Preparing Our Hearts for Christmas

As the days grow shorter and the calendar is filled with parties, programs, and plans, it is easy for Christmas to arrive before our hearts are ready to receive it. The season invites us not only to prepare our homes with decorations and our schedules with celebrations, but to prepare our hearts to welcome Christ anew.

Advent reminds us that Christmas is not merely a date on the calendar; it is a holy encounter. Long before the manger in Bethlehem, God’s people learned to wait—to hope, to watch, and to trust that God would keep His promises. Preparing our hearts begins with slowing down enough to remember why we are waiting in the first place. In the quiet moments of prayer and reflection, we make room for God to speak again into our lives.

Preparing our hearts also means making space. Just as Mary made space in her life for God’s unexpected call, we are invited to examine what fills our days and our thoughts. Are we crowded with worry, resentment, or distraction? Advent gives us permission to lay those burdens down and create room for grace. When we confess, forgive, and let go, we make room for the peace Christ longs to bring.

Another way we prepare our hearts is by choosing hope. The world into which Jesus was born was marked by uncertainty, fear, and longing—not unlike our own. Yet into that darkness came the light of God’s love. As we light Advent candles and sing familiar carols, we proclaim that God is still at work, still faithful, and still present. Preparing our hearts means daring to believe that God can bring light into our darkest places.

Finally, we prepare our hearts by living the message of Christmas before it arrives. The coming of Christ calls us to love generously, serve humbly, and give joyfully. Each act of kindness, each word of encouragement, and each gift given in love becomes a reflection of the Christ who is coming. When we care for the lonely, welcome the stranger, and lift up the weary, we participate in the miracle of Christmas here and now.

This Sunday we will look at how God called unexpected people (the wise men) from an unexpected place (the East) to travel an unexpected time (2 years) to bring their gifts to the Christ-child. Then on Christmas Eve we will celebrate the unimaginable gift of Jesus at both our 3PM and 5PM worship services. Our children will be singing at the 3PM service and the beauty, simplicity, and historicity of Christmas will be fully immersive with carols, communion, a short message, and candle light. We hope to see you on the 21st and on the 24th for these powerful times of worship and word.

As Christmas approaches, may we resist the temptation to rush past the holy wonder of the season. Let us pause, pray, and prepare. May our hearts become a manger—simple, open, and ready—so that when Christmas morning dawns, we are not only celebrating a birth long ago, but welcoming Christ into our lives once again.