Christmas Spirit

Christmas is fast approaching! This week is Thanksgiving and after Thursday the holiday season will officially have begun. This is my favorite time of year, maybe because I was born amidst all of the celebrating this season brings, or maybe it's because I'm a Christian. As I get older, the reason for this season becomes more and more real to me. I know, how cheesy can I get...but have you ever taken the time to simply reflect and take in all that Christmas truly is?!
Now, in my household Christmas music is not allowed until the day before Thanksgiving, and no decorations can go up until the day after Thanksgiving...I'm sure this is a result of how I grew up, but I love how everything surrounding this holiday season is sacred. (On a side note: it makes me sick how the retail industry sucks the life out of Christmas by putting out Christmas decorations and advertising by Halloween! YUCK!!) Anyway, I really like to try keeping everything "Christmas" special....but this morning I had a revelation, and I may be changing all of my "rules"!
I was having my morning coffee, watching the Today Show as I usually do during the week. Today, Faith Hill was a musical guest and she sang a few Christmas songs...now, I don't particularly care for Faith Hill, and that will have to be another blog, but I stayed seated on my couch and watched as she belted out JOY TO THE WORLD. As a singer, sometimes I have a problem when people sing to get past how they sound vocally, but this morning I wasn't focusing on her voice, but the words of the song...and I began to cry! I know, you're thinking, well that's not surprising-you cry all the time Courtney...but this time I cried for a reason.
Let me share with you the words to this song, one of so many that I'm sure we all tend to over look because we have heard them our entire lives and because of this reason take for granted the message the writers so beautifully put on paper for all the world to hear:

Joy to the World , the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.

Joy to the World, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.

Isn't that BEAUTIFUL!! I was sitting there in my family room just taking in the lyrics...and I couldn't help but think to myself that this was the perfect song! I mean, "let every heart prepare Him room"?! There is no better way to say what each and every one of us should be doing, not only during this time of the year, but the entire year through! Yes, Christmas is about the birth of Jesus...but really, it is so much more! It's the birth of our Savior!! It is the foundation of all I believe!! Without the virgin birth, we would have nothing!! How can you not celebrate this truth!!...and why do we only celebrate it once a year?!
Well, as I was sitting there pondering all of these thoughts, I decided to google "Joy to the world", and did you know that there is an entire verse that is left out of this "perfect" song?!...and it's the best one! Here it is:

No more will sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He's come to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse was found,
Far as the curse was found,
Far as, far as, the curse was found.

Doesn't that make the song even more perfect?! What a wonderful reminder that because of Jesus, we are FREE from our sin! Why don't we sing this verse?!!
I have decided that this song will forever be the first "Christmas" song I listen to each year, and I may not wait until the day before Thanksgiving to play it because there is no other song that can put me in the right frame of mind for the best time of the year.
I hope amidst all of my rambling, I've made some sort of sense and that you too have been reminded of why this holiday is so wonderful...it's not because of the food, gifts and time with family, although all of these things are nice. It's because of Jesus...it's His birthday, and it's ours too...it is the birth of our freedom...and I can't think of any other gift I could want but freedom in Christ! To quote one of my favorite worship songs..Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is FREEDOM...there is Peace, there is Joy, there is Love....go give these gifts this holiday season, and the whole year through!!