Pastor Travis Lauterbach
Prince of Peace Lutheran Church
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.
The first verse of “Joy to the World” captures the jubilation of Christmas day.
There’s rejoicing, because the Lord has come. The King has come. God’s Son has come. The Savior has been born.
Jesus came to set humanity free from the shackles of sin, death, and hell.
Ever since the fall of Adam and Eve into sin, humanity has been enslaved to sin. Humanity rebels against their Creator.
The fall didn’t affect only humanity, though. In Romans 8, Paul says that all of creation, all of nature, was subjected to futility. All of nature groans together, waiting for the Lord’s redemption.
God showed His sense of humor in the birth of Jesus. Let me explain.
Way back in ancient Israel, during the time of the judges, the people told the prophet Samuel that they wanted a king like all the nations around them. At the time Israel was a theocracy. God was their king. But they wanted a human king.
God granted their request, but warned that the kings would oppress the people.
The Israelites received king after king. Most were wicked, but a few were faithful to the Lord.
In the midst of this, was the faithful king David. David was by no means perfect, but he trusted the Lord. God promised him that a son would sit on his throne forever. David’s kingdom would be everlasting.
In time, this came to pass. The long expected Messiah came. He was born into a family from the house and lineage of David. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. The Messiah is both God and man, God become flesh, Emmanuel- God with us.
So in a bit of irony, the God that the Israelites rejected as king, sits on David’s throne forever.
The King came to die for the world’s sins on the cross and rise again on the third day. Through this work of salvation He atoned for fallen humankind, offering eternal life to all who believe.
His death and resurrection are also the first-fruits of a redeemed creation. In Him, the paradise of Eden will be restored.
This gives great joy to the world, to heaven, and to nature which rejoice that the Lord has come.
