Advent - "J" - "Joy"

"J" - Joy" December 9, 2011

“Now to Him Who is able to keep you without stumbling or slipping or falling, and to present you unblemished (blameless and faultless) before the presence of His glory in triumphant joy and exultation, with unspeakable, ecstatic delight – To the one and only God, our Savior, through Christ Jesus our Lord, be glory, majesty, might, and dominion and power and authority, before all time and now and forever!” (Jude 24 -Amp)

Have you ever read C. S. Lewis’ book, Surprised By Joy? It is the story of his life and how he “passed from Atheism to Christianity.” His own quote about this journey was, “Every step I had taken, from the Absolute to “Spirit, and from the “Spirit” to “God” had been a step toward the more concrete, the more imminent…To accept the Incarnation was a further step in the same direction.” The theme of the book was the longing to have the joy restored Mr. Lewis had experienced as a boy. By joy it was not meant to be mere pleasure but the “sublime experience of the transcendent, the glimpse of the eternal that is only fleetingly available in earthly loves and aesthetics.” This joy Lewis finally found in the Creator. “It is He alone who redeems His fallen creation and provides them joy.”

The same is true of every human being. Augustine said, “You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you.” We could say the same about joy, “You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are joyless until we find our joy in You.” In God’s presence is fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11).

After the angel’s announcement to Mary of her bearing the Christ Child, and her subsequent visit to her cousin Elizabeth, she broke forth with joyous praises. I wonder if she had thoughts of what might happen when everyone found out about her pregnancy. After-all she was an unmarried woman who was pregnant and the penalty for adultery in those days and in that place, was stoning. She too was "surprised by joy" at the over-arching privilege of being the mother of the Son of God – the Messiah – the Redeemer of the world!!

That was over 2,000 years ago and God’s plan was completed at the cross, but in so doing God has granted us an unmatched privilege, and offer, of being adopted into His family and becoming an heir and co-heir with Jesus to all of the Father’s kingdom. If that doesn’t overflow your “Joy Cup,” it is because you have never taken the Father up on His offer. When you are a child of the King, joy is a part of your new nature. It is one of the manifestations of the Holy Spirit Who lives within you. We should shout this good news from the housetops. This experience of going from the gloom of the kingdom of darkness into the joy of the kingdom of Light always brings “Joy unspeakable and full of glory!”

Joy To The World
Isaac Watts
(From Psalm 98)

Joy to the world! The Lord is come! Let earth receive her King.
Let every heart prepare Him room, and heaven and nature sing.

Joy to the earth! The Savior reigns! Let men their songs employ,
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains repeat the sounding joy.

He rules the world with truth and grace and makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness and wonders of His love.