Let Every Heart

Image: Unsplash 

Let every heart prepare him room. 

The carol writers got it. There are no songs more dominionist than Christmas carols. Because they were written by optimistic Christians who expected Christianity to overcome the world. 

"Joy to the world! The Lord has 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

No more let sins and sorrows grow

Nor thorns infest the ground

He comes to make

His blessings flow

Far as the curse is found

Far as the curse is found

Far as, far as the curse is found.

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."

"Let every hearr prepare him room...the Savior reigns."

I know this song was not originally intended as a Christmas Carol. But it has rightly become one, because the writer has captured the optimistic and triumphant message of Christmas; the inauguration of the kings reign. The Christian songs we sing at Christmas all have this emphasis, that the king is here and he reigns. They were written by Christians who rightly expected to win, because we are on the true king's team. 

May the Christianity which expected Jesus' words that the yeast of faith would overcome the whole world and that the gates of hell would not prevail, return. And may we be soon rid of the pessimism that says Christianity is going to lose and we will be raptured out at the last minute before it gets really bad. Such defeatist theology does great harm. 

There's a reason no one sings defeatist Christmas carols. Christmas as a cultural phenomenon was produced by an optimistic Christianity. Proclaim the coming of the king, and if you are not on the Kings team you've still got time, but we don't know how much, so join it soon. 

Let earth receive her King!

Let every heart prepare Him room.