Joy To The World

Over at my blog, I’ve been looking at the history of some Christmas carols. I couldn’t help but take the opportunity to study “Joy to the World” over here in keeping with the theme of this month. We sing these hymns so much, and even our young children know them, but how often do we really think about the words?

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 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.

It strikes me that even unbelievers will be singing about our Savior reigning and His creation repeating the sounding joy. I think that the third verse is key to our reflections on joy this month–He, Jesus, has come to make His blessings flow. His blessing is our salvation and our victory over the curse of sin, and His blood flows freely to cover it.

Paul writes in Romans 7:24-25

What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!

On my own, I am wretched. I continue in the body of sin, even though I strive to be good on my own. Those facts are hopeless.

The joy comes in giving thanks to Jesus for rescuing me from my sin and in the midst of my sin.

In looking at the babe in the manger this Christmas season, have you also found time to reflect on the cross? Have you thanked Him for the specific sins from which you have been freed? Can you thank Him even in the midst of your struggles with others?