No matter how many Christmases I’ve lived through, I always feel unprepared when the calendar rolls around to December again. It doesn’t matter how early I start shopping, how many rolls of wrapping paper I buy, or how much food I freeze ahead. When the calendar hits December 25th, I’m scrambling like dog chasing after a bone.

Some days, celebrating Christmas feels more like celebrating chaos.

And then, at some point during the season, we’ll sing the beautiful carol “Joy to the World”. Joy to the world! The Lord has come. Let earth receive her King. Let ev’ry heart prepare Him room…

Prepare? That’s what I try to do all year and I’m still a hot mess. But I recently mediated on the lyric and God has revealed some amazing things.

After reading through the Gospels, I realized half of the people in the nativity were prepared…Mary prepared her heart for faithfulness to God, as did the widow Anna, and my favorite Simeon.

But the rest were like me…woefully unprepared.

Joseph was shocked to learn his betrothed was expecting, until the angel came to him in a dream. The shepherds fell to their knees and trembled when the hosts of heaven burst into the calm of midnight and proclaimed the birth of the King. And then there will all the inn and tavern keepers throughout Bethlehem who could not hold the swell of visitors that arrived with Caesar’s census. They missed the sound of God filling the quiet room with a lusty cry. The Author of Life crying peace into the darkness. What beauty, what mind-bending astonishment.

Every person God ever used in a mighty way was interrupted. Moses, Joseph, Noah, Elijah, Gideon, Paul, Mary, and more. To celebrate Christmas is to celebrate interruption.

It’s easy to get wrapped up in hanging the lights and rushing around to get all the shopping done, but ignore the homeless shelters. It’s far too convenient to plan our Christmas menu and fight the crowds at the grocery store than to give our time visiting someone who is lonely. It’s easier to check off our do-list than forgive the family member who hurt us so deeply.
“No room.” “No time.” “I’m tired.” If we’re so busy doing things for Jesus that we can’t stop and lend a hand to the least of these, then we’ve missed Him.

Perhaps we need to stop looking at interruptions as problems, and instead see them as opportunities.

And what if Mary and Joseph had refused to bend to divine interruption? Both of them willingly took on a shame that wasn’t their own to bring the Savior into the world Who would eventually bear a shame that wasn’t His. He did it for you and me.

We may not get all the presents wrapped in pretty bows, or check off every item on our to-do lists, or have our houses decorated like Hallmark cards, but each of us can prepare our hearts for Jesus. Embrace the interruptions, sing His praises, and worship in His presence.