The second fruit of the Spirit is, as much as love, a characteristic of the Christmas season. Joy! Joy everywhere! Joy to the world, in the words of the hymn. Even the very tune of this Christmas carol speaks of joy. Read again the lyrics in light of the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ. Each verse contains a declaration of TRUTH and REALITY of Jesus Christ, and the rest of each verse is our response to that truth.

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 earth, 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 and sorrows grow,

Nor thorns infest the ground;

He comes to make His blessing 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, wonders of His love.

The response to the Good News was joy from the beginning. Even the famous side characters of the Bible story – angels, shepherds, and wise men – responded that way:

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. ~ Luke 2

When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. ~ Matthew 2:10

Joy to the World! Yet . . . why so joyful? What is there about this event, this birth, this news to elicit such joy?

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Love: the first fruit of the Spirit, the great mystery of the ages, incomprehensible to the human mind – the pinnacle of the First Christmas, the intangible essence to physical senses yet profoundly evident to the soul.

Love is everywhere at Christmas time, the very nature of the Christmas Spirit itself.

Yet the mystery of love is none other than the Baby in the manger.

How strange it is that the mystery can be spoken and revealed in a single sentence so simple as that one, and yet the depth of that sentence encompasses all time, space, emotion, truth, and reality of the ages. Even the wisest earthly sage cannot fully unravel the mystery, and yet even a small child may know it.

Truly the Kingdom of Heaven and earth unite in this moment. As the Baby is born, Deity transcends Heaven and enters Earth. Love is truly born to that humble Jewish couple. All love on earth originates in the Person of that Child.

All the kind deeds, all charity, all benevolence, all generosity, all tender feelings under the name of Love stem from the person of Love. When He was born on earth, Love touched us. It unified its kingdom – for His kingdom is one of love – with the earth that was originally designed to breathe and live and cycle Love yet through sin severed the love-cord binding it to its Source.

Think of the matchless sacrifice of Jesus Christ in this act. He left the face to face presence of His Father to be born on this earth – this earth with its pain, grief, misery, and sin. He took upon Him the form of a servant, was made in the likeness of men, and became obedient to the death of the cross.

This is Love.

He is Love.

And we love because He first loved us.

That’s the spirit of Christmas. That’s the spirit of heaven. That’s the Holy Spirit manifesting Jesus Christ through us.

And how beautifully that is summed up in this old Christmas hymn from the 1700s:

Christians, awake, salute the happy morn
Whereon the Savior of the world was born.
Rise to adore the mystery of love
Which hosts of angels chanted from above;
With them the joyful tidings first begun
Of God Incarnate and the Virgin’s Son.

Then to the watchful shepherds it was told,
Who heard the angelic herald’s voice, “Behold,
I bring good tidings of a Savior’s birth
To you and all the nations upon earth;
This day hath God fulfilled His promised word;
This day is born a Savior, Christ the Lord.”

He spake; and straightway the celestial choir
In hymns of joy, unknown before, conspire;
The praises of redeeming love they sang,
And heaven’s whole orb with alleluias rang.
God’s highest glory was their anthem still,
Peace upon earth, and unto men good will.

To Bethlehem straight th’ enlightened shepherds ran
To see the wonder God had wrought for man
And found, with Joseph and the blessed maid,
Her Son, the Savior, in a manger laid;
Then to their flocks, still praising God, return.
And their glad hearts with holy rapture burn.

Oh, may we keep and ponder in our mind
God’s wondrous love in saving lost mankind!
Trace we the Babe, who hath retrieved our loss,
From His poor manger to His bitter cross,
Tread in His steps, assisted by His grace,
Till man’s first heavenly state again takes place.

Then may we hope, th’ angelic hosts among,
To sing, redeemed, a glad triumphal song.
He that was born upon this joyful day
Around us all His glory shall display.
Saved by His love, incessant we shall sing
Eternal praise to heaven’s almighty King.

Come back tomorrow for Why So Joyful, World?

Find the rest of today’s Twelve Days of Christmas party posts here. 

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