Joy to the World and the Second Coming

Sermon Text || Year C: Advent 1

Rethinking Joy to the World

Joy to the World is is the most-published Christmas hymn in North America, but for years I didn’t consider its true meaning.¹

A few Christmases ago, we were having a small group gathering at our church on one of those Wednesday nights right before Christmas where not enough people show up because of holiday travel. To be honest with you, these are some of my favorite studies.

Anyway, we were going around the table sharing different ideas, passages, and prayers, when one of our members spoke up and asked if we had ever considered that “Joy to the World” wasn’t about Jesus’s birth; it was about hymn celebrating the second coming.

So, I looked up the lyrics and was totally surprised.

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 heaven, and nature sing.

Joy to the world! the Saviour reigns;
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
𝄆 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 blessings flow
𝄆 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, wonders, of His love

How awesome is that! A lot of these lines draw from themes in texts that anticipate the coming of the Lord and the effects of that coming, some of which may be taken figuratively.

But why would a Christmas hymn be about the second coming of Jesus and not Jesus’s birth?

Well, maybe Christmas is the wrong word. Perhaps we should label this an Advent hymn because Advent looks at Jesus’s first coming and second coming together.

So as we enter into the Advent season, let’s start by looking at Jesus’s second coming.

Advent, Parousia, and Presence

Our New Testament reading today comes from 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13.

How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy that we feel before our God because of you? Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you face to face and restore whatever is lacking in your faith.

Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus direct our way to you. And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we abound in love for you. And may he so strengthen your hearts in holiness that you may be blameless before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints. 1 Thessalonians 3:9–13

Let’s focus on that word “coming” in verse 13. The word translated “coming” in parousia. Parousia is “(1) the state of being present, (2) arrival as the first stage in presence, (a) of human beings, in the usual sense and (b) in a special technical sense, of Christ.”²

The idea in this word is that Jesus comes to be present, not to just stop in for a quick visit.

This explains why the song “Joy to the World” talks about preparing our hearts as if we were making a place ready for Jesus within the depths of our being because Jesus’s second coming means eternal presence. Advent means celebrating the arrival of Jesus into the world and the anticipation related to that arrival, whether that be Jesus’s first or second arrival.

Apocalyptic Language

“We believe…Jesus…ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty; from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.”³

When the early church made statements like this, they were affirming the connection between Jesus, the man crucified under Pontius Pilate, and the glorified Lord of the resurrection and second coming.

While some wanted to distance themselves from the idea that Jesus actually suffered and died, the early church went out of their way to make it plain that “this same Jesus” experienced all these things and because of, not despite, this suffering, he rules and reigns as King.

When the New Testament spoke of the second coming, sometimes it would be in simple sayings like in this statement of faith and in the reading from 1 Thessalonians 3, but they also used intense, symbolic, and hyperbolic language to describe the second coming of Jesus, which brings us to our Gospel reading.

“There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in a cloud’ with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

Then he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees; as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

“Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life and that day does not catch you unexpectedly, like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place and to stand before the Son of Man.” Luke 21:25–36

These images of cosmic and earthly distress were popular among the prophets of old, and they were often employed to describe the judgment of a nation, such as Babylon (e.g. Isaiah 13-14).

But these images worked on several levels: (1) they were easy to remember because of their drastic nature, (2) they evoked strong emotions that comforted a persecuted people, and (3) they could possibly be read symbolically to stand for something else, such as kings, princes, and rulers.

This passage in Luke, like “Joy to the World,” connects the second coming of Jesus with the coming of the kingdom and the redemption of the people, something Jesus said would happen within “this generation” (Luke 21:32).

With this teaching came a strong emphasis on expectation. The parable and the warnings to be on the lookout following Jesus’s comments on his coming on the clouds were all given to inspire watchfulness among the early church.

An Advent Prayer

During this Advent season, we can build up the same kind of anticipation in our own lives by framing our expectation in this way:

Jesus, Immanuel, God with us, we believe that you are with us. We believe in your eternal presence, in your parousia. What do you want us to do next? How will you show up in our lives day by day? How can we make room in our hearts for you? How can we live in such a way so as to honor your presence and invite you to live through us? Help us to be watchful so that we won’t miss an opportunity to be your presence for someone in need, someone hurting, or someone neglected. Help us guard our hearts so that we won’t be weighed down with the worries of this life so that we can be effective servants of yours. Help us to love as we have been loved and forgive as we have been forgiven. Amen.

Lectionary Reading: December 1, 2024 - First Sunday of Advent

Old Testament: Jeremiah 33:14-16
Psalm: Psalm 25:1-10
New Testament: 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13
Gospel: Luke 21:25-36

Weekly Church Bulletin: Being Thankful for Each Other

During this last week, many of us took the time to express thanks for all the people, things, and opportunities in our life. As we talked about our parents, spouses, children, jobs, and houses, I hope we were also mindful of our brothers and sisters in Christ.

The apostle Paul wrote, “How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy that we feel before our God because of you?” (1 Thessalonians 3:9).

Do we feel the same way towards our church family here at North Broad? I know I do. As we enter into the Christmas season, these feelings of thankfulness should increase because of our increased attention on Jesus’s birth and all it means to us as a body of believers.

As the Thessalonians experienced severe persecution, they could at least know that they had each other. Their countrymen might take away their possessions, seize their houses in which they gathered for worship, and threaten their own lives, but they couldn’t separate the bond of love and affection between the saints. Is our bond that strong? It is through the Spirit.

Paul had to leave Thessalonica early because some threatened his life, but as he looked back on the small church plant, he felt immense gratitude. Paul wrote, “Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you face to face and restore whatever is lacking in your faith. Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus direct our way to you” (1 Thessalonians 3:10–11).

Thanksgiving is over, but that doesn’t mean we stop being thankful. Imagine what it must have been like to receive this letter from Paul. Now imagine how you could brighten the day of someone by reaching out to them and letting them know how thankful you are for them.

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joy_to_the_World

2. Arndt, William et al. A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature 2000: 780. Print.

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apostles%27_Creed