The Gospel for the Underprepared

The next person who asks me if I’m ready for Christmas is going to get a complete run-down of my constantly ballooning To Do list, bullet point by bullet point, in a rapidly escalating panic-shriek that ends with my nose two inches from theirs and full-blown crazy eyes.

The short answer is: I’m not ready for Christmas, and at this point, I’m not sure I’m going to be.

I find comfort in looking at Joseph and Mary and realizing that they weren’t ready that first Christmas either. Mary was far too young to have a baby; Joseph had totally blown finding reasonable accommodations; and their guests were either last-minute invites or two years late.

We see that, similarly to having a baby, Christmas is coming for us whether we’re ready for it or not.

There’s no slowing down time. There’s no putting it off for another day. There might be rearranging expectations or prioritizing the To Do list, but whether the gifts are wrapped or the treats are baked or the traditions honored, December 25th will dawn with the same predictability as all the other days of the year.

And here is the good news: we don’t have to be ready for it.

Much like His arrival in Mary and Joseph’s lives, Christ will come regardless of how prepared we are. In large part, this is because God had done everything that needed to be done on the preparation front. Christ’s arrival had been anticipated and prepared for for thousands of years. It was no surprise to God. He had everything in place just the way he wanted it. And that was as it should be. Because once again, Christ’s coming has far more to say about who God is (loving, sacrificial, giving, prepared, sovereign) than who we are.

So this year, as we sing the words, “Let every heart prepare him room,” and some of us start panicking about how we have a completely unlit wreath of Advent candles three weeks into Advent (yes, that’s me), let’s remember that Jesus says, “Here I am. I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.”

He never says, “If anyone hears my voice and opens the door to a perfectly decorated home,” or “If anyone hears my voice and opens the door to offer me an artistically wrapped present,” or “If anyone hears my voice and opens the door to present me with seven different kinds of home-baked Christmas treats.” No. All we need to do in order to prepare Him room is to open the door and welcome Him in.

And last time I checked, that requires zero preparation on our part.

So, yes, stuff the stockings, sing the carols, ice the cookies with your kids, if you have the time and energy and inclination. But remember the gospel for the underprepared: Christ comes, and so does Christmas, and we don’t have to be ready for either of those eventualities.

We just get to hear His voice and open the door.

And that may be the best gift we receive all season. Even better than the fancy new day planner we’re all hoping will fix our preparation issues for next year.