Christmas hymns serve a very important role in the church calendar and the season of advent. Through the hymns, anticipation builds, and we are reminded once more that Christ is Emmanuel, God with us. Two of my personal favorites are O Holy Night and I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.
We are reminded in the hymn, Joy to the World, that there was no room for Christ at His birth, but we must not treat Christ in the same way. Isaac Watts wrote, “Let ev’ry heart prepare him room”.
When Christ came into the world as a baby, He was pushed to the side and offered only a feeding trough in a dirty animal stable. He came into the world in the smallest of ways. He was not born into a palace with great pomp. He became the least of these.
Joy to the World reminds us that we must not treat Christ in the same way. During Christ’s time on earth, He would be pushed away at every turn. King Herod wanted to kill the child. When Christ began His healing and teaching ministry, it was not long before the Pharisees wanted Him gone and, eventually, conspired to kill Him. The Roman government could not handle Him and aided in the arrest and prosecution against Christ.
Christ was a divisive figure during His lifetime, with some leaving Him at various intervals. After Christ’s resurrection, Christ remains to this day a divisive figure. Many refuse to believe, and proclaiming belief on Christ is grounds for persecution. Christ continues to be pushed to the side.
Through song, Isaac Watts calls us to prepare room in our hearts for the Lord. Do not push Him to the side. Prepare room for Christ in your whole heart. Do not only prepare a small area. Give Him your whole heart.
“For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand. Today, if you would hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, As in the day of Massah in the wilderness.” Psalm 95:7-8
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