(by Lorie Codispoti)
“Let every heart prepare Him room.” (Joy to the World)
Are the lyrics rolling around in your head yet?
Virtually everyone knows this famous Christmas Carol. It’s fun to sing, whether we are caroling our way through the neighborhood or belting out the notes from the pew.
I wonder if Mr. Watts asked the same question I ask myself every year… Have I prepared Him sufficient room? A room big enough to “receive her King” with a contagious Joy that overflows into every activity this holiday season?
It doesn’t take much these days to crowd out the Christ of Christmas. It’s easy to unintentionally relegate Him to the periphery when our to-do list continues to expand. Add to that our unsuccessful attempts at displaying a prefabricated joy & we have a recipe for disaster.
The problem with manufactured joy is that it’s fake & everyone knows it.
It’s like the people that burn a chocolate chip cookie candle for everyone coming to their open house. The aroma permeates the atmosphere & the only thing you can think of is locating that plate of cookies. I don’t know about you, but the moment I discover that the whole thing is a ruse, the last thing I will notice is a newly remodeled kitchen. And joy? Well, let's just say that's not the first emotion that comes to mind.
I know that there’s a lot to do during the holidays, but the question is not about how many things you can cross off your to-do list before December 25th. The question I want to ask all of us is about the kind of joy Mr. Watts wrote about. Have we prepared enough room in our holiday for the joy of Jesus to permeate the atmosphere in such a way that the aroma draws others to the refreshment we long to share with them? Or, are we attempting to imitate the real thing by putting a scented candle on display & hoping that no one gets close enough to discover it’s a fake?
Here’s the thing about this favorite Christmas hymn...
Joy to The World was not written, nor was intended to be sung at Christmastime.
Isaac Watts was inspired by Psalm 98:4-9, when he wrote this poem...
“Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth; break forth in song, rejoice, & sing praises… For He is coming to judge the earth. With righteousness He shall judge the world, & the peoples with uprightness.”
This song was not written to celebrate the first coming of Christ. It was written to herald His second coming. (But because it was published at Christmastime the connection stuck.)
I’m glad this favorite is part of our Christmas repertoire, but I encourage all of us not to stop preparing Him room when Christmas is over. We need to be continually preparing for the return of our King.
Let’s purpose to “repeat the sounding joy” & share this recipe for the real thing with everyone who is drawn to “the wonders of His love.”
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