Our pastor’s sermon Sunday was titled PREPARE HIM ROOM.   There was no “room” at the Inn, or anywhere in town, as Mary and Joseph entered into Bethlehem.   As the Creator of the Universe entered into humanity, there was no room. 

Yet, He came.  He entered in the humblest of ways.  He entered quietly and in a remote location, possibly a cave or stable with just his parents present.  The King of Kings.  The Prince of Peace.  The Messiah….quietly and humbly came.

The sermon this Sunday was a challenge to change this storyline…. to intentionally PREPARE ROOM FOR CHRIST in our hearts and daily lives this CHRIST_MAS (meaning the birth of Christ).   This is a holy day (holiday) yet, even as believers, we can become preoccupied with “things” of the season that have nothing to do with Christ’s birth at all!   As parents/grandparents/caregivers, let’s be bold in leading our littles in celebrating JESUS above all else.

Joy to the World, Phil Wickham:

Joy to the world the Lord is come
Let earth receive her king
Let every heart prepare Him room
And heaven and nature sing
And heaven and nature sing
And heaven and Heaven and nature sing

How can we MAKE ROOM for CHRIST in our families this Christmas?  And how can this fit into Booking Time with Our Kids?

Let go.   Let go of some of the STUFF.  We can let go of some of the decorating……it will be okay!  In reality, the stuff is just stuff!   If all of the lights are not hung and all of the greenery and nutcrackers are not displayed, honestly, what does it matter?  Does it matter?

Choose wisely and selectively.  There will be lots of invitations and opportunities to visit with friends, to attend holiday celebrations, and to serve.  Choose.  Choose the activities that focus on Christ, on giving and serving, and let go of some of the others.  Instead, PLAN evenings at home with just the family….sit around and fire and read the Christmas story, the real Christmas story, to your kiddoes.  Roast some marshmallows, bake cookies, put on some music, and just hang out with the fam at home.  Talk about Jesus as naturally as we may talk about Santa……more than we talk about Santa!  Right?!

Worship together.  There are all kinds of opportunities for families to worship together at church over Christmas.  Make this a priority.  Plan meals and gift exchanges around church services…not the other way around.  By making worship a priority and by gathering together as the body of Christ, we are teaching our littles that this is important, significant, worthy of our time.  Celebrating and honoring the birth of the Savior is worthy of our time.   

Use an advent calendar.   We can use an advent calendar to count down the days, with excitement, until we celebrate Christ’s birthday.  Each “opening” invites opportunities to discuss who Jesus was, how He came, and why He came.   Our littles understand birthdays and birthday parties…we can build up anticipation about the upcoming birthday party for Jesus!

The point is that we have to let go of some things in order to MAKE ROOM for the most important thing.  Our pastor pointed out the obvious- we all have the same amount of precious time.  It’s a limited 24 hours a day, this side of heaven.  This advent season, let’s figure out how to PREPARE HIM ROOM above all else. Let’s change the storyline and make sure there’s ROOM FOR HIM.

Thanks for reading, and please share! Merry Christmas!