We’re thinking about PEACE this week, and although this verse does not contain the word, I think it’s a marvelous picture of God’s peace. What do you think?

The LORD your God is in your midst,
a mighty one who will save; 
he will rejoice over you with gladness; 
he will quiet you by his love; 
he will exult over you with loud singing. (Zephaniah 3.17, ESV)

In this week of PEACE, we often seem to sit around and wait for God to do something. St Francis of Assissi didn’t see it that way:

Lord make Me an instrument of Your peace
Where there is hatred let me sow love.
Where there is injury, pardon.
Where there is doubt, faith.
Where there is despair, hope.
Where there is darkness, light.
Where there is sadness joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may
Not so much seek to be consoled as to console
To be understood, as to understand.
To be loved. as to love
For it’s in giving that we receive
And it’s in pardoning that we are pardoned
And it’s in dying that we are born…
To eternal life.

It’s also a great song, performed here by the Moody Bible Institute Women’s Concert Choir 60th Reunion, Founder’s Week 2015. (It sounds like June’s West Suburban Hospital School of Nursing Choir that she played for!)

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. (Matthew 5.9, ESV)

Wow. Almost done, and the last candle probably captures the most well-known promise of Advent:

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” (Luke 2.13, 14, NKJV)

We’re not there yet, are we? But Jesus promised it:

These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. (John 16.33, NKJV)

It seems to be our pattern this Advent season to use one blog each week to talk about something else. As we prepare to enter the last week of Advent, the week of Peace, it may be useful to think of God’s POWER. Something happened in our area this week to remind us that God is, in fact, in control.

The Weather Guessers had been predicting high winds for Wednesday throughout Colorado. So I brought in our outdoor manger scene, made sure the deck furniture was secure, and stood by. We got nothing. A few gusts just over 30mph – no big deal. So I thought, the Weather people have over-predicted as usual. Then I drove into Colorado Springs for a scheduled haircut. Just north of the Springs, I drove between these two flipped-over semis.

On the way home, I drove past this one:

In all, I passed six overturned semi-trailer trucks. That’s a lot of power! And, as you can see, clear skies and sunshine. Just wind. 100mph in some places. It took two of us to open the door to the barbershop so I could get in.

He caused the east wind to blow in the heavens, and by his power he led out the south wind. (Psalm 78.26, ESV)

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us. (Ephesians 3.20, NKJV)

As we think about JOY, it’s hard to beat Isaac Watts’ hymn from 1719, Joy to the World, taken in part from Psalm 98:

⁴  Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises!
⁵  Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody!
⁶  With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the LORD!
⁸  Let the rivers clap their hands; let the hills sing for joy together
⁹  before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity. (from Psalm 98, ESV)

Since the 20th century, “Joy to the World” has been the most-published Christmas hymn in North America.

Ironically many believe the song is less about Christmas than it is about the Second Advent. But JOY is appropriate for both occasions!

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! 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.

He rules the world with truth and grace
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness
And wonders of His love
And wonders of His love
And wonders, wonders of His love
And wonders, wonders of His love.

Here’s a nice high church version from Washington National Cathedral.

Here’s an interesting take on joy from Jesus’ interaction with his disciples after they had returned from a ministry trip excited that they had power over evil spirits:

“Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. (Luke 10.20 – 21, ESV, emphasis mine)

Jesus challenges the disciples’ source of joy: NOT that they have power over evil spirits but that they’re on God’s team!

Then Jesus experiences joy over the ones God has given him – NOT the “wise and understanding” but to “little children.” Often we would like the “big names” on our side, those who are prominent in the world and also (seem to) follow Jesus. And there are some who do. But most of us are ordinary. It has always been so, and Jesus found that something to be excited and joyful about.

My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court? Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called? (James 2.1 – 7, ESV, emphasis mine)

For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 1.26 – 31, ESV – I have heard that one of the English queens said, “Saved by an ‘m.’ The text doesn’t say, ‘Not any of noble birth,’ but ‘Not many of noble birth. I’m saved by an ‘m.'”)

We’re looking at JOY this week, and a blog I wrote last year is too good not to run again. It should become an Advent/Christmas tradition here at the Ewellogy. It’s the Wise Men rediscovering the star and the song that describes it.

The Wise Men were journeying from the East, following the star toward Judea, when they took a side trip to Jerusalem. They didn’t know it was a side trip – they just assumed that Jerusalem would be the place to find a newborn king. But in the process, they apparently lost the star. Upon being briefed by the religious scholars that Messiah would be born in Bethlehem (see Micah 5.2), we read:

And so they left, and on their way to Bethlehem, suddenly the same star they had seen in the East reappeared! Amazed, they watched as it went ahead of them and stopped directly over the place where the child was. And when they saw the star, they were so ecstatic that they shouted and celebrated with unrestrained joy. (Matthew 2.9, 10, Passion Translation)

Ecstatic…shouted…celebrated…unrestrained joy. Their goal was in sight. That’s a source of joy! The Passion Translation note explains:

The Greek is hard to translate since it contains so many redundant words for joy in this one verse. It is literally “They rejoiced with a great joy exceedingly.” They were ecstatic! (Note on Matthew 2.10, The Passion Translation)

The King James Version says simply:

When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.

This brings us to the song about this event. If listening to this version of Matthew 2.10 doesn’t fill you with joy and put a spring in your step, I don’t know what will! When they saw the star, they rejoiced with great joy. Enjoy! Rejoice!

We’re thinking about JOY this week, and, once again, John’s gospel comes through. Chapter 16 opens depressingly:

I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away. They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. (John 16.1, 2, ESV)

But we can’t get through the chapter without JOY:

Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. (John 16.24, ESV)

If we’re not experiencing JOY, maybe we should pray more!

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice…Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. (Philippians 4.4, 6, ESV)

Friday night our son Matt took us to LIGHT, the extraordinary display put on by Cherry Hills Community Church in Highlands Ranch, CO (in the Denver metro area), to help celebrate my birthday, which happens to be today.

We’ve never seen anything like it. These are a few of the (low quality) pictures I took through Matt’s windshield as we drove through the many “scenes” they put together. Each scene was accompanied by a soundtrack you listened to through an app on your smartphone. Technologically, it was a marvel, and that it was put on FREE by a local church as a gift to the community, truly sparks joy. The large Christmas tree was a drive-through!

The show reminded us that Christmas is not just about lights and presents, but about Jesus’ gift of himself. Rather than try to cram the whole gospel story into a Christmas light show, the simple takeaway was, “We’re Cherry Hills Community Church. Come back for our Christmas Eve service to learn more.”

I also experienced joy in watching a very complex event managed flawlessly. I estimate at least 300 cars/hour driving through the display. Our time on site was a little more than an hour but even the wait time for our turn was artfully orchestrated with singing Christmas candles and Christmas trees.

If you’re in the Denver area, I strongly recommend. There are three time periods per night (6:00 – 7:30, 7:30 – 8:30, and 8:30 – 9:30), and the following shows are still to come: December 16, 17, 20, 21, 22, and 23. Go here for more information. It is a joy-inspiring event pointing to the REAL joy-inspiring EVENT:

And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” (Luke 2.10 – 12, ESV)

Joy: that’s something else we have a shortage of. Advent seems to be the answer to everything, doesn’t it? Teen suicide is up, for example: no Hope. And a lot of folks spend a good bit of their time sniping at others on social media: no Love. And Joy? As they say in New York, Fuhgeddaboudit!*

The world was just as messed up when Jesus came, and he brought Joy:

These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. (John 15.11, NKJV)

* Forget about it!