“Are you ready for Christmas?” That question will be asked a lot during December. There’s so much to do, buying and wrapping gifts, decorating, attending parties, cooking, Christmas cards (also the name of our December message series). It can stress you out just thinking about it. But in all the hustle and bustle, it’s easy to miss the reason for the season. The word Advent means to prepare your heart spiritually for the celebration of Jesus’ birth.
Each year, I think about how dark the world must have been before Jesus was born into the world. For thousands of years, the people waited for a Savior to come. As the story was about to unfold, John the Baptist made this bold announcement:
Isaiah was talking about John when he said,
“He is a voice shouting in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming!
Clear the road for him! Luke 3:4 (NLT)
The Life Application Bible explains this verse like this:
“In John’s day, before a king would take a trip, messengers would tell those he was planning to visit to prepare the roads for him. Similarly, John told his listeners to make their lives ready so the Lord could come to them. This does not mean that you must get rid of all your sin or wrongdoing before you can accept Christ; rather, when you accept Him, He takes care of all your sinfulness. To prepare the way means clearing aside the baggage of the past and the doubts of the present in order to let the King come into your life. He’ll take it from there.”
Are you ready? Are you preparing your heart for Jesus? It’s so important to pause from all the Christmas rush to remember and look forward to what Christmas is really all about. I have included an attachment that has a Bible verse for each day leading up to Christmas that will help you get ready for Christmas this year. As you spend time with Him, you’ll find your heart at peace, ready to be filled with the wonder and awe of Christmas!