The LORD will comfort Israel again
and have pity on her ruins.
Her desert will blossom like Eden,
her barren wilderness like the garden of the LORD.
Joy and gladness will be found there.
Songs of thanksgiving will fill the air. (Is 51.3)
“In the coming of Jesus to be the savior of the world, God is doing something new and constructive and lasting in our messy human scene, and everyone is invited. This joyful declaration and promise is that of ‘ecstatic praise.’” (P. Tim)
“The people of God, now from all nations, are so richly comforted and loved, it takes nothing less than the heavens, the earth, and the mountains to shout their hurrahs to God.” (R. Ortlund, Isaiah, God Saves Sinners)
“’Joy to the world!’ Anyone for whom this sound is foreign, or who hears in it nothing but weak enthusiasm, has not yet really heard the gospel. For the sake of humankind, Jesus Christ became a human being in a stable in Bethlehem: Rejoice, O Christendom! For sinners, Jesus Christ became a companion of tax collectors and prostitutes: Rejoice, O Christendom! For the condemned, Jesus Christ was condemned to the cross on Golgotha: Rejoice, O Christendom! For all of us, Jesus Christ was resurrected to life: Rejoice, O Christendom! …All over the world today people are asking: Where is the path to joy? The church of Christ answers loudly: Jesus is our joy! (1 Pet. 1:7–9). Joy to the world!” (D. Bonhoeffer, God Is in the Manger)
Rejoice! Because Emmanuel! (click here)
-JP