Christmas preparations – Your stable – 11 December 2009

We also need to prepare our stables for Christmas.  Well maybe not quite your stable, but your home!  The stable was central to the story, a humble place where people came to meet a new king and to worship Him.  There was no great preparations, no frenzied cleaning and tidying – just an availability of a peaceful place in which to be, to rest and to fulfil the prophesy.  A place where shepherds and kings could meet with the newborn King.

Our homes are also central to our Christmas time.  They should be a place where we come together as family and with friends, a place where we can relax and rest in the presence of our King. Whilst we may enjoy festooning them with decorations, what we actually need to concentrate on is preparing them to be peaceful and welcoming, and a place where we can easily relax and meet with others and most importantly with the King.  They should be homes where there is peace, and a sense of awe at the miracle of a baby being born to bring salvation.  Do all who enter your home sense the presence of the King?

During advent we take time as a family to prepare our home by doing daily bible readings in our “Candle Time”.  At the end of our day together it is a quiet reflective time where there is always a peace and a sense of God being with us as we talk about Him and give thanks for all He has done.  There is something special about these times that is different to other family times, and we know God is there with us in our home as we take time to prepare.

Prepare your home by working on special times with family and friends, times to restore peace and harmony, to forgive and move on, to enable Gods peace to fill your home, your stable, as He prepares to come again.

Jesus, Help me to prepare my stable for you.  Forgive me for the things in my home which push you aside.  Please help me to restore peace to the stable in readiness for your coming. Amen.