Joy to the World

His Blessings Flow

SARAH IVILL | CONTRIBUTOR I’m always glad when our church puts up Christmas decorations and we begin singing hymns about Jesus’s advent and birth. Many of those hymns haven’t been sung by the congregation since last Christmas, so though they are familiar, they are also fresh. One such hymn is Joy to the World! It’s one of my favorite hymns, so I want to share some reflections on the third stanza to assist us in preparing our hearts to worship the King this Christmas season. “No more let sins and sorrows grow” This phrase would be discouraging to anyone who is unaware of God’s amazing grace. There is not one person who has the ability to stop sinning. You likely know how difficult it is to be told to do something when you don’t have instructions, tools, or the capacity for doing it. It’s disheartening, to say the least. But thankfully, for those who trust in Christ alone for our salvation, we have been given everything we need to live a life of godliness (2 Pet. 1:3-4). Because of God’s grace and power, we can “walk by the Spirit” so that “we will not gratify the desires of the flesh” (Gal. 5:16). But what about sorrow? In this broken world you and I will have lots of sorrows. Broken relationships, dashed dreams, loved ones dying, infertility, financial ruin, depression, prodigal children, and things like these. How do we keep sorrow from ruining us? When the apostle Paul pleaded with the Lord to deliver him from a “thorn…in the flesh” He replied, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9). And so it was. Paul could be content with sorrows “for the sake of Christ…for when I am weak, then I am strong” (v. 10)...

Let Earth Receive Her King

BECKY KIERN|CONTRIBUTOR 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. -Isaac Watts, 1719 Everlasting Joy Sometimes things become so deeply embedded in the zeitgeist, the cultural experience, that we forget its intended meaning or purpose. A quick search on Spotify for “Joy to the World” shows recordings by everyone from Mariah Carey to Kenny G, Ella Fitzgerald to George Strait. There is no doubt that for years this song has been a beloved Christmas staple, embedded in American culture. I have to admit a smile comes across my face when the beauty of the redemptive promise blares at unsuspecting shoppers during the holiday season. As “Joy to the World” begins to be played on airwaves, in commercials, and sung in our churches, it is good to take a moment to ask what was the songwriters original intent? Let Earth Receive Her King Writing at the beginning of the eighteen century, a time when most church worship centered around the poetry of the Psalms, Isaac Watts’s “Joy to the World” finds its roots in Psalm 98. This uncredited psalm of praise, found in book four of the psalter, centers around a joyous celebration of Yahweh’s kingship. The Lord, Yahweh, has “made known His salvation” (Ps. 98:2), “revealed His righteousness” (Ps. 98:2), and “remembered His steadfast love and faithfulness” (Ps. 98:3). Yahweh’s faithful righteousness thus produces “joyous song and praises” (Ps. 98:4) in “all the earth” (Ps. 98:4). Although not originally written as a Christmas or Advent hymn, “Joy to the World” becomes arguably the perfect Advent song....