“And he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.” – Luke 1:17
Have you ever had guests coming and suddenly realized your home was nowhere near ready? The frantic cleaning begins—clearing countertops, vacuuming floors, and perhaps stuffing random items into closets (please tell me I’m not the only one who does this). There’s something about an impending visit that motivates us to create space and bring order to our surroundings.
As we approach the holiday season, we’re reminded of another kind of preparation—not for holiday guests, but for Christ Himself. In the familiar Christmas carol “Joy to the World,” we sing the line “Let every heart prepare Him room.” But what does it actually mean to prepare room for Jesus in our hearts and lives?
The Original Preparation
The concept of preparing for the Lord’s coming wasn’t new with Jesus. Throughout the Old Testament, God called His people to preparation. But perhaps the clearest picture comes through John the Baptist, described in our Scripture as one who would “make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”
John’s ministry was all about preparation. He called people to repentance, to straighten crooked paths, to level mountains and fill valleys (Luke 3:4-6). His message wasn’t gentle or accommodating but urgent and direct: “Prepare the way of the Lord!”
Why was this preparation necessary? Because without it, people wouldn’t recognize the Messiah when He came. And indeed, many didn’t. Despite John’s preparatory work, many people’s hearts were so cluttered with other expectations, agendas, and attachments that they had no room for Jesus—at least not the Jesus who actually came, rather than the one they wanted.
Our Modern Clutter
Two thousand years later, we face the same challenge. Our hearts and lives easily become cluttered with things that leave little room for Christ. The irony is that this clutter often intensifies during the very season meant to celebrate His coming.
What fills our hearts and lives, potentially crowding out Christ?
1. Activity Without Purpose
The holiday season brings a flurry of activities—shopping, decorating, attending events, preparing meals. None of these are wrong, but collectively they can create such busyness that we have no space for quiet reflection or meaningful connection with God and others.
As one writer observed, “Being busy has become a status symbol in our society.” We wear our busyness like a badge of honor, forgetting that an overcrowded schedule often leads to an undernourished soul.
2. Acquisition and Accumulation
Our consumer culture reaches its zenith during the holidays. We’re bombarded with messages about what we need to buy to make the season special. The pursuit of more—more decorations, more gifts, more experiences—can leave us spiritually suffocated under the weight of material things.
Jesus warned about this when He said, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15). Yet how easily we forget this truth when faced with holiday marketing.
3. Anxiety and Worry
For many, the holiday season brings financial stress, family tensions, or painful memories. These legitimate concerns can consume our mental and emotional energy, leaving little capacity for experiencing God’s presence.
Jesus addressed this directly: “Do not be anxious about your life… which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?… Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:25, 27, 33).
4. Artificial Expectations
Perhaps the most insidious form of clutter comes from unrealistic expectations—the perfect family gathering, the magical Christmas morning, the Instagram-worthy decorations. These expectations often lead to disappointment and can blind us to the simple, profound wonder of Immanuel, God with us.
Practical Preparation
So how do we prepare room for Christ this season? How do we clear the clutter that might prevent us from truly welcoming Him? Here are some practical suggestions:
1. Practice Intentional Subtraction
Preparation often involves removing things, not just adding them. Consider what you might need to subtract this season:
- Maybe it’s saying no to certain events or commitments
- Perhaps it’s limiting social media that fuels comparison or consumption
- It could be letting go of a tradition that has lost its meaning or joy
As Richard Foster wisely noted, “In contemporary society our Adversary majors in three things: noise, hurry, and crowds. If he can keep us engaged in ‘muchness’ and ‘manyness,’ he will rest satisfied.”
What “muchness” might you need to reduce to make space for Christ?
2. Create Pockets of Silence
John the Baptist’s ministry happened in the wilderness—a place of quiet and simplicity. Similarly, we need wilderness spaces in our lives where we can hear God’s voice without distraction.
This might look like:
- Setting aside your phone for the first 30 minutes of each day
- Taking a silent walk to reflect and pray
- Establishing a “quiet corner” in your home for daily reflection
- Driving without radio or podcasts for a portion of your commute
In his book The Way of the Heart, Henri Nouwen writes, “Silence is the home of the word. Silence gives strength and fruitfulness to the word.” Without silence, the Word cannot take deep root in our lives.
3. Engage in Meaningful Advent Practices
Advent (the four weeks leading up to Christmas) was traditionally a season of preparation. Reclaiming simple Advent practices can help us prepare room for Christ:
- Light Advent candles with a brief reading and prayer
- Read through the Christmas narratives slowly, a few verses each day
- Create a simple daily ritual that points to Christ’s coming
- Use an Advent devotional to guide your reflections
These practices need not be elaborate—even five minutes of focused attention can begin to clear space in a cluttered heart.
4. Examine Your Heart
John the Baptist called people to repentance—to honest self-examination and turning from sin. This remains essential preparation for Christ’s coming into our lives.
Ask yourself:
- What attitudes or actions in my life are contrary to Christ’s character?
- Where have I allowed other loyalties to supersede my commitment to Christ?
- What would it look like to “make straight paths” in my particular circumstances?
This examination isn’t about shame but about clearing obstacles to a deeper relationship with Jesus.
The Paradox of Preparation
There’s a beautiful paradox in preparing for Christ: while we work to make room for Him, He is simultaneously preparing us. As John’s father Zechariah prophesied, it is the Lord himself who “visited us… to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace” (Luke 1:68, 79).
Our preparation is always a response to His prior action. We make room because He first made His way to us. We clear space because He has already cleared the ultimate obstacle—sin—that separated us from God.
A Heart with Room
What might it look like to enter this Christmas season with a heart truly prepared for Christ? Perhaps it would mean experiencing:
- Wonder instead of weariness
- Presence instead of presents (though gifts can certainly be meaningful!)
- Worship instead of worry
- Simplicity instead of stress
The invitation of this season is not to do more but to make room for the One who matters most. As we sing in another beloved carol, “O come to my heart, Lord Jesus; there is room in my heart for Thee.”
Next week, we’ll explore “The Discipline of Waiting”—how the spiritual practice of patient expectation prepares us to receive what God wants to give, even in our culture of immediate gratification.