For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many. – Mark 10:45
The other day, I was working on music for our Children’s Christmas Musical at the Edmond Campus. Every year, I go through the show and choose which songs to keep and which ones we will cut; it’s typically a quick, methodical process of playing through the music and selecting the most practical numbers. But this year, one of the songs left me in tears.
This year’s musical is about a little boy named Leon. He loves Christmas so much because, well, his name is “noel” spelled backward, but also because he wants the world to know that the true meaning of Christmas is about loving God and loving your neighbor. In Leon’s school, the Christmas pageant is a big deal, and all the kids are pretty competitive about it. They tell Leon he really isn’t theatre material, but somehow Leon lands the part of the Innkeeper. He only has one line to deliver, “No room.” He practices very hard to say his line perfectly, and he is very prepared for his role. During the pageant, when Mary and Joseph come to his door, Leon delivers his line, “No room.” But as they turn to walk away, he can’t bear the thought of turning them away and calls after them, “Wait! Don’t go! Mary and Joseph, come back! You can have my room!” Leon and all the other children then sing together, You can have my room, Jesus. You’re always welcome here, Jesus. I won’t turn you away to a cattle stall. You can have my room, Jesus, you can have it all.
Now, I don’t usually fall to pieces when playing through the Children’s Christmas Musical, but something about this song really struck me. How many times has Christ called me to do something, but I said, “Maybe when I have more time,” or “Maybe when it’s more convenient.” Something about kids singing “You can have my room, Jesus” made me think about the ways that I could be doing more, ways I could be making room for Christ in my life.
This Advent season, I invite you to think about the ways that you can be preparing your heart and preparing your life to receive the gift of God’s love and grace. What ways can we be growing in our spiritual lives and sharing love with others? While Christmas is such a busy time, especially when working at a church, nothing is more important than living our lives in a way that prepares room for Him.
Candace Fish, Edmond Campus Director of Traditional Worship
