Joy to the World

It’s the Christmas carol that never intended to be one.

Joy to the World is Isaac Watt’s 1719 translation of the Psalm 98. But there’s nothing in that song about a baby or manger, about shepherds or angels.

It’s an ancient Hebrew song that summons the earth to shout for joy to God and burst into jubilant song because God is on the move! It calls on the sea to thunder an encore and rivers to add their applause in a rousing symphony that celebrates or anticipates the arrival of God’s wise and righteous rule over the earth.

And what a symphony! Imagine the roar of waves crashing all along the 534,000 miles of global coastline – the equivalent of 21 times around the globe. Add whale-songs and gull-calls, the bark of sea-lions and the squeal of otters, the splash of breaching marlin and porpoises, of diving cormorants and pelicans. It’s a raucous concerto!

Then add the applause of rivers - the 25 longest in the world combine for 63,000 miles – with thousands more - every one of them flowing, surging, swishing, and gurgling - along with the thunder of waterfalls and cataracts!

What a resounding Ode to Joy! Nature strains and aches to praise its creator, but there’s a jarring discord in this orchestra.

Conservationist Carl Safina’s Song for the Blue Ocean, is a landmark study of the majestic bluefin tuna and other marvels of the sea – 'an extended community of nature', he calls it, of which humans are a vital part. Safina explores the impact of human beings in this community, the greed and deceit that imperil it and the protective initiatives to care for it. He is hopeful, but cautious: degradation or recovery – it’s hard to tell which way our actions will tilt the precarious balance.

The psalms echo the great Creation theme that Nature itself will not come into its own until human beings come under the rule of God’s righteousness and equity. Jesus underscored that truth - which brings us back to the words of Isaac Watts - “He comes to make his blessings flow far as the curse is found.”

In his birth, Jesus joined the harsh realities of our beautiful and blighted world. In his life he showed that God’s reign comes through worship and serving. The curse was shattered and reversed through his sacrifice and resurrection. Hope burst on the earth like the promise of sunrise. Nature waits for the finale, but already it bursts into jubilant song.

As you sing the words this Christmas, echo the crash of distant waves.  Join in as heaven and nature sing. Clap your hands and help them to repeat the sounding joy!

Best wishes for a joyful Christmas!