How to Get Ready for Christmas

In years past, it didn’t start until after Thanksgiving. The Christmas aisles in stores. The Christmas carols on the radio. The festivities and the decorations all obligingly waited until the end of November. Now Hobby Lobby has their Christmas decor out in October. Everywhere we look, months before Christmas, every store is clamoring for us to get ready for Christmas. 

How do we really get ready for Christmas? As Christians, we know that this holiday is so much more than shiny paper and wreaths. And as much as we love our families, Christmas is even more than spending time bonding with family and gathering over a delicious meal. It is more than being generous to those in need and giving to the poor. We ask each other, “Are you ready for Christmas?” But how do we really get ready for Christmas? 

Isaiah 40:3-5 gives us a glimpse of how to prepare for the coming of a king. “A voice of one calling: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.’” 

John the Baptist preached the same message. He urged people to “prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him” (Matthew 3:3, Mark 1:3, Luke 3:4, John 1:23). He urged everyone to get their hearts ready. 

In ancient days, the people didn’t have our modern system of highways for travel. When a king wanted to travel through an area that wasn’t heavily traversed, he would send crews of men to clear a path through the debris of rocks, trees, and other obstacles blocking the way. These men would clear a path specifically for the king, removing all that was in the way of his arrival. 

What debris needs to be cleared from my heart today so that the One True King can make His arrival evident in my heart? In the wilderness of my heart, what is blocking Jesus from being visible on every path and corner? Are prickly branches of worry and doubt inhibiting His advent? What about roots of bitterness blocking His thoroughfare? Are there boulders of strongholds that need to be removed? What rubbish and rubble needs to be cleared in order for Jesus to pave a highway in my heart? How can I prepare my heart for Him this Christmas?

Isaiah says, “Every valley shall be raised up.” Are you in a valley of despair? The King’s arrival will raise you up. “Every mountain and hill made low.” Our pride is made humble before His great majesty. “The rough ground shall become level.” God shows up in the rough places of our lives and gives us stability. “And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together.” May all of your loved ones together see the glory of the Lord’s arrival this Christmas. His arrival to the manger. His arrival in the flesh. His arrival to the cross. His arrival to life from death. His arrival to your hearts and lives, not just at Christmas, but every day. Christmas is Emmanuel! God with us! Pave a highway in your heart so His glory can be revealed. Merry Christmas!