Wk 1 Day 3

 Read: Isaiah 9:1-7, Sing: Joy to the World, Memorize: Isaiah 9:6

Today is our new feature! Our mid week hymn sing! Every single year we sing through Christmas songs and hymns; and I am always sharing how most bring me to weep like a baby. But the question is...why? And it is not in the melody, though most lovely, it is in the richness of the theology that intertwines within the notes of the song. 

In light of the glorious good news, the birth announcement of the Savior, the 4 gifts He is freely giving us as our wonderful counselor, mighty God, everlasting Father and Prince of of peace...He is not just coming but coming in an explosion of love and grace and to satisfy the wrath of God for our sins. Woah. 

Mark 11, we read of the triumphant entry of Christ, people standing is the streets shouting Hosanna!! Hosanna!!!! It made me think, with the glorious words of the gospel soaked richness of these Christmas hymns we are able to do the same. Stand in a world normally shut down to the Gospel truth and shout- JOY TO THE WORLD!!! THE LORD IS COME!!!HE RULES THE WORLD!!!! Do we forsake this opportunity? Do we substitute it with materialism and sentimentalism? It is very easy to do! I fear I do it myself at times. We can get so excited for Christmas that we literally leap over Christ, or nudge Him over making no room for Him not only in the Inn but also in the manger- filling it with legends and tales. Disrupting what it the most remarkable moment of mankind. When love came down, and God himself became a babe in the manger! My prayer is that we can get a hold of this, that we can see the most incredible truth of how accurate these OT prophesies were, and that the NT fulfillment is yet to come. Jesus Christ, CAME! He came! And He promises He is coming back again! With that let us all worship Him this morning...Christ the Lord. 

*The following was written and compiled for me by Tara Walters- to whom I am exceedingly grateful!

Joy to the World

Isaac Watts

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

“Joy to the World” was written by English poet Isaac Watts (1674-1748). Known as “The Father of English Hymnody,” Watts began reading Latin at age 4, and by age 7 was writing poetry. He became a pastor and published a large number of sermons, treatises, poetry, and hymns. Best known as an author of psalms and hymns, Watts published more than 800 hymns and has been called “the greatest name among hymn-writers.” Watts loved children and in 1715 he published Divine and Moral Songs for Children. In the preface, he wrote: “Children of high and low degree, of the Church of England or Dissenters, baptized or not, may all join together in these songs. And as I have endeavored to sink the language to the level of a child’s understanding…to profit all, if possible, and offend none.” “I Sing the Mighty Power of God” is one of Watt’s hymns written specifically for children. It was Watts’ desire to write hymns that exalted Christ and reminded Christians of their hope in His saving work on the cross. Other familiar hymns by Watts include “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross;” “Alas, and Did My Savior Bleed?” “Come We That Love the Lord;” “O God, Our Help in Ages Past;” “Jesus Shall Reign;” and “Am I a Soldier of the Cross?”

 Watts was inspired to write the text to “Joy to the World” after meditating on Psalm 98. Verse 4 proclaims: “Make a joyful noise to the Lord all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises!” While we are inclined to think of “Joy to the World” as a Christmas song, the piece was not intended as such. It is not primarily a song about the incarnation, rather, it tells the story of Christ’s return – His second coming, as evidenced by these examples: stanza one tells of earth receiving her King. When Christ came as a baby, He was not received as a king but was “despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief…” Isaiah 53. The third stanza points to the time when sins and sorrows will be no more. Surely as we experience the brokenness of this world we know that time is not now and we groan and long for the day when He does return to make His blessings flow “far as the curse is found!” (Genesis 3:15) The final stanza reminds us that He does rule the world in sovereignty and when He returns all nations will bow and confess His Lordship and He will reign forever. (Philippians 2:10; Revelation 19) Hallelujah! Amen! 

Even though this song is ultimately not a song about the birth of our Savior, we acknowledge that without that Savior humbling Himself and becoming a babe in a manger, we would not be redeemed and would have no reason to sing “the glories of His righteousness.” This song is about the fulfillment of God’s plan to redeem His people by means of His only Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ.