Dear friend.
The opening refrain of the glad Christmas hymn says, “Joy to the world, the Lord is come / Let earth receive her King / Let every heart prepare Him room…” The song reminds us that the Christmas season is here and our hearts are warmed with the thoughts of the humble, long-ago entrance of the Christ into this world as a babe in a lowly manger.
But we remember, and our hearts are also saddened when we think that when Christ came into this world, many who believed they were ready to receive Him were the most unprepared. There was no room in the inn for Joseph, Mary, and the soon-to-be-born Christ Child, but more significantly, there was no room for the Christ Child in many hearts.
Prior to giving His greatest gift on Calvary, Jesus gladdened the hearts of His disciples with the promise that He would come again, and He assured them that while away He would prepare them rooms (John 14:1-3). The One who had no room prepared for Him when He came into this world, promised to prepare us rooms ahead of His return. How marvelous!
Although many were unprepared to receive Christ when He came the first time, no one needs to be unprepared when He comes the second. Jesus is asking us to prepare Him room now so He can share the rooms He’s preparing for us now (Revelation 3:20).
That Christ has found a home in many of your hearts is evident in your endless giving this year towards preparing others to enter those rooms Christ is preparing for them. Your gifts to Operation Joash and your recent response to Project Paradise stand out in my mind. Close to $20,000 in donations have been collected and distributed to our Adventist friends in need in the Paradise area. These acts reveal room has been prepared for Christ in your heart.
Now it’s time to redirect our Christ-inspired giving toward the Sacramento area. We have gotten a little behind helping others. Remember, when you give to Central, you are supporting the feeding & clothing of the needy; free dental & vision services; quality Christian education for our youth; free truth-filled literature to our community; in-home Bible studies; local & global evangelism; and more.
On Sabbath, December 15, 2018 you will be given a special opportunity during the worship service to give toward furthering the message of our church to our community—prepare Him room! It’s our Annual Year-End Love Offering, and I would like to invite you to bring your gifts to church (if you’re away you are welcome to give here, or mail/drop off your gift to the church to be received before December 31at 6045 Camellia Avenue, Sacramento, CA 95819) as we each give as Jesus gave when He came as the Christ Child.
Have you prepared Him room? Has Jesus been welcomed into every corner of the house of your heart? This holiday season let us settle these questions, if we haven’t done so yet.
May you have a blessed Christmas & New Year!
Pastor Chris Buttery
