December 2

Joy to the World!

When is it too early for you to listen to Christmas music?  Halloween too early?  How about Thanksgiving?  Black Friday?  December 1?  When is your “starting line” for changing out your playlist?

Whenever your start line, at some point, most will begin listening to Christmas music by the time December rolls around.  However, there is one Christmas Carol that was intended to be sung in July . . . and April . . . and February!  What is that song?  Well it is only the most popular Christmas song in North America – “Joy to the World!”

In 1719, prolific hymn writer Isaac Watts wrote this song, and published it in his book, “The Psalms of David: Imitated in the language of the New Testament.”  Its inclusion in this book lets us know the origins of the song.  Long before Watts arranged it with a Christian perspective, the Psalmist wrote the message in Psalm 98 (way back roughly 3,000 years ago!).  What is interesting about this, is that Psalm 98 is not a Psalm about Jesus’ birth.  It is a song about when the LORD will come “to judge the earth . . . with righteousness, and the peoples with equity (Psalm 98:9).”

The earth celebrates with joy, in Psalm 98 and in Watts’ hymn, when the Messiah comes in righteous judgment upon the earth.  This reference is clearly NOT to Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem, but to Jesus’ return at the end of the world as pictured in Revelation 19:11-21.  The earth rejoices on that day because the sin and sorrow that has grown on the earth and infested the ground will finally and fully be dealt with.  Jesus will rule the world with truth and grace at that time inside His Kingdom, and all will see the “wonders of His love” (see Revelation 20).  After the establishment of this Kingdom, Jesus will also usher in a new heaven and a new earth that will make His blessings flow upon the earth in opposition to the effects of the curse (compare Genesis 3:14-24 with Revelation 21-22.) 

Knowing this background is it bad for us to sing “Joy to the World” at Christmastime?  Absolutely NOT!  This song is great any time of the year, including Christmas.  When we think of Jesus’ birth, we also can sing for joy at His coming, even if the full effects of what this song promises will not be felt upon the earth until He comes again.  The historical reality of His first coming, is a down payment on the reality of His second!  Just as Jesus brought forgiveness for our sins and revelation of who God really is at His first coming, He also will bring judgment and righteousness to the earth at His second coming.

So, join the world in singing JOY this year . . . knowing that God’s redemption is coming.

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 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.

 

To access all 31 days of “The Christmas Carols” Devotional, click here.

 

To access playlists for all 31 songs, visit:

• Apple Music
• Spotify

December 1

O Come, O Come Emmanuel

Some songs are old, having been sung for decades.  Then there is “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.”  This song has a history that goes all the way back to the eighth century – over 1,300 years ago!  The words were originally written as a poem and not arranged to music as a Christmas carol until the twelfth century.

Have you ever wondered what causes a song to endure for that long?  Why are we still singing it?  Though the music is beautiful, there are many beautiful songs.  I think the enduring nature of this song is found in its message of hope. 

The song is really a beautiful expectation.  In fact, the poem on which it was based is arranged as an acrostic that spelled out the phrase “ero cras” which translates to “I will be with you tomorrow.”  The underlying theme of the song is that the world is not yet what it will be.  Drawing its imagery from the nation of Israel in the Old Testament days waiting for the arrival of the promised Savior, these lyrics talk about how the arrival of God the Son (Jesus — “Emmanuel” means God with us), began to make good on a number of promises God had made to His people. 

Today as we sing this song we still have a sense of expectation.  The world still is not yet what it will be.  We still live in a world of sin, pain, violence, illness, etc.  We long to see this world change . . . to be redeemed and restored.  As Romans 8:19-25 says, “For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.  For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.  For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.  And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.  For in this hope we are saved.  Now hope that is seen is not hope.  For who hopes for what he sees?  But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.”

So as you sing “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” this Christmas, may you remember the first fruits that came from Jesus’ first coming at Bethlehem.  May that give you hope that “He will be with us tomorrow.”  And, when Jesus comes back, our bodies will be redeemed and the world will be restored.  Therefore, we sing (and wait) with a patient hope.

O Come, O Come Emmanuel

O come, O come, Emmanuel

And ransom captive Israel

That mourns in lonely exile here

Until the Son of God appear

Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel

 

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free

Thine own from Satan’s tyranny

From depths of Hell Thy people save

And give them victory o’er the grave

Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, o Israel

 

O come, Thou Day-Spring

Come and cheer

Our spirits by Thine advent here

Disperse the gloomy clouds of night

And death’s dark shadows put to flight

Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, o Israel

 

O come, Thou Key of David, come

And open wide our heavenly home

Make safe the way that leads on high

And close the path to misery

Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, o Israel

 

O come, O come, Thou Lord of might

Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai’s height

In ancient times did’st give the Law

In cloud, and majesty and awe

Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, o Israel

 

 

To access all 31 days of “The Christmas Carols” Devotional, click here.

 

To access playlists for all 31 songs, visit:

• Apple Music
• Spotify

In recent days much has been made about the separation of church and state.  Prayer is often discouraged in schools and the workplace, curriculums are scrubbed clean of faith-based answers to fact-based questions, and people often prefer religion to be practiced privately, not shared publicly.  This point of view wins the day much of the time in many people’s lives . . . with one notable exception.  At Christmas time, people still allow the Sacred to invade the secular — even INVITE IT onto the public stage in many ways.  What do I mean?

Our culture still celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ every December through music.  Places where God is not welcome 11 months of the year are often platforms of praise from Black Friday to Christmas Day.  All up and down the FM dial all Advent season, we hear deep theology being sung by today’s top artists.  Every trip to the store during the holidays plays out underneath the soundtrack of the Savior.  Rather than focusing on the irony of this reality, let’s enjoy it . . . and use it as a prompt for worship and evangelism during this busy season.

As we listen to this Christmas music, however, I wonder if we really know what we are singing.  After all, most of these songs are very familiar to us . . . we sing them every year . . . but do we really understand what they are talking about?  To say it another way, when we look at “The Christmas Carols” do we know the hope of Christmas past, present, and future? 

This 31 day devotional will take one Christmas song each day during the month of December and provide a reflection on how that song helps us understand more about Jesus and what it looks like for us to follow Him.  These devotionals are accessible in a variety of ways:

• All 31 devotionals are accessible in pdf format by clicking here.
• All 31 devotionals are accessible in e-book format, by clicking here.
• Each December morning at 6:00 AM CST (beginning December 1), that day’s devotional will post here on my blog. You can subscribe to my blog (see form on the right hand column of my blog when viewed from a computer) to have the new posts forwarded to your email inbox as they post.
• Daily posts will also be linked on my social media.

In addition to this, suggested versions of all 31 songs are available via Apple Music or Spotify via these links:

• Apple Music
• Spotify

Also, note that all December long, the Sunday sermons at Wildwood Community Church will tie to the song that is featured on that day:

• December 2:  Joy to the World
• December 9:  O Come All Ye Faithful
• December 16:  What Child is This?
• December 23:  Hark the Herald Angels Sing!
• December 24: O Holy Night

Sunday worship at Wildwood is at 9:45 and 11:00 on December 2, 9, and 16.  On December 23, we will have 3 worship services (8:30, 9:45, 11:00).  On the evening of December 24, we will have 3 candlelight Christmas Eve Services for the entire family (4:00, 6:00, 8:00).

We hope and pray all these resources help you worship Jesus this Christmas season!  Feel free to share this resource with all in your network and invite all to join us on Sundays and Christmas Eve this Christmas season!

In Christ,

Pastor Mark Robinson