We were out in the freezing rain early in the week, 16 or so brave souls from our church, in the dark, wielding little LED candles, singing Christmas Carols. The sidewalks were icy-slick, and we slid and skated from house to house. It was cold and wet and dark and… really a lot of fun, singing of our Savior.
I was particularly struck by singing “Joy to the World.” I have always thought of it as a song singing of how joyous Christ’s coming to earth was. What a joyful event, the angels singing, the shepherds rejoicing, the wise men gathered round.
But when I actually listened to what we were singing… it is certainly joyful… but for other reasons.
“Joy to the world, the Lord is come! Let earth receive her King…”
“Joy to the world, the Savior reigns!”
“He rules the world with truth and grace, and makes the nations prove…”
Isaac Watts, who penned the hymn almost 300 years ago, is clearly proclaiming the joy of Christ’s kingship. The King has come! The Savior rules! Sing, sing, everyone – the Lord is come!
And that got me thinking about the wondrous nature of God’s plan in Christ.
Over a thousand years before the arrival of Jesus in Bethlehem, our God made a promise to an individual: David. David was king over Israel, and God said to him: “Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.” (2 Samuel 7:16)
And it seemed that those words had been forgotten. Israel swallowed up by Assyria, Judah overrun by Babylon. Disarray, confusion, and above all… time passing.
And, a thousand years after God’s promise to David, come these words from Luke 2:
“In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered… and all went to be registered, each to his own town” (vv.1-3).
Not a very auspicious beginning to the coming of Christ.
But it goes on: “and Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.” (vv. 4-5)
And it is here, the next verse, that the birth takes place “And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.” (v. 7)
Most of us focus on the swaddling clothes and the manger.
But the heartbeat of this passage is a birth in all of the gathered remains of David. Joseph, of the line of David, comes to Bethlehem. Who else would be gathered there, registered? The rest of those of the line of David. Out of the gathered lineage of David, comes a child.
It isn’t the swaddling cloths and manger scene that is gloriously revealed here… it’s the gathering of the line of David to witness the fulfillment of one of the most incredible promises ever given to man by God: a throne forever for David’s line.
The King has come.
The promised King.
He rules and will rule forever and ever!
May our hearts proclaim the glory and majesty of our Savior, the King, come to earth as a babe, ruling forever and ever!
I think Isaac Watts got it just right.
Merry Christmas, all… and joy to the world, the Lord has come. The king will rule forever.