FINDING JOY IN HIS COMING (3)
Scripture: Luke 3:7-18
This content is part of a series.
Title: Finding Joy in His Coming (3)
Series: Getting Ready For His Coming
Author: Patrick Edwards
Text: Luke 3:7-18
Introduction
This is the time of the Christmas season when I'm generally pretty sick of Christmas music. I mean, I know, we're still a couple of weeks out, but the Edwards household has had Christmas music playing since, maybe, the 4th of July. It's not quite that bad, in actuality, but still, it's been a couple of months now. Christmas music is a funny genre to me, though. You've got classic hymns and carols. You've got more modern classics. And then there's this weird kind of depressing sub-genre of Christmas music that's actually sad.
But then again, the holidays aren't a happy, festive time of the year for many people. Whether it be family issues, relationship problems, money woes, it's well documented that depression and alcohol and drug abuse go up in December and January. Despite all the commercials and marketing, Christmas doesn't feel joyful to some.
Consider then, Handel's hymn, "Joy to the World." We sing,
Joy to the world, the Lord is come
Let earth receive her King
Let every heart prepare Him room
And heaven and nature sing
And heaven and nature sing
And heaven, and heaven and nature sing
And I don't know about you, but I think most of us hear these words and think the birth of Jesus, his first coming. But "Joy to the World" is not about Jesus' first advent, but instead his second. The lyrics point to the reality that Jesus reigns now as King and will one day return. Therefore, it is the only appropriate response of Creation to receive him, to prepare him room. Joy, therefore, is found not in thinking about the past or is tied to our present circumstances, but rather comes from the sure knowledge and faith that Jesus reigns and is coming back soon!
This week we pick up exactly where we left off last week in Luke 3. Having seen the circumstances Israel was in before Jesus' first coming, we we ...
Series: Getting Ready For His Coming
Author: Patrick Edwards
Text: Luke 3:7-18
Introduction
This is the time of the Christmas season when I'm generally pretty sick of Christmas music. I mean, I know, we're still a couple of weeks out, but the Edwards household has had Christmas music playing since, maybe, the 4th of July. It's not quite that bad, in actuality, but still, it's been a couple of months now. Christmas music is a funny genre to me, though. You've got classic hymns and carols. You've got more modern classics. And then there's this weird kind of depressing sub-genre of Christmas music that's actually sad.
But then again, the holidays aren't a happy, festive time of the year for many people. Whether it be family issues, relationship problems, money woes, it's well documented that depression and alcohol and drug abuse go up in December and January. Despite all the commercials and marketing, Christmas doesn't feel joyful to some.
Consider then, Handel's hymn, "Joy to the World." We sing,
Joy to the world, the Lord is come
Let earth receive her King
Let every heart prepare Him room
And heaven and nature sing
And heaven and nature sing
And heaven, and heaven and nature sing
And I don't know about you, but I think most of us hear these words and think the birth of Jesus, his first coming. But "Joy to the World" is not about Jesus' first advent, but instead his second. The lyrics point to the reality that Jesus reigns now as King and will one day return. Therefore, it is the only appropriate response of Creation to receive him, to prepare him room. Joy, therefore, is found not in thinking about the past or is tied to our present circumstances, but rather comes from the sure knowledge and faith that Jesus reigns and is coming back soon!
This week we pick up exactly where we left off last week in Luke 3. Having seen the circumstances Israel was in before Jesus' first coming, we we ...
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