Images
(Ken Reyes and Yanan Melo)
Images
(Ken Reyes and Yanan Melo)
(Ken Reyes and Yanan Melo)
Making Room for the Lord (Part I)
LYRICS (Click to minimize)
Hanging lights round the Christmas tree
With Gabriel staring down at me
Christmas chimes and caroling
The melodies that we would sing
Are these images of what Christmas means to me?
Surrounded by my family
Friends of olden memory
A mistletoe and the evergreen
A Christmas Eve as it should be
Are these images of what Christmas means to me?
Oh, I wonder what does Christmas really mean?
Mighty fragility, infinite yet weak
God’s own begotten, omnipotent yet meek
Empty festivity is not what Christmas means
A sacrifice of God’s own life
That’s what Christmas means to me
‘Cause when I think of nativity
A manger for Divinity
The price he paid to come to Earth
Leaving all of Heaven’s worth
These are images of what Christmas means to me
The Garden of Gethsemane
Drops of blood that he poured for me
That Christ would die on Calvary
His blood was shed on a leafless tree
These are images of what Christmas means to me
Yeah, I know that this is what Christmas really means
Mighty fragility, infinite yet weak
God’s own begotten, omnipotent yet meek
Empty festivity is not what Christmas means
A sacrifice of God’s own life
That’s what Christmas means to me
That’s what Christmas means to me
Songwriter: Ken Wyeth Reyes | Yanan Melo
CCLI License #632898
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:1-5, 14 (ESV)
We live in a world of distractions. I believe there are a few times in the year when this is more evident, but not more so than in the Christmas season! We run around looking for gifts. We have to look for all the best food to share with our friends and family. We curse at the traffic that gets in the way of our errands. We attend a hundred parties in ninety-nine days. We put up decorations around our house to show our guests that we do care about Christmas. We are surrounded by what seems like a nationwide or even global frenzy!
What a stark contrast all this is from the birth of our Lord! There were no parties to greet Him, nor celebration, nor decorations, nor gifts.
Of course, there is nothing wrong with celebrating Christmas! Quite the contrary: we should outdo the rest of the world in our celebrations, because we know that utter joy that comes from the truth of Christmas: Immanuel, God is with us!
But the problem is when the truth of Christmas is slowly corroded in our minds and hearts. Slowly, over a period of years or decades, our joy for the Lord is replaced with artificial joy that comes from parties. Our welcoming the Lord is replaced with our efforts to welcome friends and family. Our sacrifice to the Lord is replaced with our gifts to loved ones. What foolish irony!
Let us return to the truth of the Incarnation: God become flesh. We are so used to hearing about this truth that it has tragically lost all weight to us. This should not be so!
The Incarnation is one of the most beautiful truths that Christians confess! In the Incarnation, we see infinitude invade finitude. We see omnipotence encounter weakness. We see light confront darkness. We see perfect meet imperfect. We see God intersect with man!
The Lord Jesus, Perfect God and Perfect Man, is the true meaning of Christmas. His birth was only the beginning! Our very salvation is dependent on the Incarnate Christ.
21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV)
This is the meaning of Christmas! It is the truth of ‘God become man’. It is the truth of ‘Christ come to dwell with us’. It is the truth of our salvation itself!
So celebrate Christmas! Give your gifts with generosity. Sing your carols with fervor. Decorate your tree with beauty. But in all these things, see Christ.
Say no to empty festivity. Say no to vain distractions. Say no to a schedule too full for Christ.
The Lord is here. Make room today.