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“And heaven and nature sing.”

These are not mere sentimental words. Nature sings at the coming of the king. The Bible speaks of nature in human terms (anthropomorphism) when it says the floods clap their hands and trees sing for joy. Jesus said that if people did not praise his coming the very stones would cry out.

I don’t know if everyone realizes that with the fall of humankind (the disobedience of Adam and Eve) all nature, all of creation fell out of whack. Nature is cruel. Everything alive (practically everything alive), kills other things to stay alive. God did not make it so in creation. In fact, if you read Genesis, you will discover that humans only ate vegetation originally. And if you read Isaiah, you will learn that in the end, when God’s kingdom has fully come, animals will no longer slay and devour each other.

No generation knows better than ours that nature is out of whack. Think of the five-letter word, COVID. Disease and pestilence are not God’s will.

So this Christmas carol, bursting with joy and anticipation at the birth of the world’s savior, tells the good news of the restoration of creation. The miseries in nature will vanish and all that will remain is the kind of sweetness that comes with playing with a kitten or puppy. Lambs and lions, wolves and cows, even toddlers and snakes will dwell in peace and harmony. I can’t wait.

Listen again to this beloved carol. Men are singing God’s praises (and women), to be sure, but their voices are not alone: “Let men their songs employ
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy” and not just repeat, but fourfold! “Repeat. Repeat. Repeat the sounding joy.” Can you hear them? Can you hear the fields and streams and stones and hills and plains all singing in joy at their restoration by their Creator?

Guess what else? “He rules the world with truth and grace”

Please pray with me. “’Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.’ Thanks for the promise of a creation that no longer kills and maims and hurts. We long for that day, Lord, and can hardly imagine how magnificent it will be. It has begun, because you sent baby Jesus who now rules at your right hand. Tune our hearts and minds to the new order of things that we rapturously sing in “’Joy to the World.’ We ask for the sake of the ‘Lord who is come,’ Jesus. Amen.”

Yearning with you for the New Creation,
Pastor Fred

Joy to the world
Joy to the world
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
Joy to the world
Joy to the world
Joy to the World, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy
Repeat the sounding joy
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy
Joy to the world, now we sing
Let the earth receive her king
Joy to the world, now we sing
Let the angel voices ring
Joy to the world, now we sing
Let men their songs employ
Joy to the world, now we sing
Repeat the sounding joy
He rules the world with truth and grace
And makes the nations prove
The light of His righteousness
And wonders of His love
And wonders of His love
And wonders of His love
And wonders, wonders, of His love
And wonders, wonders, of His love