For Wilshire Baptist Church
“It looks like home again.” That’s the comment one of us made last weekend after we put much of Christmas away while watching bowl games on TV. The latter was made all the easier after I took down the garland swags that were crowding the TV cabinet above the fireplace.
Not that we don’t love the decorations of Christmas. We do, and we go all out compared to some. In the carol “Joy to the World,” we sing “prepare Him room,” and we do that in every room of our house and outside as well, which means there is a lot to pack up and put away when Christmas is over.
But the full line from the carol is, “let every heart prepare him room,” and that’s a different kind of room. That’s getting into your personal space. That’s a long-term relationship. That’s roommates in the most intimate way. So even while we’re picking up the trimmings of Christmas, the relationship continues. At least it should.
The good news is our rooms don’t have to be perfect. We’re all works in progress, and even when we think we’re finished being prepared, there’s always something to be added or fixed.
Earlier this week we attended the first basketball game at Baylor’s new Foster Pavilion. We were told the facility was not completely finished but was “fan and basketball ready.” Indeed, there was no landscaping outside, and inside if you looked closely, you could see some walls didn’t have baseboards and some features still needed paint. We’ve heard some of the non-public areas won’t be ready for months, but the wood court was down, the seats were installed, the light and sound systems were up and running. In short, both athletes and fans had everything they needed for a great time together.
We’re that way too. We’re incomplete, but with the grace of God we’re ready and able to host the baby of Christmas and the Messiah that he became.
Earlier in the day we drove a few miles north of Waco to Homestead Heritage, an “agrarian- and craft-based intentional Christian community” with quaint shops and markets. Some were not open at mid-week after the holidays, but when we got to the gristmill where they process coffee, tea, corn and other grains, the door opened and a man inside greeted us and then left us alone while we browsed. When we went to check out, we asked if he’d had much business and he said he was actually closed and doing inventory, but he had been welcoming people all day. We apologized for the intrusion but he offered us some hot chocolate and said we could sit in the warmth of the woody building as long as we wished. We declined but thanked him and walked out marveling at his gracious hospitality.
We can be that way too. We can be unprepared for relationship, but we can still welcome people with hospitality and provide an environment for making connections, and as another song says, perhaps “the ties that bind.”
We’re still not finished putting Christmas away. We still have lots of stuff to box up and push back into what we call “the Christmas attic.” And I’ll spend a couple of hours in the relative warmth of Saturday afternoon taking the lights off the house. Christmas will be done for another year, although it doesn’t have to be – if we’ve prepared Him room.