DECEMBER 24 - "Come On In!"

DECEMBER 24 - “Come On In!”

 

I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. — JOHN 15:11

 

One of my favorite moments during the holidays is when the tree is decorated, the cookies are baked, the fire is crackling, music fills the house, and — tadaaa — you throw open the front door and exclaim to your friends, “Come on in! Now the celebration can start!” Suddenly the place comes alive. Welcoming in friends through the front door is pure joy. And it’s joy because it’s shared. Christmas joy is always welcomed with a “Come on in!”

 

That’s the beauty of it. It’s appropriate that the Lord Jesus entered the inside of history from the outside. Joy came through a door when he crossed the threshold of this world. Oh, sure, the world had all the “trimmings” of religion, the right props, and all the tinsel, but it was only when Jesus stepped out of eternity into time that our world experienced genuine joy . . . perhaps for the first time. Oswald Chambers wrote, “The Lord . . . is God incarnate, God coming in to human flesh, coming into it from the outside. Our Lord’s birth was an advent, a coming in. And . . . so he must come into me from the outside, as well.”

 

So there you are, all dressed up in your Christmas best, waiting to share it with someone special. Well, the room will stay empty (no matter how many people walk through your door) and a little lonely until you invite the Lord of Joy inside. It only happens when he is born in you, a “coming into” much like swinging open the front door to welcome a wonderful guest. Jesus stands outside the door of your holiday season. Don’t miss out on the best part of Christmas. Open up and welcome him in.

 

Lord, as I open my heart to you, I have to admit . . . the “house” is not in perfect order. In fact, there is much in disarray. Come in and set things right, Jesus. Come in, come to stay, and fill every corner with your radiant presence.