Far As The Curse Is Found
By Andrew Faris
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here”
2 Cor. 5:17
“He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new”
Rev. 21:5a
My favorite Christmas hymn is also the undisputed best Christmas hymn: “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing!” If you disagree with me, well, you’re wrong and I’m right, obviously.
But my second favorite Christmas hymn is “Joy To The World!”
There’s only one problem: it’s not actually a Christmas hymn.
Isaac Watts wrote the lyrics about the coming return of Christ. It’s just sung in the present tense (“...the Lord is come!...”) as Watts imagines our response in that moment. So why does it work so well during Advent?
I think I know the answer, and it starts in a surprising place: my own lack of hope.
I have very little hope, if by “hope” you mean “confidence that life will go smoothly in the future.” That’s too fragile and God never promises me anything like that. Tragedy could strike at any moment and it wouldn’t contradict a single word of Scripture.
Further, when I exit the bubble of my own life with the material comfort of the South Bay and get face to face with the incomprehensible scope of the sin and pain that are present in the world every day, I resonate with the thoroughly biblical idea that we live under a “curse.”
Whether it’s a friend’s diagnosis, third-world poverty, totalitarian governments, or natural disasters, I feel the truth that something is fundamentally wrong in the fabric of the universe.
What grips me most about the Advent season is the celebration of the certainty that there is unshakeable joy to be found in the difficulties of the present and complete restoration coming in the future. That restores my hope.
The birth of Jesus is the announcement of the arrival of a King who will put an end to every evil enemy. He’ll overthrow the curse and “make all things new.” It’s a complete overhaul of the order of things.
It’s not just a mending of the fabric of the universe; it’s a whole new fabric.
And amazingly, we who are “in Christ” taste that now as part of that “new creation.”
In his birth, life, death, and resurrection, Jesus invaded this present age with the power of New Creation. And he has promised that there is another advent still in front of us.
Which brings us back to “Joy To The World!” Seen this way, it’s a perfect Christmas hymn.
One day our bodies will be fully restored and there will never be another surprise diagnosis. Third world poverty will be replaced with abundance and fullness. Every totalitarian dictator will bow at the feet of our good King. And in place of natural disasters, we’ll listen to the fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains repeat the sounding joy.
There’s only one hope that will never disappoint, and it’s right there at the center of the Christmas story and the Advent season. It’s also right there in my very favorite line of the hymn:
But my second favorite Christmas hymn is “Joy To The World!”
There’s only one problem: it’s not actually a Christmas hymn.
Isaac Watts wrote the lyrics about the coming return of Christ. It’s just sung in the present tense (“...the Lord is come!...”) as Watts imagines our response in that moment. So why does it work so well during Advent?
I think I know the answer, and it starts in a surprising place: my own lack of hope.
I have very little hope, if by “hope” you mean “confidence that life will go smoothly in the future.” That’s too fragile and God never promises me anything like that. Tragedy could strike at any moment and it wouldn’t contradict a single word of Scripture.
Further, when I exit the bubble of my own life with the material comfort of the South Bay and get face to face with the incomprehensible scope of the sin and pain that are present in the world every day, I resonate with the thoroughly biblical idea that we live under a “curse.”
Whether it’s a friend’s diagnosis, third-world poverty, totalitarian governments, or natural disasters, I feel the truth that something is fundamentally wrong in the fabric of the universe.
What grips me most about the Advent season is the celebration of the certainty that there is unshakeable joy to be found in the difficulties of the present and complete restoration coming in the future. That restores my hope.
The birth of Jesus is the announcement of the arrival of a King who will put an end to every evil enemy. He’ll overthrow the curse and “make all things new.” It’s a complete overhaul of the order of things.
It’s not just a mending of the fabric of the universe; it’s a whole new fabric.
And amazingly, we who are “in Christ” taste that now as part of that “new creation.”
In his birth, life, death, and resurrection, Jesus invaded this present age with the power of New Creation. And he has promised that there is another advent still in front of us.
Which brings us back to “Joy To The World!” Seen this way, it’s a perfect Christmas hymn.
One day our bodies will be fully restored and there will never be another surprise diagnosis. Third world poverty will be replaced with abundance and fullness. Every totalitarian dictator will bow at the feet of our good King. And in place of natural disasters, we’ll listen to the fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains repeat the sounding joy.
There’s only one hope that will never disappoint, and it’s right there at the center of the Christmas story and the Advent season. It’s also right there in my very favorite line of the hymn:
He comes to make his blessings flow far as the curse is found!
Reflective Question for the Day
Do you have a vital expectation of the coming return of Christ and the restoration he’ll bring?
Take a moment to ask God to give you a deeper conviction of that truth.
Andrew Faris’s morning routine is to roll over and say, “Hi,” to his three-year-old and six-year-old boys, who have woken him up. Then he drinks coffee. He would sing Christmas hymns in church year-round if you let him (which is why they don’t let him), and he’s loving Christmas in new ways this year as he watches those same boys take in both the fun and true significance of the season more than ever before.