O Come, All Ye Faithful

“City street lights, even stop lights, blink a bright red and green, as the shoppers rush home with their treasures. Hear the snow crunch. See the kids bunch. This is Santa’s big scene. And above all this bustle you’ll hear…”

This song reminds me of the Christmas preparation that Americans partake in each year. I can just imagine the scene: the malls are bustling with last-minute shoppers; the children are asking Santa for one more toy; lights twinkle in each neighborhood; Christmas music can be heard everywhere you turn; the house smells of cinnamon and nutmeg; neatly wrapped packages, both large and small, are gathered beneath a beautifully trimmed tree. People are also preparing menus for the big Christmas meal, making travel plans to visit family and friends, and wrapping those last minute gifts. Even here in Africa, people are preparing for Christmas in very similar ways. This Christmas the people of Ikotos are preparing to slaughter a goat for the big meal. The people of Torit are busy buying nice dresses, shirts, trousers, and shoes for the Christmas festivities. People all over Sudan are preparing for long journeys to visit family and friends. Even here in Loki, Kenya, we are preparing for a big missionary potluck. But what have we been preparing for?

A voice of one calling:

“In the desert prepare the way for the Lord;
make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God.”

(Isaiah 40:3)

This verse has come up four different times in my quiet times and church services this Christmas season. Although the voice of one calling applies to John the Baptist, the message is clear for all Christians: “prepare the way for the Lord!” I believe the prophet Isaiah is telling us to prepare our hearts to receive the greatest gift of all: Christ our Savior. “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). What a wonderful gift! In response to that gift, the only thing God asks of us is to prepare our hearts and come. “O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant; O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem; come and behold Him, born the King of angels: O come let us adore Him, Christ, the Lord.” We just simply have to come; come adore the King of angels; come adore the baby born of Mary; come adore Christ, our Lord.

As you finish your Christmas preparations, my prayer is that you would also prepare your hearts to receive the greatest gift the world has ever been given. Please do not leave Christ out of your Christmas festivities but place Him at the center of them. I would encourage you to spend some time in prayer Christmas morning, attend a Christmas day/eve church service, or read through the scriptures of Jesus’ birth with your family. Praise the Lord for His glorious gift! May the Lord wrap you with His love this Christmas season. Merry Christmas to you all!

“Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.”
~Luke 2:11