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.
No, I am not crazy in making you reflect on this hymn! I am not taking my lead from the Walmarts and K-Marts of the world and decorating your screen with church music before Thanksgiving has even arrived.
I made you reflect on it because there is something about this hymn that you do not know. This hymn is not a Christmas hymn.
Isaac Watts, the author, did not have Christmas in mind when he wrote the words, “the Lord is come,” but rather, wanted us to voice images of Christ’s second coming; “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…”
Mr. Watts wanted us to find hope in Christ’s return in power to a world that is struggling.
And, our world is struggling. Though some are relieved by the outcome of the election, some of your neighbors are scared. And, that divide between us as a nation helps to reinforce the reality that our world is struggling.
But, let us lay politics aside for the rest of this reflection because you do not need politics to know that the world is struggling.
We see images on the news of people trapped in the hopelessness of war. We see images of people who have lost loved ones to tragedy. We see images of hate between nations and people.
Heck, we do not even need the news. We experience all of these horrible things in our own lives. The earth quakes, the rivers flood, our families are divided, our jobs are insecure as are our livelihoods; I do not need to go on. You already know that life can be a struggle.
And, it does not help that you read Jesus' words upon which this reflection is based and have your anxiety raised once again with words such as:
"When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately…Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven. "But before all this occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name."
If look to the Bible to find an everlasting peace in a hectic world, might I suggest that you never choose the readings appointed in the middle of November on the Sunday before Christ the King Sunday. It is always this talk of destruction and gloom.
The words make us wonder if recent wars and natural disasters are proof that Jesus was talking about us right here, and right now. It makes us wonder if the end of the world is near.
And if it is, shall we go build ourselves shelters, storing away our Campbell’s Noodle Soup, and holing ourselves up for good?
Of course, there is one important thing we must remember on this day. Jesus was not talking about us.
Jesus was actually talking to his disciples. Some time after Jesus’ death, the temple in Jerusalem did fall. That was the Jews’ 911. It was big, and terrible, and horrible. The Romans slaughtered a bunch of people. And, there were earthquakes, and famines in their time, as there have always been earthquakes and famines. And, unfortunately, the early Christians were arrested, and persecuted, and brought to trial before kings and governors. All of these things did happen to the early Christians. It was horrible. And, Jesus was not talking about us.
I fear that we become so preoccupied with our own future and our own tragic demise that we miss the whole point of this biblical story in the first place.
And, the point is this: even though the early Christians went through these horrible persecutions for their faith, we still gather in the name of Jesus Christ even today. Those persecuted Christians still told the story of the new life that is found in Jesus.
Were there people out there telling their neighbors that the end of the world was near? Of course, but it did not matter.
“When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first.” Then Jesus assures the disciples, “the end will not follow immediately.”
Despite the horrors of life, Jesus encouraged the disciples not to dwell on the horror. Instead, they were encouraged to share the good news.
Even when the world is falling apart, followers of Christ share the good news. Especially when the world is falling apart, followers of Christ share the good news of resurrection and new life, because the horrors of the cross were not the last word.
Jesus’ ability to bring life out of death is the last word. Love is the last word. Love is coming to rule the world. Joy to the world.
And, guess what? The disciples did abandon their fears, and they did share the good news. And, because they did, all of the faithful who exist today know Jesus Christ our savior.
Was the temple in ruins? Yes. Were there wars and earthquakes; and did they appear to be occurring more regularly? Yes. It did not matter. Jesus told them that the end will not follow immediately.
More than that, Jesus told them that hard times are an opportunity to find God. They are not the time to give up. And, the disciples listened. And, because they did, we know Jesus today.
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, wonders of his love.
All of us have come to the faith because someone in our past decided not to throw in the towel and hide in their Armageddon shelter. You are here because someone in your past believed that Jesus really does rule the world. You are here because people took this promise and endured through the hard times; finding something so vital about God and Jesus that they just had to share it with you.
You and your faith are the beneficiaries of persecutions and death. You and your faith are the beneficiaries of other people's struggles. You are the dividend for other people’s endurance. And, you are invited to be a part of the same story.
So, I was wrong a little bit. The story is about you.
But, it is not about your tragic demise in an end of the world cataclysm.
It is about Jesus giving you faith even when your world has fallen apart. And, it is about God giving you the opportunity to share the joys and wonders of faith carved into you through endurance.
So, I ask, “How will you make sure that God’s story does not end with you?” “What story are you going to tell, and to whom will you tell it?” In other words, “What will you testify?”
“Do not worry,” Jesus says, “about what you will testify.” Simply trust. Jesus has brought you this far in life, and Jesus will give you the words.
“Make up your minds not to prepare your defense in advance,” Jesus says, “for I will give you words and wisdom…”
I am reminded of the wisdom Jesus gave an eight year old girl. Her grandmother’s world had just fallen apart after she lost her husband. The grandmother had been crying uncontrollably in the kitchen for days.
The morning before the funeral, her eight year old granddaughter stepped into the doorway.
The grandmother unsuccessfully tried to straighten up and be strong as her granddaughter stepped up next to her. The granddaughter looked at her stricken face, laid her head on her shoulder and asked,
“Are crying about missing Grandpa?”
The grandmother said “Yes, honey, I am.”
Tears gathered in the granddaughter’s eyes. Then the eight year old granddaughter said,
“I miss grandpa too. I will cry a little until God comes and lets us see him again.”
“Those words were more valuable than those of my friends, and children all put together,” the grandmother told me after the funeral.
In one simple statement, the granddaughter gave her permission to let her world fall apart, but at the same time to trust God.
With wisdom beyond her years, the little girl was the embodiment of Jesus’ words, don’t worry, “for I will give you words and wisdom…”
And, your words make a difference too. Trust that. Know that. Live that.
We live in a world of fear, but we are not a people of fear. Do not worry about the horrors of the world or the end of the world. Ignore all of that.
Rather, trust in the new life found in Jesus. When we do, future generations will have faith because of us also.
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