Let Every Heart Prepare Him Room
Did you know that the famous and timeless Christmas Carol, “Joy to the World” was not written as a Christmas Carol? In fact, it was originally a poem, not a song. It was a poem based on Psalm 98 and to be fair, that poem was written by one of the most prolific hymn writers of all time, Isaac Watts. However, it wasn’t until 100 years later when a music teacher from Boston by the name of Lowell Mason, discovered the poem and set part of it to music. It happened to be released around Christmastime and thus was born an unintentional Christmas staple.
The goal of the original book of poems by Isaac Watts was to reinterpret the Old Testament in light of what we know from the New Testament, looking for Jesus and the gospel reflected in OT scriptures. One of the lines of the poem and now song, “Joy to the World” that resonates with this time of Advent (the 4 weeks leading up to Christmas Day) is “Let every heart prepare Him room…”
Advent is a season of expectation. A time of preparation. A time for us to do what many in Bethlehem did not do on the night Mary and Joseph were looking for shelter… prepare and make room for Jesus.
It may have been inconvenient for those who were already cozy, and comfortable to start moving things around trying to make room for a pregnant mother and her husband. It was much easier for those in the Innkeeper and even family members to just say “There is no room”. What was also unsaid was “and I am not going to MAKE room either.” One of my mom’s favorite phrases that I heard quite a bit (much to my chagrin) was “When there is a will, there is a way!” This usually was said to me when I was frustrated with a task and was ready to quit. At the time, I don’t remember it being as encouraging as she would have hoped but I still hear it in my head when I need to push through something or make something happen. It is what I think of when it comes to this innkeeper and any others who turned the small family away.
Here is the kicker, the innkeeper has the benefit of not knowing who he was rejecting that night. Those in Bethlehem who did not make room can, to a certain extent, claim ignorance in hindsight. However, we cannot. We know who was in Mary’s womb that night and how he was born. We know who He grew to become and what He did during His earthly ministry. We know how He gave his life on the cross for our sins and how He resurrected in power. We know that all power and authority have been given to Jesus below, on, and above the earth. We know that is our soon returning King of Kings and Lord of Lords who is currently preparing a place for us to be with Him for eternity. We know this because of the Word of God and His Holy Spirit that have been left to us that we may know Him. In other words, we have no excuse if we don’t “prepare or make room for Him”.
The Enemy and the sin we at times pursue, do not ask for permission to make room in our hearts. It invades and permeates, infecting all aspects of our lives, some sooner, some later. Jesus, on the other hand says this in Revelation 3:20
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.
He knocks…Like Mary and Joseph did on the door of the Inn in Bethlehem…I pray that this Advent season, we at Bridge will PREPARE and MAKE room for Him, even those of us who have walked with the Lord for years. The great thing is, Jesus likes to get his hands dirty. He was a carpenter and knows a thing or two about rearranging and sanding down rough edges. You don’t have to FIX everything yourself. You can open the door and say, "Jesus, I need help making room for you.” You will see Jesus roll up His sleeves and lovingly get to work, bringing true Joy to your world.
In Christ,
Pastor Javier
The goal of the original book of poems by Isaac Watts was to reinterpret the Old Testament in light of what we know from the New Testament, looking for Jesus and the gospel reflected in OT scriptures. One of the lines of the poem and now song, “Joy to the World” that resonates with this time of Advent (the 4 weeks leading up to Christmas Day) is “Let every heart prepare Him room…”
Advent is a season of expectation. A time of preparation. A time for us to do what many in Bethlehem did not do on the night Mary and Joseph were looking for shelter… prepare and make room for Jesus.
It may have been inconvenient for those who were already cozy, and comfortable to start moving things around trying to make room for a pregnant mother and her husband. It was much easier for those in the Innkeeper and even family members to just say “There is no room”. What was also unsaid was “and I am not going to MAKE room either.” One of my mom’s favorite phrases that I heard quite a bit (much to my chagrin) was “When there is a will, there is a way!” This usually was said to me when I was frustrated with a task and was ready to quit. At the time, I don’t remember it being as encouraging as she would have hoped but I still hear it in my head when I need to push through something or make something happen. It is what I think of when it comes to this innkeeper and any others who turned the small family away.
Here is the kicker, the innkeeper has the benefit of not knowing who he was rejecting that night. Those in Bethlehem who did not make room can, to a certain extent, claim ignorance in hindsight. However, we cannot. We know who was in Mary’s womb that night and how he was born. We know who He grew to become and what He did during His earthly ministry. We know how He gave his life on the cross for our sins and how He resurrected in power. We know that all power and authority have been given to Jesus below, on, and above the earth. We know that is our soon returning King of Kings and Lord of Lords who is currently preparing a place for us to be with Him for eternity. We know this because of the Word of God and His Holy Spirit that have been left to us that we may know Him. In other words, we have no excuse if we don’t “prepare or make room for Him”.
The Enemy and the sin we at times pursue, do not ask for permission to make room in our hearts. It invades and permeates, infecting all aspects of our lives, some sooner, some later. Jesus, on the other hand says this in Revelation 3:20
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.
He knocks…Like Mary and Joseph did on the door of the Inn in Bethlehem…I pray that this Advent season, we at Bridge will PREPARE and MAKE room for Him, even those of us who have walked with the Lord for years. The great thing is, Jesus likes to get his hands dirty. He was a carpenter and knows a thing or two about rearranging and sanding down rough edges. You don’t have to FIX everything yourself. You can open the door and say, "Jesus, I need help making room for you.” You will see Jesus roll up His sleeves and lovingly get to work, bringing true Joy to your world.
In Christ,
Pastor Javier
Recent
Archive
2025
Categories
no categories
No Comments