Isaac Watts’ great hymn “Joy to the World” certainly
reflects the impact of grace through Christ at the time of His nativity. The English word “joy” is a derivative of the
word grace. It is simple. Joy comes from Grace. In the accounts of Christ’s nativity we find
this idea used repeatedly.
First we have the great angelic message, “Fear not, for
I bring you good tidings of great JOY.” Yes,
the grace of God in sending His Son was to bring joy to the whole earth. The long awaited Savior had arrived. Man could have hope. Death would be defeated. Sin would be forgiven. There would be real joy and the angels
announced it.
A few months or so after the shepherds had gone to view
the Holy Infant in the manger; other noble guests came to worship Him. Wise men from the East had seen a star that
heralded the birth of a king. Going
first to Jerusalem, where they would logically find a king born in a palace of
the capital city, they were redirected to Bethlehem. Once again the star shone on their way and
they came to the house where Jesus lay.
How did they react to the certainty that they had found the King? They rejoiced with exceeding great joy. That’s right, grace was at work again. They were filled with the magnitude of grace
(rejoiced – the Greek verb form of grace) and then gave voice to the grace
revealed with exclamations of joy (a Greek derivative form of grace).
The angels proclaimed joy. The wise men manifested joy. The wonderful grace of God in Christ was bursting
the attentive and believing with raptures of joy. And so it should still be today. The grace of God given to us through His
beloved Son Jesus Christ should fill us daily with joy. We have a faithful Savior who will never leave
us. We have a faithful Savior who has
removed all the condemnation of God against our sin. We have a faithful Savior who is interceding
for us. We have a faithful Savior who is
coming again for us. We have the
Almighty God of all creation who loves us, cares for us and carries as lambs in
His bosom. Sing it! “Joy to the world,
the Lord has come. Let earth receive her
King. Let every heart prepare Him room
and heaven and nature sing.” Sing it
loudly and often, the grace of God in Christ is come!
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