Joy To The World

© Worship Leaders University

'Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth:

Make a loud noise, and rejoice and sing praise.

Sing unto the Lord with the harp;

With the harp and the voice of a psalm.

With trumpets and sound of cornet

Make a joyful noise before the Lord, the King' Psalm 98:4-6 (KJV)

On the third Sunday of the Advent, 17 Dec 2023, we lit the third candle signifying Joy. This is often known as the Shepherds' Candle and the words accompanying the lighting are, 'Today we light the pink candle, known as the candle of Joy. We also light the candle of Hope as well as the candle of Peace. The joyful chorus of the angels, appeared to the shepherds in bleak dark winter in the fields of Bethlehem near the stable where the baby Jesus was born. As we light this candle, we remember the shepherds who were in the field watching their flocks when, all of a sudden a bright light shown around them and everything changed.'

While shepherds waited for the dawn, and the dark skies began to turn pink, the angel of the Lord appeared singing the proclamation of the good news that will bring great joy.

'And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

And the angel said unto them, "Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in the manger."

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,"Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace and goodwill toward men.' Luke 2:8-14 (KJV)

Christians celebrate every Christmas with great joy and rejoicing. This is well expressed in the carol, 'Joy to the World'

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 Earth, the Savior reigns

Let all 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

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 nature sing

(And Heaven and nature sing)

And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing

And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing

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 nature sing

(And Heaven and nature sing)

And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing

And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing

The lyrics of the song did not convey the usual Christmas imagery. There is nothing about shepherds, a manger, wise men, or angels which are normally associated with the Christmas story. It written as a poem by an English minister, Isaac Watts in 1719. It was based on the 98th Psalm which some say it reflects the triumphant second coming of Christ rather than the first coming. A century later this poem was put to music by Lowell Mason and released around Christmas time and  quickly became one of the most beloved Christmas carols.

Psalm 98 celebrates God as King, it is one of seven 'enthronement' psalms. It can be divided into three parts

• Praise the Lord for the great and mighty things He has done. Psalm 98:1-3 (NKJV) 

'Oh sing to the Lord a new song! For the He has done marvelous things;

His right hand and His holy arm have gained Him the victory.

The Lord has made known His salvation;

His righteousness He has revealed in the sight of the nations

He has remembered His mercy and His faithfulness to the house of Israel;

All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.'

• Praise the Lord with great joy and worship Him as King. Psalm 98:4-6 (NKJV)

'Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth;

Break forth in song, rejoice and sing praises

Sing to the Lord with the harp,

With the harp and the sound of a psalm,

With trumpets and the sound of a horn;

Shout joyfully before the Lord, the King.'

• Praise the Lord of all nature anticipating the coming King Psalm 98:7-8 (NKJV)

'Let the sea roar and all its fullness,

The world and those who dwell in it;

Let the rivers clap their hands;

Let the hills be joyful together before the Lord.

For He is coming to judge the world

And the peoples with equity'

Reading the Psalm and singing the carol, one cannot help but be filled by the sense of exceeding great joy. It is exuberant joy!

But what is Christian Joy? Many think of joy as a emotive response, a feeling, as celebration of happy circumstances and oftentimes a mood. However, I think of Joy as a virtue, a gift of character from God. This joy is not circumstantial but given as an inner beauty. It is perpetual not fleeting. This is Jesus' Joy in us,

'I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.' John 15:11

At Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed for his followers,

'....so that they will have the full measure of my joy within them.' John 17:13b 

That this joy is permanent and not affected by circumstances is noted by Timothy Keller in a short monogram, The Christian's Happiness (Ref 1) based on Romans 8:28-30. He stated, "If you’re a Christian, you know that Christianity is supposed to be about joy. You probably also know that you’re supposed to experience joy in spite of circumstances. The Bible clearly teaches that joy is available that should make us happy no matter the circumstances. There’s a joy that the deepest trouble can’t put out and, if properly nourished and nurtured, can even overwhelm the greatest grief."

St Paul also stressed the permanence and lasting value of Christian Joy because God is at work in us. 

'And we know that all things work together for the good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.' Romans 8:28-30 (NJKV)

Timothy Keller explained that in the pursuit of happiness, the joy found in Christians is always secure, always unwavering. We should realise that the circumstances in any Christian's life, good or bad, are no different than anybody's. Many Christians believe that if we love and serve God, then we will not have as many bad things happen to us. But Timothy Keller wrote, "That's not true! Horrible things can happen to us and believing in and loving God will not keep them from happening. All the same things that happen to everybody else will happen to people who love God." 

BUT although bad things happen, God works them for our good eventually. The promise is that though things and circumstances may be bad, God will take them and work them to good effects in our lives. 

With this assurance, we can have exceedingly great joy. Keller put this very plainly, "Why can you be joyful no matter what? Your bad things turn out for good, your good things can never be lost, and the best is yet to come." 

 

Lionel

Ref 1: Timothy Keller, The Christian's Happiness. 

https://www.monergism.com/christian%E2%80%99s-happiness-romans-828-30

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