On this third Sunday of Advent, as we wait for the one who is coming, we continue to set our minds and hearts on the necessity of Christ. Today, enjoy this original reading from Brad Montague.

We all know the first part of the song “Joy to the World,” right?

Joy to the world!

Yeah! That’s it. Nice work.

It was years before I could sing any of the rest of the song. Still, it’s impossible for me to do so without the lyrics right in front of me. It’s a song where I think I know the lyrics, but really only know the tune. There’s a line in it that somehow never caught my attention until last year. It stopped me cold:

Joy to the world, The Lord is come! Let earth receive her King! Let every heart prepare Him room…

Prepare Him room. Yeah. That line.

“Excuse me, but … um… the embodiment of love and all things good and true is coming. Do you have room? Sorry to bother you, but there is this world-shaking, rule-breaking, life-altering JOY that is headed your way – could you clear out some space for it?”

My schedule is too packed for anything new. No surprises. No time. No room. How silly. Living this way not only completely misses the lyrics, but also the tune and pretty much the entire symphony God is calling me to hear.

Time to rebel against my schedule and make room for the joy.

Typically, rebellions are fueled by anger. Whether it’s tea being thrown into the Boston Harbor or destroying the Death Star, usually rebellions are the result of a lot of yelling and sore feelings. However, this rebellion is fueled by joy. We have a joyful vision for how things could be, should be, and will be. That’s what moves us.

We have a joy that doesn’t end. May our hearts reflect that. May our schedules reflect that, too. May we swell with so much joy that we can’t help but sing about it – even if don’t know all the words.

– Brad Montague

We invite you to download our entire Advent guide and original Christmas recordings at bloodwaterstore.org/christmas.