“Let Earth Receive Her King”
Joy to the World -Isaac Watts 1719
Psalm 98:4-7 NLT
Shout to the Lord, all the earth;
break out in praise and sing for joy!
Sing your praise to the Lord with the harp,
with the harp and melodious song,
With trumpets and the sound of the ram’s horn.
Make a joyful symphony before the Lord, the King!
Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise!
Let the earth and all living things join in.
Even as I write I can hear the words and melody ringing in my head.
“Joy to the world the Lord is come,
Let earth receive her King”
These words are over 300 years old yet they still bring an overwhelming sense of nostalgia and comfort. It’s a “sitting by the fireplace with a cup of hot coffee while listening to a vinyl record” type of nostalgia. I remember being in church as a kid, sanctuary decorated in highly dated Christmas decor, strumming my guitar as the choir almost sings on key. I can picture myself at 8 years old walking through the mall as I hear Christmas songs play in the background. I can vividly recall waking up after Santa’s sleigh had arrived, music playing in the kitchen. Every Christmas morning I would tear through boxes of wrapped gifts and then walk to my grandparents house to eat far too much food. I am grateful for these memories. I cherish them. I’m also careful that I don’t rely on my experience from 30 years ago to be the only catalyst for my present joy. It’s easy to do because joy often eludes us, so we live in what God had for us instead of what God has for us in the present moment.
Joy to the World is largely a re-telling of Psalm 98 and that passage begins with the phrase “Sing a new song to the Lord”. I love that statement from scripture. Much of the presence or absence of Joy in our life is rooted in how we worship and how we acknowledge the presence of God in our life. When we ascribe worth and value to a sovereign, Holy God knowing that he has overcome death, it puts things into the right perspective. We so desperately need good perspective amidst all that comes our way. December in particular is like a giant magnifying glass, zooming in on our successes and our struggles. We’re human, so our emotions are inevitably swayed back and forth as life happens. Our joy, however, can and should be unwavering because it flows from the fullness and presence of God.
David says in Psalm 16:11,
You will show me the way of life,
granting me the joy of your presence
and the pleasures of living with you forever.
The last few years I’ve seen my now 3 year old son experiencing Christmas in a new way each holiday season. Even seemingly small moments are to him, new and incredibly profound. No one I know squeezes more joy out of life than my son, Nathan. In stark contrast to that, I’ve also watched close family members get older and decline in health. Some are celebrating in heaven now and their joy has been made complete. It’s in those difficult moments I’m reminded joy comes from within and not from our circumstances. We don’t have to sing yesterday’s song today. Lamentations 3 says we have have new mercies every morning. Trust in the faithfulness of God and let Him be the source and sustainer of your joy this Christmas.
One of the most compelling things about this Christmas hymn I love, is that it carries a dual meaning. It’s not just a song about the incarnation, it points to a future hope, a returning King. We interpret it to speak of the advent of the Messiah, but it also celebrates the second coming of Jesus. The moment when our broken world will be made new, heaven and earth will sing a new song, and once more for all eternity earth will receive her King.
-Austin Poff
Prayer
“God of truth, I ask that I may receive so that my joy may be complete. Until then let my mind meditate on it, let my tongue speak of it, let my heart love it, let my mouth preach it. Let my soul hunger for it, let my flesh thirst for it, my whole being desire it, until I enter into the joy of the Lord, who is God, Three in One, blessed forever. Amen.” -Anslem
