BPW 179 "Thou didst leave thy throne and thy kingly crown" has survived the worst excesses of the, often unhelpful, re-working to modern English that has resulted in odd variants of many better known carols.

Strictly, only the first two verses relate to Christmas, but the recurrent theme of Jesus being unwelcome, unaccepted and even homeless carries through the rest of the hymn, which works it's way, very swiftly, through his entire ministry.

No room to be born, nowhere permanent to live during his earthly ministry, abandoned at calvary...

This hymn is explicitly a personal response to the despised and rejected Jesus - there IS space in MY heart for you.

Is there, though? Or are we so cynical and world weary that the story no longer moves us?

And, I wonder, just how much room to I allow Jesus to occupy in my heart?  Who and what is jostling for my love, my embrace?  And, if Jesus comes to us in other people, who is it that I rejct, and in so-doing reject him?

Hmmm. I love this song, but today it feels very challenging!

The electric keyboard accompaniment on this recording is not the greatest thing to listen to, but the words surely transcend that: