“Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing.”
It takes but a glance around us to validate our need for joy even today – devastating news, gloomy faces, broken hearts, unfulfilled longings, disappointing endeavors, etc. Just last night, a beloved friend's post opened my eyes to see the vileness of continued racial slurs and hatred intended for brown-hued people such as I. My heart broke with sadness as I read words no human being should ever write let alone read. I need joy.
In the past also, joy was needed. When a bright star, THE promised star, invaded the lives of wise men from the east, it brought great joy to them because of the promises locked within it. When the angels appeared to the shepherds of Bethlehem, they delivered “tidings of great joy” intended for all people regardless of status, nation, gender, etc. And that fortuitous, joy-unearthing announcement was and is and always will be the birth of a Savior who is Christ, the Lord.
“Joy to the world, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
Repeat the sounding joy.”
And so we sing.
"We sing to Him whose wisdom formed the ear
Our songs, let Him who gave us voices, hear;
We joy in God who is the Spring of mirth,
Who loves the harmony of Heav'n and earth.
Our humble sonnets shall that praise rehearse
Who is the music of the universe.
And whilst we sing, we consecrate our art
And offer up with every tongue a heart."
-- Nathaniel Ingelo
We sing to Him in whom all things hold together.
We sing to Him in whom we live and move and have our being.
We sing to Him who is our everlasting Immanuel—God with us.
But why is joy so often missing in our hearts?
The world often defines joy as the absence of grief but the Word of God teaches us that joy is found in the One who gladdens and restores hearts amidst the toughest of trials. In fact, David said, “Weeping may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5b). Weeds of sin, rebellion, and disobedience, as it turns out, aid joylessness to go rampant in our hearts. Thus, the Coming One brings a message of repentance, salvation, and transformation.
“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.”
What a gracious promise to our gloomy hearts!
May we fully embrace His message and may the resulting joy be seen and felt by all who hear and respond to the gift of the Son! May our eyes and hearts be open to spot the people in our lives in need of God’s steadfast love and salvation! Whether through a card, a visit, a conversation, a hug, a handshake, or whatever, may we be used as channels of the joy of Advent to a woe-stricken world! May we be used as bearers of “tidings of great joy” for those who are still pining to hear good news!
Indeed, may we gratefully receive His gift of joy today!
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