JOY!

One of my most favorite Christmas carols is "Joy to the World".  It's so, well, "joyful"!  Behold, Jesus the King and Savior has come to the world.  Love propelled Him to come.  He came as a babe; a human being.   He brought joy with Him.

When you think about it, the mother, Mary, was full of joy; before that John the Baptizer, when still in his mother Elizabeth's womb, leapt for joy (Luke 1:41, 44) upon Mary's arrival at Elizabeth's home.  Mary rejoices (Luke 1:47); the angels brought the "good news of great joy to the shepherds guarding their flocks by night (Luke 2:10).  Think of the shock they got seeing the host of angels filling the skies above them and praising God (Luke 2:13).  The shepherds receive the message and scurry away to go and see for themselves.  They went.  They saw.  They went out and praised God; glorifying Him and spreading the joyful news (Luke 2:17-20).

Here was the One who would bring even more joy to people's lives.  People had been burdened down by their sin and the Fallen world since Adam and Eve sinned.  Folks tried, but even the Law given to the Israelites, although a righteous covenant, could not be kept by even one single person (until Jesus came along, that is).

Here was the One to remedy all that!  Those "burdens would be lifted at Calvary" as the song goes.

What wonderful joy Jesus would bring to myriads of sinners ever after.  The parable of the lost sheep and coin in Luke 15 give us a hint of the joy decibel.  When the sheep and the coin were found, the owners had so much joy they called in their friends and neighbors to rejoice with them in great celebration.  Jesus said that that type of joy was what "exploded" in heaven, with exuberance, among the angels when even just one sinner repented.  The joy of repentance and forgiveness brought by Jesus's coming to this world!  Joy brought to earth, in turn produces joy in peoples' hearts and in turn erupts in heaven.  Imagine.

Thank-You, Father God for the blood of Jesus Christ Your Son that rescued so many of us from the everlasting pit of Hell.  If Jesus hadn't come, there would not be much, if any, joy in the world.  Therefore, we joy and rejoice in You!  That indeed is enough to keep us singing as the days go by; not just til Christmas, but all the days ahead until Jesus gives us the shout to be with Him forever.  Hallelujah, What a Savior! 

Rejoice and be glad.

                                                         ~ERC  December 2019~

Sing Christians, sing!  Sing along with the Gaither gang Joy to the World