearly hear the line from last Sunday’s carol—“Let every heart prepare Him room.”

Perhaps it’s time to realize that around Christmas I often get so busy cluttering my house, I don’t unclutter my heart.  Maybe I get so focused on adding to what’s already there—garland to a mantle, lights to an eve, and presents to already piled shelves—that I forget to take some stuff away.  I ruefully admit there’s always plenty to choose from.   Grumpiness should definitely go, with bitterness right behind.   My selfishness needs to be shelved, my impatience ought to disappear, and my pride, distractedness, and lack of trust should definitely be discarded.  And lots more will be still left to put in the box.   By astounding grace, my heart has become Christ’s home, but I need to make sure the King of Heaven is never crowded to a corner.  My own expectations, anxieties, and preferences should be removed, for He must have room to move and reign. Jesus is the undisputed reason for the season, and even if I get nothing else done, He should be delighted in and adored every single day.

The presence of the Savior was what transformed a lowly stable from squalid to stunning, and only His unhindered and holy presence in our lives will do the same.

Let every heart—and every home—prepare Him room.   

Starting with my own.  Right now.

Stairway To Heaven

“He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on earth, with its top reaching to heaven.”

                                                                                                                                                                Genesis 28:12

Although we’re not Jewish, a few in my family must be kin to Jacob.  Blessed with the ability to sleep anywhere at any time, these folks can rest in the rowdiest or roughest of circumstances.  I’m not saying I’m jealous, but the certainty of a good night’s sleep, no matter the conditions, would be rather reassuring.

Noise pollution wasn’t Jacob’s problem in the middle of nowhere, but his accommodations that evening were anything but cozy.  On the run from his brother’s rage, he stopped at sundown to sleep.  He had forgotten to pack a pillow, so “taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down…”  This should be no surprise when we realize how hard-headed Jacob was, but it couldn’t have been comfortable!   However, no insomnia inflicted Jacob.  He soon dozed off and started dreaming.

He saw a stairway connecting heaven and earth with angels going up and down and God standing at the top.  Jacob might have been in the desert doing his own thing, but God had an Almighty agenda for this deceiver.  In grace, God promised to give him the land on which he was lying and to go with him as he wandered.

Jacob awoke with a sacred scare.  “How awesome is this place!” he exclaimed.  “This is none other than the house of God.”  Anointing oil quickly transformed his stone pillow into a pillar—a place of connection and covenant with God.

Jacob’s ladder wasn’t about his climbing up. It was about God’s coming down.

As you prepare for Christmas, know that Jesus made Jacob’s dream come true.

Visions of sugar plums pale in comparison to the reality of a God who came to be with us.

So sleep well.