Joyful all Ye Nations Rise
Let's listen to the next bit of the first verse of this great old song.
Joyful, all ye nations, rise.
Join the triumph of the skies
With angelic host proclaim.
Christ is born in Bethlehem.
Great Joy
I like those words! Joyful. Joyful, all ye nations, rise. Christmas is supposed to be a joyful time, isn't it? In Luke 2:10, when the Angel appeared to the shepherds, he said, "I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all people." Joyful! All people will rise joyful when they see the truth about what Christmas is about.
Are you rising joyfully to worship Jesus this Christmas? And I know it's been a tough year. I know it's been a year that a lot of people want to forget, just wipe under the carpet, pretend it never happened.
But it's not too late! It's not too late to have a year of joy. We've got a week left! Let's rise with joy. And join the triumph of the skies as they sing glory to the newborn King.
Jesus' Joy
In fact, remember that on the night Jesus was arrested, He said all this deep stuff to His disciples. One of the things He said in John 15:11 was, "I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete."
Jesus came to bring us joy, in the midst of dark years like this year, in the midst of struggles like we faced. He came so that nothing, nothing will take away our joy if we seek it in Him, if we seek it in our relationship with Him. If we put Him first and worship Him with all our hearts, we will surely find that joy.
With all the angelic hosts, let's proclaim: That Christ was born in Bethlehem, and let that be our great joy this Christmas.
