Have you ever had to pull your car over because you heard a new song that touched you so deeply, you could not stop the tears? It happened to me the other day.
Truth be told, I do not like cheesy Christmas songs. Give me the oldies, but do not try to woo me with corny lyrics about the season. Yet, this song snuck through my Seasonal Song radar. The lyrics described the Advent season in a way I had never heard before. A thousand thoughts ran through my head in a single second. I knew this was a holy moment.
When we think of the Christmas season, it all seems so magical. We plan the perfect dinners, buy the perfect presents, and take the perfect Christmas photos. If your life is shiny and bright right now, it is a magical time.
But we live in a world with pain and loss. People are struggling. Our Instagram photos might tell a happy story, but our heart cries often tell another. People carry hidden pain.
The road to Advent can be rocky. The journey to the manger is not always filled with joyful anticipation, neatly wrapped with a bow. It is often filled with questions, anxiety, pain, and dare I say it... dread.
We have a seasoned saint at our church who speaks with such authority about the scriptures. She always says we must take what the world is saying and flip it to see where God is. That is where this new song comes in.
The words of this new song I heard were not written for the people walking the road to Bethlehem with sunshine on their faces and wonder in their eyes. The words were written for those dragging their feet, dreading facing days filled with pain, loss, and rain clouds of despair. If you cannot seem to find the Manger this season, because of unanswered prayers and questions without answers, it is for you.
“Come you unfaithful
Come all you unworthy
Come you with nothing to offer Him
Come you unrighteous
Come you undeserving.
Rejoice He came for you
Rejoice He came for you
Rejoice He came for you
Christ the Lord.”
If you are facing a hard, tear-filled day, instead of an easy, joy-filled holiday, this song is for you. It is a reminder of why Jesus came to earth 2,000 years ago—to seek and save the lost. So often, we get caught up in what we think a Christ-follower should look like and overlook those He came for—the lost and broken. Luke 5:31-32 says, “Jesus answered them, ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.’”
If your Christmas is turning out differently than you planned, the message Jesus has for you is simple:
Come. Just come.
If you are reading this, it is a sign that God is calling you to Him this season. He is inviting you to come with your questions, your pain, your anger, and all your hurt. Jesus was born in a stable, an ordinary place where no one would have expected Him. He did not show up at a palace because He knew you would not be there. Christ never came to be put on a shelf, appearing to be only for a few perfect people. He did not come for the once-a-year holiday season filled with man-made traditions. The Advent of His coming was not for perfectly wrapped packages, cookies, and curated photos for your social media brand. He was born with the title Immanuel—God with us. He came to be with us.
All of us.
He came to meet us in our questions, tears, and doubts. He came to meet the broken people right where they are today. He did not come for a select few with matching Christmas jammies…He came for those who crawl into bed, pull up the covers, and hope they never have to come out. He came for sinners. He came for me and for you. The world might be whispering you are not worthy, but that is a lie. He is whispering to your heart, even now, that he alone can take the ashes of your messes and turn them into something beautiful. The invitation is easy….
Just come.
If you are a regular church attender, it is time to prepare Him room—room for His children to have a place at the table. When non-regular attenders show up for services this weekend, make room for them to come.
Make room for their colored hair, smelly clothes, and non-traditional values. Make room for them to come and experience the reason for the season—Jesus. Make room for the Holy Spirit to show up and call them home.
Make room for that mama who prayed with all her heart that her children would just go to church with her on Christmas. I promise you, the only Christmas miracle she is looking for is a pew filled with her loved ones. It is all she wants. Do not give her a judgmental glance—give her a holy, tear-filled hug, celebrating this moment with her. Tell her how you prayed for this moment for her family, and you are thanking God for this answered prayer.
This Christmas, may we all remember to simply come. Come …to hear the songs that touch our hearts. Come …to acknowledge the pain others may carry. Come …to make room—not just in our churches, but in our lives.
The message of Christmas is for everyone. It is for the joyful and the sorrowful, the prepared and the unprepared, the faithful and the wandering. Those already home and those that are on the way.
So, come. Let us meet at the manger and let us rejoice in the hope, peace, and love that Christ brings. Immanuel—God is truly with us.
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