Called to Respond

"That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord's glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. "Don't be afraid!" he said. "I bring you good news that will be great joy to all people. The Savior -- yes, the Messiah, the Lord -- has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize Him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger." Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others -- the armies of heaven -- praising God and saying, "Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased." (Luke 2:1-14)

Dear Friend,

Merry Christmas (Eve)! Today is one of the most joyous days of the year -- salvation has come! How shall we respond?

Angels from the Realms of Glory

(James Montgomery)

Angels from the realms of glory,

Wing your flight o'er all the earth;

Ye who sang Creation's story,

Now proclaim Messiah's birth:

Come and worship,

Come and worship;

Worship Christ, the newborn King.

     What a message the angels delivered to the shepherds on that day! They proclaimed "good news" and "great joy". But their message was not a passive one; the announcement was an open invitation: come and worship. 

"When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, 'Let's go to Bethlehem! Let's see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.' They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. After seeing Him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds' story were astonished, but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them." (Luke 2:15-20)

In case you are interested, this is a search for "angel" in Bible Gateway. They are pretty busy!

Shepherds in the fields abiding,

Watching o'er your flocks by night,

God with man is now residing,

Yonder shines the Infant Light:

Come and worship,

Come and worship;

Worship Christ, the newborn King.

     The shepherds responded to the angel's message; they went to the town and found the baby. They worshipped. And they proclaimed! Everyone heard. We are called to come. We are called to worship. We are called to share the good news of great joy with all people. Ours is not a secret to be kept. Ours is a revelation to declare.

"Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, 'Where is the newborn King of the Jews? We saw His star as it rose, and we have come to worship Him.' King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, 'Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?' 'In Bethlehem in Judea,' they said, 'for this is what the prophet wrote: 'And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah, are not least among the ruling cities of Judah, for a Ruler will come from you who will be the Shepherd for My people Israel.' Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared. Then he told them, 'Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find Him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship Him too!' After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! They entered the house and saw the child with His mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped Him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh." (Matthew 2: 1-11)

Sages, leave your contemplations;

Brighter visions beam afar;

Seek the great Desire of nations,

Ye have seen His natal star:

Come and worship,

Come and worship;

Worship Christ, the newborn King.

     The wise men had studied the stars. They were waiting for this sign. And when it came, they traveled a great distance to come to see the new King. They worshipped. At the feet of a poor baby, they worshipped and presented gifts worthy of a king.
     This is fascinating--do you think they felt silly? Can you imagine kneeling before a baby? In humble circumstances? Can you imagine what the people thought and said as this caravan of men came into town and brought kingly treasures to this simple, humble family?
     We are likewise called to respond. We have been given the King of Kings. We are called to come. We are called to worship. We are called to present our greatest treasures to the King.
     Many "sages" spend a lifetime studying and contemplating the "truths" of the universe. They sit, think, study, argue, deliberate. But they never respond.

Saints, before the altar bending,

Watching long in hope and fear,

Suddenly the Lord descending

In His temple shall appear:

Come and worship

Come and worship;

Worship Christ, the newborn King.

     Today we watch and wait; the Lord will return. Until then, we worship. 

"Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. You must warn each other every day, while it is still 'today,' so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God. For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ." (Hebrews 3:12-13)

• What type of response does God want from you? from me?
• How will you respond? How will I respond?

Heavenly Father,
How can we even begin to say Thank You for Your most precious Gift? You have given us Your all! We give You ourselves. Here I am, Lord. 

Let every heart prepare Him room

"Joy to the World" (Isaac Watts)

"Joy to the world, the Lord has 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.

"No more let sins or sorrows grow,
nor thorns infest the ground.
He comes to make His blessings flow,
far as the curse is found,
far as the curse is found,
far as, far as the curse is found.

"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, and wonders, of His love."

Dear Mrs. Kurtz
    As always, I really appreciate your posts and find them to be very thought-provoking. In the most recent post, you provided some questions which I'd like to give some thought and try to respond to them.

How far is the curse found? What examples could you add to my list?
     The curse is all around us. There is hurt and struggle that doesn't seem to go away. Like you referenced in Genesis 3:17, Adam's sin led to God cursing the ground, which is all-encompassing. Failure, heartbreak, pain, loss...all of it falls under this category.

How can my sin affect others; isn't it only mine?
     Um, I'm not certain on this. I guess if I sin it can become a bad example for other people? This is seen in Genesis when Eve sins and leads Adam to do so too. 
I think that there are a lot of other answers to this; do you want to give it some more thought? Consider other effects of their choice to sin; how did Adam and Eve affect their children, grandchildren, all of mankind? Here are some other passages to consider as well: Joshua 7, 2 Samuel 24, Nehemiah 9, Galatians 6,

Can't I undo the effects of my sins by making things right with the people I hurt?
     Sin can't be "undone" except through Jesus. Your reference to Romans 8:1-2 explains that perfectly. We are freed from death for our sins ONLY through Jesus. It's not something I can fix myself.
Sin can only be cleansed though the blood of Jesus, the most precious and costly sacrifice. Yet the effects, or consequences, of sin sometimes remain, even though the sin is paid for/forgiven. Is there any sure way to escape the consequences of my sin? 

Do I experience joy at Christmas? If I do, Who/what is the source of my joy?
     I do enjoy Christmas and seeing my family and friends. I find joy in quality time with my family especially since I don't get to see them often. I love doing crazy things and going on adventures with my cousin and making (more like eating) Christmas cookies, and having some of the best late night conversations.
How should our knowledge that a Savior has come into the world impact our Christmas? Do we experience joy because of God's great mercy and favor?

How should I respond? (this is a good time to take another look at the song: it calls us to respond in multiple ways)
     There are many parts of the song that call for a response. The first thing that came to mind was, "Let every heart prepare Him room". I can surrender to Him, making "room" for God in my heart, a place once filled with sin. I think this line is very important, but I am confused; I'd like to hear your thoughts on its meaning.
How can I prepare room for Him in my heart? What does this mean? A relationship with God is meant to be that: a relationship. To look at God impersonally, to look to Him for salvation outside of a relationship with Him, is to treat Him with disregard and contempt.

Here are a few passages to consider:

Genesis 4:6-7 "'Why are you so angry?' the Lord asked Cain. 'Why do you look so dejected? You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master'." (It's my contention that Cain's heart had only room for sin, not God. See what you think, but remember to read the entire chapter as context.)

Exodous 7:22 "...So Pharaoh's heart remained hard. He refused to listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had predicted." (The Exodus narrative extends over several pages; it's worth reading all of it to see the context, note particularly how people respond to God.)

Joshua 24:23 "'All right then,' Joshua said, 'destroy the idols among you, and turn your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel'." (the context here is Joshua 23 and 24)

1 Kings 11:2-3 "The LORD had clearly instructed the people of Israel, 'You must not marry them, because they will turn your hearts to their gods.' Yet Solomon insisted on loving them anyway. He had 700 wives of royal birth and 300 concubines. And in fact, they did turn his heart away from the LORD." (keep reading the chapter; see what happens)

2 Chronicles 16:9 "The eyes of the LORD search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him." (This comes in the middle of a difficult passage; read about Asa and whether or not his heart was prepared for the Lord.)

Psalm 36:1 "Sin whispers to the wicked, deep within their hearts. They have no fear of God at all." (Ouch! Remember to read the rest of the Psalm.)

Psalm 78: I can't quote a particular passage from this one; you'll just have to read it and discover the truths as a whole.

Isaiah 29:13 "And so the LORD says, 'These people say they are mine. They honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. And their worship of Me is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote."

Isaiah 66:2 "...I will bless those who have humble and contrite hearts, who tremble at My word."

Jeremiah 3:22 "'My wayward children,' says the LORD, 'come back to Me, and I will heal your wayward hearts" 

John 8:36-37 "So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free. Yes, I realize that you are descendants of Abraham. And yet some of you are trying to kill Me because there's no room in your hearts for My message."

Ephesians 3:14-19 "When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from His glorious, unlimited resources, He will empower you with inner strength through His Spirit. Then Christ will make His home in your hearts as you trust in Him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, and how deep His love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God."

Ephesians 4:17-19 "With the Lord's authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against Him. They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity."

Hebrews 3:12-13 "Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. You must warn each other every day, while it is still 'today,' so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God."

1 John 5:21 "Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God's place in your hearts."


Dear friend,
     This post may be a bit upside-down: my greeting is at the end. Your responses and questions seemed more important, so they lead the way. I hope that these follow-up questions and passages help. There are a ton of passages we can consider for "let every heart prepare Him room," and though my list is long, it is incomplete (but it will get you started).

May you have time to dig, and joy in the discovery!

I leave you with a segment of another song with a similar phrase:

Heavenly Father, It is so easy to abandon You, and to harden our hearts. With the Scriptures in mind, we pray, there is room in my heart for Thee!

Far as the Curse is Found

"Joy to the World" (Isaac Watts)

"Joy to the world, the Lord has 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.

"No more let sins or sorrows grow,
nor thorns infest the ground.
He comes to make His blessings flow,
far as the curse is found,
far as the curse is found,
far as, far as the curse is found.

"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, and wonders, of His love."

Dear Mrs. Kurtz
     I love the Christmas theme of your new post! I have never thought that in depth on that song, but you are definitely right about the "wonders of His love" and all the Bible text to support these wonders. In particular, God providing an Advocate to those who obey Him is kind of a cool concept. Like Someone who looks out for you and defends you?
     I also liked the idea that because God sent His Son to die for us, there can no longer be endless sorrow or suffering because there is now a way out of what once was inevitable destruction for us sinners. You know I love feeling like there is a way out of a situation.


Dear friend,
     I am glad that you enjoyed it, thank you. I agree with you; having an Advocate is indeed a cool concept--I need Someone to look out for me and defend me, because on my own I am a mess! Jesus is the ONLY hope that we have in this world. "He comes to make His blessings flow". Where would we be without those blessings?
     When I think about this song, I often spend time mulling over "far as the curse is found". Oh, the sorrow bound up in those words! 

     What is the curse? The curse is sin. 

"When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam's sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned...But there is a great difference between Adam's sin and God's gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many...For Adam's sin led to condemnation...For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many...Yes, Adam's one sin brings condemnation for everyone..." (Romans 5, please note I only pulled excerpts--the whole chapter is your context, truthfully, the whole book is)

How far is the curse found?

"And to the man He said, 'Since you have listened to your wife and ate from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat, the ground is cursed because of you." (Genesis 3:17)

"For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who His children really are" (Romans 8:19)

"Against its will, all creation was subjected to God's curse." (Romans 8:20)

"But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God's children in glorious freedom from death and decay." (Romans 8:21)

"For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time." (Romans 8:22)

     How far is the curse found? Is there anywhere untouched?

     Death, cancer, oppressive governments, divorce, war, flooding, pollution, homelessness, drought, depession, earthquakes, mental illness, corrupt leaders, rotten food, murder, slavery, contaminated water, disease, infestations, arguing, suicide...

     "Far as the curse is found"

Oh, the sorrow bound up in those words! 

"Who has believed our message? To whom has the LORD revealed His powerful arm? My Servant grew up in the LORD's presence like a tender green shoot, like a root in dry ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about His appearance, nothing to attract us to Him. He was despised and rejected--a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on Him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care.

"Yet it was our weaknesses He carried; it was our sorrows that weighed Him down. And we thought His troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for His own sins! But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God's path to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on Him the sins of us all.

"He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet He never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, He did not open His mouth. Unjustly condemned, He was led away. No one cared that He died without descendants, that His life was cut short in midstream. But He was struck down for the rebellion of My people. He had done no wrong and had never decieved anyone. But He was buried like a criminal; He was put in a rich man's cave.

"But it was the LORD's good plan to crush Him and cause Him grief. Yet when His life is made an offering for sin, He will have many descendants. He will enjoy a long life, and the LORD's good plan will prosper in His hands. When He sees all that is accomplished by His anguish, He will be satisfied. And because of His experience, My Righteous Servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for He will bear all their sins.

"I will give Him the honors of a victorious soldier because He exposed Himself to death. He was counted among the rebels. He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels." (Isaiah 53)

     

     "Far as the curse is found"

Oh, the joy bound up in those words! 

"But even greater is God's wonderful grace and His gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ." (Romans 5:15)

"And the result of God's gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man's sin." (Romans 5:16)

"For Adam's sin led to condemnation, but God's free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins." (Romans 5:16)

"But even greater is God's wonderful grace and His gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one Man, Jesus Christ." (Romans 5:17)

"but Christ's one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and a new life for everyone." (Romans 5:18)

"But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous." (Romans 5:19)

"So there is now no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to Him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death" (Romans 8:1-2)

"Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, because He has visited and redeemed His people. He has sent us a mighty Savior from the royal line of His servant David, just as He promised through His holy prophets long ago." (Luke 1:68-69)

"but the angel reassured them. 'Don't be afraid!' he said. 'I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior--yes, the Messiah, the Lord--has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!'" (Luke 2:10-11)

Joy to the World! 

Can you see why "heaven and nature sing"? 

Can you see why "fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains repeat the sounding joy"?

At Christmas we celebrate Jesus! 

He came, 

with full knowledge of His mission, 

to rescue us 

from the mess we are in.

 

Here's another YouTube link to the song.

Here are some questions to ponder:

• How far is the curse found? What examples could you add to my list?
• How can my sin affect others; isn't it only mine?
• Can't I undo the effects of my sins by making things right with the people I hurt?
• Do I experience joy at Christmas? If I do, Who/what is the source of my joy?
• How should I respond? (this is a good time to take another look at the song: it calls us to respond in multiple ways)

Heavenly Father, Joy is ours in abundance because You have undone the curse, taking the punishment on Yourself. We can't even begin to fathom the depth of that choice, or the expanse of Your love for us. Thank You!

The Wonders of His Love

"Joy to the World" (Isaac Watts)

"Joy to the world, the Lord has 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.

"No more let sins or sorrows grow,
nor thorns infest the ground.
He comes to make His blessings flow,
far as the curse is found,
far as the curse is found,
far as, far as the curse is found.

"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, and wonders, of His love."

Dear friend,

     I found myself singing "and wonders, and wonders, of His love" this morning multiple times. What are the wonders of His love? Well, that is a question with a ton of answers! Let's consider some that are mentioned in this song, and perhaps we'll come back and consider more on another occasion:

The Lord has come: God, the eternal, all-powerful, sovereign, holy God, stepped into earth. Why? 

  "Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. And now in these final days, He has spoken to us through His Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son He created the universe. The Son radiates God's own glory and expresses the very character of God, and He sustains everything by the mighty power of His command. When He had cleansed us from our sins, He sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven. This shows that the Son is far greater than the angels, just as the name God gave Him is greater than their names." (Hebrews 1:1-4)

He dwells with us and in us. How can that be?

"If you love Me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive Him, because it isn't looking for Him and doesn't recognize Him. But you know Him, because He lives with you now and later will be in you. No, I will not abandon you as orphans--I will come to you. Soon the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me. Since I live, you also will live. When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Those who accept My commandments and obey them are the ones who love Me. And because they love Me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal Myself to each of them." (John 14:15-21)

The Savior reigns: His death wasn't the end but the beginning. He is both Savior and King. What does that mean for us?

"What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since He did not even spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, won't He also give us everything else? Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for His own? No one--for God Himself has given us right standing with Himself. Who then will condemn us? No one--for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and He is sitting in the place of honor at God's right hand, pleading for us." (Romans 8:31-34)

Sin and sorrow no longer can grow uncontrolled. Jesus' death breaks the curse and reverses death. Death is not the final victor. What will happen in the end? 

"I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, 'Look, God's home is now among His people! He will live with them, and they will be His people. God Himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.' And the One sitting on the throne said, 'Look, I am making everything new!' And then He said to me, 'Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.' And He also said, 'It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega--the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life. All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be My children'." (Romans 21:3-7)

The Lord rules with truth and grace. He is not a capricious God, given to fits of anger and violence. How do we know this?

"Let the sea and everything in it shout His praise! Let the earth and all living things join in. Let the rivers clap their hands in glee! Let the hills sing out their songs of joy before the LORD, for He is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with justice, and the nations with fairness." (Psalm 98:7-9)

In the end, all will declare His righteousness. Some may slander or revile Him now, but in the end, He will be acknowledged as the Righteous and Holy One. Who will declare this?

"Therefore, God elevated Him to the place of highest honor and gave Him the Name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:9-11)

     What a joy and a privilege to sing of the "wonders of His love"!

There are tons of renditions of "Joy to the World" on YouTube!

• Christmas is a terrific time to pause and consider the "wonders of His love". What "wonders" can you list?
• How can/should we respond to God because of His wonders?