REJOICE! HE HAS COME!

REJOICE! HE HAS COME!

It is dark and cold outside today, and only a few days left until Christmas Day.  But there is a song in the air and we rejoice because our King has come!  Our King has brought salvation and His joy to this dark and cold world.

 We look at the lovely decorations and the colors and remember it is all about Him: the red for His shed blood on the cross for our sins, the green for eternal life He brings.  We see purple as we remember His royalty and we see blue remembering our home in heaven.  And oh, those lovely gold ornaments on our trees, His Divine Kingship, our King of kings and Lord of lords!

The third Advent candle that has been lit is the “Candle of Joy.”  And oh the joy that this candle represents!  We can shout and praise our Wonderful Lord that He has called out of darkness and into His marvelous light, bringing hope into this dark world.

JOY TO THE WORLD!

“Joy to the world!  The Lord is come; let earth receive her King, let ev’ry  heart prepare Him room, and Heav’n and nature sing, and Heav’n and nature sing, and Heav’n and Heav’n and nature sing.

Joy to the earth! The Saviour 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 and wonders of His love.  (Isaac Watts)

At this Christmas time, let us look up and rejoice in the coming of the King to that stable in Bethlehem.  We remember the Biblical account of the Inn Keeper refusing Mary and Joseph a room, but He calls us to prepare Him room in our hearts.  We hear of the angelic hosts as they proclaimed to the earth the joy of the Saviour’s coming.  Now we can rejoice and shout for joy as He comes into our hearts with His love and peace and His eternal salvation.  Have you made room for the King to come live in your heart?  What a wonderful time of the year to be born again into His kingdom of joy!

“Let the sea roar, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell in it; let the rivers clap their hands; let the hills be joyful together before the LORD, for He is coming to judge the earth, with righteousness He shall judge the world, and the peoples with uprightness”  Psalm 98:7-9.

The psalmist calls on all creation to sing and shout for joy at the Lord’s coming!  I love this hymn because it celebrates God’s involvement with His people, and this work of God began at the stable in Bethlehem.

When we receive this King into our hearts, our sins and our sorrows and those thorny places in our hearts are covered by the blood of Jesus.  He takes away the sins and thorns to remember them no more.  Yes, we may have sorrow come into our lives, but now this King will be there to be our comfort and our peace.

For now we look forward to the day when He will judge the world in righteousness.  Yes, in this season of Advent we are looking forward to His Second Advent, when Christ Himself will split the sky and will come again, and the nations will know the wonders of His great love!  Oh, what a day that will be!  On that day God will being a righteous conclusion to all things.

“But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, let you sorrow as others who have no hope.  For is we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.  For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.  For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, the voice of an archangel, and the trumpet of God.  And the dead in Christ will rise first.  Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Therefore comfort one another with these words” I Thessalonians 13-18.

Yes, “Joy to the World” He has come and He is coming again, oh Praise the Lord!  He will judge the nations and bring peace to this weary world.  Our King will reign in righteousness!  There will be no more thorns in the ground, no more curse on this earth.  So as you sing this song this Christmas, sing it with great joy!  Our King has come, and He will come again!

Blessings in this Joyful Season!

Pastor Sharon