BYOFJT?
I’ve never argued with a Christmas Carol before. But that’s what I found myself doing last night. There I was at this perfectly lovely Advent gathering – the violin playing, the candles glowing, the ladies singing. I didn’t have to look at the familiar lyrics on the screen because I could sing them in my sleep:
“O Come, all ye faithful. Joyful and triumphant …”
That’s when it hit me like a slap in the face. Faithful? Joyful? Triumphant?
Hear ye, hear ye! That’s not me! Those aren’t the first three words that leap to mind to describe my 2015. They’re probably the last.
Wouldn’t it be awful if God’s Christmas invitation to “O Come Let Us Adore Him, Christ the Lord,” read at the bottom: BYOFJT? (Bring Your Own Faithfulness, Joy and Triumph) That would be a very lonely party!
But here is the GOOD NEWS (with all due respect to lyricist, John Francis Wade.) – Christmas is an invitation to all sinners “Poor and needy. Weak and Wounded. Sick and Sore. Jesus ready, stands to save you. Full of pity, love and power.”
What a relief! My sin – not my faithfulness, joy, or triumphant life – is what qualifies me to be the perfect person to come and adore Jesus. I don’t have to fix me up (or my house up!) to be filled anew with the wonder of His love.
As you prepare your heart and your home this Advent season, let this song, “Come Ye Sinners,” be a new “carol” on your play list. If it’s not Christmas without Amy Grant singing, you’ll be delighted to hear her voice in the duet. Give special attention to the line, “If you tarry ’til you’re better. You will never come at all.”
O come with me to adore Jesus – with all our mess – this Christmas. Of all the invitations you receive this season, accept His first to come be with Him. Spend time alone with Him in prayer, pondering His word, celebrating His love. Jesus will give you the best party favor of all – His faithfulness, His joy, and His triumph.
Let’s give Him all the glory – Christ the Lord!
