Joy Isn't Just for Christmas

by Hannah Clements

I have a confession: I love me some Jesus, but I’m not a fan of Christmas music. When The Collective Christmas music writing theme came up, I jokingly suggested that I would get my writing inspiration from Mariah Carey's “All I Want For Christmas is You”. It is one of my favorites on the short list of favorites. My daughter on the other hand loves Christmas music. The faster, louder, jinglier, and catchy the better in her opinion. While listening to music with her, Mariah Carey's song came on. “All I want for Christmas...Santa Claus can’t make me happy with a toy on Christmas day...all I want is you”...that must certainly be a Jesus song right?” my 8 year old daughter said. In her kid-wisdom and childlike faith, she knows that Jesus is the reason for the season. Gifts don’t bring us joy. What we should really want is Jesus. And she is right, Jesus is really all I want for Christmas (except maybe socks, underwear and would it be too much if I asked for a Roomba?). His presence unfailingly brings me comfort and joy. I couldn't ask for more.

Although Christmas songs aren’t my favorite, Hallelujah Christmas always gets me because it doesn't stop at the birth it sings of the cross and the cross for ever changed me. However this year, I just need to listen to the first line, and I am a mess.

The song starts with “I heard about this baby boy whose come to earth to bring us joy.” The joy of Jesus has a whole new meaning for my husband and I this year. We recently gave our newly adopted daughter the middle name of Joy. She is so proud to have this name. We are prayerful and convinced that her name will be part of her testimony and a reminder to how God changed her sorrow to joy. (Her original middle name meant “sorrow”.)  She is delighted whenever she reads or hears the word “joy” anywhere. “They just said my name,” she says smiling with dimples shining. She takes notes of any mention of the word. For example, our pastor said “joy” exactly 12 times in his sermon last Sunday. I know because she counted and celebrated with each mention. Her new name has made us all pay more attention to the word “joy”. I always knew it was a Christmas word - frequently posted on Christmas signs, decorations, cards and ornaments. However, until this year, I didn’t stop to think about why “joy” is a Christmas word.

In Luke 2:10, the angel of the Lord announces the birth of our Saviour to shepherds in the field. The angel says “"Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.”

Tiny summary - Jesus causes great joy. 

Joy really isn’t just a positive or pretty word to paste on our Christmas ornaments. It is a testament of Jesus’s presence in Bethlehem and in our lives. And it doesn't stop at Christmas. Joy should be posted and felt throughout the year because the joy of Jesus is present on our happiest holidays and our most mundane Mondays. 

We have tried to teach our daughter the meaning of the word “joy”. “Joy is different than happiness,” we say. New socks and underwear would bring me happiness, but the happiness will surely not last and neither will the socks as they are my dogs favorite thing to eat. As I type this the tire place has stolen my happiness and my patience, but it can't steal my joy. Joy is not circumstantial. It can’t be stolen or destroyed. In fact there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God (Romans 10:35-39).

Fellow believers, may we be a people who not only seek the joy of God during the Christmas season but also throughout the entire year. May we carry God's joy with us to the tire place and into our mundane Mondays. May we remember that our bad circumstances are fleeting. But the joy of the Lord is eternal. 


Dear Lord,

Thank you for Jesus. Thank you for the joy that comes with Your presence. Thank you for my long awaited daughter. May we take your joy in to the new year.

Let it be so.

*******


Dear Readers,

We sincerely hope you had a special Christmas season. We wish you a Happy New Year! Full of Jesus and joy.

Love,

The Collective

Raising the Sons of Earth

By Jennifer Smith

My house has not been clean since 2015. It used to glow with warmth and comfort and smell-goods. It does none of these things now. My home looks at me and says, “Jen, where did we go wrong?”

Listen y'all, I actually hired someone to clean my house. But with the layers of boydom scattered throughout the house it barely made a dent. It smelled better but there were still fruit loops embedded in the carpet by day’s end.

I scroll through the Book of Face and I can’t fathom how so many of you moms and dads keep amazingly clean homes. I mean, I can smell the thieves oil through my screen. You all will surely receive the crown of cleanliness in heaven. (Because cleanliness is next to Godliness. That’s in the bible, right? )

I will receive the crown of Gosh-girl-you-made-it-We-had-our-doubts-up-here. It will be made of worn out leggings, caramel coffee creamer, and empty bottles of dry shampoo.

My work on earth is a mod podge of many things, but the biggest work of all is raising these messy boys.

I was listening to the old tried and true carol Hark! The Herald Angels Sing! (which in today’s language can be translated to Hey! Listen! The angels are talking to us! Try singing that on Sunday and see what kind of looks the church peoples around you give. It’s like a game. It will be fun.)

Matt Maher has a great version of this carol. I’ve listened to it several times this season.

I've known all the verses for as long as I can remember. This is a standard from my childhood. But this year the third verse hit me hard and made the hair on my arms stand up:

Born to raise the sons of earth
Born to give them second birth. 

I thought, Hey! I do that, too!

I am currently raising sons of earth. Three of ‘em.

This is why my house smells like boy. Precious, hearts of gold, handsome, fun boy. But boy all the same.

Will you read the whole third verse with me? It goes like this:

Hail! the heaven-born 
Prince of peace! 
Hail! the Son of Righteousness! 
Light and life to all he brings, 
Risen with healing in his wings 
Mild he lays his glory by, 
Born that man no more may die: 
Born to raise the sons of earth, 
Born to give them second birth. 
Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King!"

I love my children something fierce. I would go into flames for them, dive into water, I would do anything to save them. I care for their safety. I take them to the doctor, give them vitamins, and gave them the “tricky people” talk (Look it up. It’s good.). I will watch my children walk through the yard to make sure they get next door to my in-laws' house until I see Grammy and Pop’s door shut.

I do my best to keep them well and safe. But that’s where it ends. You see, one day, my children will face death. And there’s absolutely nothing I can do about that.

So I turn it over to the One who has already dealt with death for them. Did you hear it?

Light and life to all he brings, 
Risen with healing in his wings 
Mild he lays his glory by, 
Born that man no more may die: 

And then:

Born to raise the sons of earth, 
Born to give them second birth. 

I raise my sons, but I cannot raise them to heaven.
I gave birth to my sons, but I cannot deliver them from death.

It goes like this, from John 3:

Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”

Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”

“How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”

Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit."

You, dear reader, are a wonderful parent. You love, and kiss, and hug, and read all the stories, and play all the games. You provide shelter and safety. You provide traditions and cookies and Chuck E. Cheese.

But you cannot provide heaven.

Dear Reader, you must give your family the gift of church. You must give them the gift of Jesus. There are things you dear, wonderful, perfect mother cannot provide.

You know who needs raising, too? You. You count. Just as Jesus wants to raise your children, he wants to raise you too. He wants to give you light and life.

This is the kind of stuff that changes families. This is the kind of stuff that creates Christmas miracles.

So this year when you’re cleaning and earning that crown of cleanliness glory, when you’re buying the presents, when you’re making the Oreo balls (make an extra batch and drop them off at my house. I’ll PM you the address.), put take my family to church on the list. Better yet, put take my family to church every Sunday on the list. Also, put take my family to Sunday School or children’s church or connect group or life group or whatever the cool kids are calling it these days. Teenagers, too. TAKE YOUR TEENAGERS TO CHURCH. Tell them the phone bill or the car insurance will be paid through church attendance. Tell them this is their payment for ALL THE THINGS YOU BUY THEM. So what if they’re mad? My oldest is mad at me right now because I fussed at him for eating all the yogurt and I’m making him watch his baby brother so I can type this. And I don’t care. I provide him with access to Minecraft. He’ll get over it.

Wouldn’t it be something when we’re in heaven and we’re receiving our crowns and y’all are getting your cleanliness crowns and I’m getting my Wow, she actually made it crown, Jesus says something like:

Wait, here’s another crown. A crown for raising. Because you raised them to know me, I could raise them to heaven. Because my name was spoken in your home, your children confessed my name to the world.

Because we raise the sons and daughters of earth to know Jesus, because we birthed them into church, he could raise them from death and give them second birth.

Friend, receive the crown of pointing your children to Jesus. I hope you sing this carol this year with a fresh and new gusto. This carol of life and death and sin and redemption. Take your babes to church, wrap your arms around their precious shoulders and tell them about Jesus. Sing this hymn and whisper lovingly into their ears: “Hey! Listen! The angels are talking to us. And they’re telling us about our Savior.”

O Holy Night

by Jamie Gunter

O Holy Night

This song that was not originally a song at all, has become a staple in the line up for Christian Christmas Worship. Not only was this song not a song, it was also written by an atheist and put to music by a Jewish man. If you have ever heard O Holy NIght, this is shocking news. Oh and there’s even more to the story! Lean in…

First, this song was originally a poem- In a small town in France in 1847 a parish had recently renovated their organ and the priest asked a local poet, also a winemaker, Placide Cappeau, to pen a poem in celebration. The poem would be revealed on Christmas Eve at the church. Cappeau was an unbeliever, describing himself an atheist, but imagined himself there at the birth and read the gospel of Luke to prepare. Below is the original poem translated to English:

Literal Translation of "Minuit, chrétiens" (Midnight, Christians)

Midnight, Christians, is the solemn hour,
When God as man descended unto us
To erase the stain of original sin
And to end the wrath of His Father.
The entire world thrills with hope
On this night that gives it a Saviour.

People, kneel down, await your deliverance.
Christmas, Christmas, here is the Redeemer,
Christmas, Christmas, here is the Redeemer!

May the ardent light of our Faith
Guide us all to the cradle of the infant,
As in ancient times a brilliant star
Guided the Oriental kings there.
The King of Kings was born in a humble manger;
O mighty ones of today, proud of your greatness,

It is to your pride that God preaches.
Bow your heads before the Redeemer!
Bow your heads before the Redeemer!

The Redeemer has broken every bond:
The Earth is free, and Heaven is open.
He sees a brother where there was only a slave,
Love unites those that iron had chained.
Who will tell Him of our gratitude,
For all of us He is born, He suffers and dies.

People, stand up! Sing of your deliverance,
Christmas, Christmas, sing of the Redeemer,
Christmas, Christmas, sing of the Redeemer!

Thinking this poem would be a wonderful song, Cappeau asked a composer, Adolphe Adam (a Jew), to put it to music. Adolphe obliged though he didn’t really believe this Jesus was the son of God and he certainly didn’t celebrate the day it was written for. The song debuted in 1847 by an opera singer and was widely loved after that.

Another amazing part of this story is that when it was found out this song was written by an atheist (who had renounced the church and became a Socialist) and put to music by a Jew, the Catholic Church renounced it and it was banned for around 20 years. The hymn was still loved and continued to spread in popularity.

The version we know was reworked some and translated by John Sullivan Dwight, a minister, in 1855. “An ardent abolitionist, Dwight strongly identified with the lines of the third verse: ‘Truly he taught us to love one another; his law is love and his gospel is peace. Chains shall he break, for the slave is our brother; and in his name all oppression shall cease.’ The text supported Dwight's own view of slavery in the South. Published in his magazine, Dwight's English translation of ‘O Holy Night’ quickly found found favor in America, especially in the North during the Civil War.” (From "Stories Behind the Best-Loved Songs of Christmas")

John Sullivan Dwight's version
O holy night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of our dear Saviour's birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
Till He appear'd and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.

Fall on your knees! O hear the angel voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born;
O night divine, O night, O night Divine.

Led by the light of Faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming,
Here come the wise men from the Orient land.
The King of Kings lay thus in lowly manger;
In all our trials born to be our friend.

He knows our need, to our weaknesses no stranger,
Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend!
Behold your King, Before Him lowly bend!

Truly He taught us to love one another;
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother;
And in His name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
Let all within us praise His holy name.

Christ is the Lord! O praise His Name forever,
His power and glory evermore proclaim.
His power and glory evermore proclaim.

Legend has it that on Christmas Eve 1871, in the midst of fierce fighting between the armies of Germany and France, during the Franco-Prussian War, a French soldier suddenly jumped out of his muddy trench. Both sides stared at the man. Boldly standing with no weapon in his hand or at his side, he lifted his eyes to the heavens and sang the beginning of O Holy Night.

 After completing all three verses, a German infantryman climbed out his hiding place and answered with the beginning of Martin Luther's robust "From Heaven Above to Earth I Come." Fighting ceased for 24 hours.

Another amazing story about O Holy Night- in 1906, on Christmas Eve, Reginald Fessenden spoke the first words by a human over radio broadcast- the Gospel of Luke and then Fessenden played ‘O Holy Night’ on his violin.

Though this song had a unique beginning, the words within it are a testament to God using unlikely people in unlikely situations to grow His kingdom and shine His glory. There is a contrast in the holiness of this baby boy, come as king, to take the sins of the world and the humility of the situation- a dirty stable, an ordinary inn, a long uncomfortable journey for a young mother in pain… simplicity in the situation but what holiness and glory in the revealing of a savior!

It’s hard for me to believe that God couldn’t use anyone He desires to bring His word to life and to change the world. Truly, night divine.

Joy to the World

by Heidi Ashe

Sometimes holidays are hard days full of unmet expectations.  Where’s the joy in that? 

Sometimes holidays are a brutal reminder of dreams that never came true.  Where’s the joy in that?

Sometimes holidays are full of loss and grieving.  Where’s the joy in that?


From the ending of the Old Testament to the beginning of the New Testament, four hundred years passed until God’s people heard from Him. 

Four hundred years of silence.

He had established his chosen people with Abraham, had led them out of captivity through Moses, had established rules and given them instructions. 

Then He went silent.

In that stretch of silence, when I’m sure His people feared that He had forgotten them, He was preparing the biggest surprise ever. 

Jesus.

Four hundred years after He stopped talking to His people, He sent His son.  He didn’t choose another Abraham or Moses, he sent His very own son. 

Can you imagine the JOY that was theirs when they learned of the baby born that very first Christmas?

The King they had been promised all those years ago had finally arrived! 

I imagine they dusted off those old Psalms of David and began rejoicing as they realized that all they had been taught about the god of their fathers was TRUE and He had not forgotten them at all, but instead had sent a Savior.

In 1719, Isaac Watts put some of those psalms to work as he rejoiced over God’s faithfulness.

Psalm 98 says:

1

Sing to the Lord a new song,

    for he has done marvelous things;

his right hand and his holy arm

    have worked salvation for him.

2

The Lord has made his salvation known

    and revealed his righteousness to the nations.

3

He has remembered his love

    and his faithfulness to Israel;

all the ends of the earth have seen

    the salvation of our God.

4

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth,

    burst into jubilant song with music;

5

make music to the Lord with the harp,

    with the harp and the sound of singing,

6

with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn—

    shout for joy before the Lord, the King.

7

Let the sea resound, and everything in it,

    the world, and all who live in it.

8

Let the rivers clap their hands,

    let the mountains sing together for joy;

9

let them sing before the Lord,

    for he comes to judge the earth.

He will judge the world in righteousness

    and the peoples with equity.


This psalm inspired what we now know as the hymn Joy to the World.  One of my absolute favorite songs to sing this time of year (or any time really—just ask my kids) because no matter what’s going on in my everyday, it reminds me that JOY came to the world.  The King of all the Earth, came to the Earth.

And He’s coming back. 

And when He does, sorrow will no longer exist. 

Much like the people who lived in that four hundred years in between, we are living in hopeful expectation of His return.  He has not forgotten us.  He WILL return. In the meantime, we need to find our joy in Him and share that joy with everyone we meet. 

So when the holidays are hard days full of unmet expectations.  There’s joy in Jesus.

When the holidays are a brutal reminder of dreams that never came true.  There’s joy in Jesus.

And when holidays are full of loss and grieving.  There’s joy in Jesus.

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King!
Let ev'ry heart prepare Him room,
and heav'n and nature sing,
and heav'n and nature sing,
and heav'n, and heav'n 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 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, wonders of His love.

O Come All Ye Faithful {A Collective Christmas Carol Tale}

by Andrea Noles

Tis the season….

To be jolly. To deck the halls. To walk in winter wonderlands. To make a list and check it twice.
And….to be completely exxxxxxhausted but oh so full of joy!

But mostly, it’s the season for the faithful to come and adore their King. 

Oh Come All Ye Faithful is a Christmas anthem. We’ve been singing it for years and using some pretty big bold words to declare our faithfulness. But let’s take a moment and ask ourselves, “Who are the faithful?” 

It’s easy to include ourselves in this isn’t it?

Identifying the faithful is a somewhat dangerous undertaking. It can quickly become a game of pointing fingers and including and excluding. Our Jesus came to this Earth to diminish the very idea of claiming ourselves as more faithful than another. He tells us to humble ourselves, to be lowly in spirit, and know our need for Him.

This hymn is for the truth seekers, the mercy givers, and the light chasers… it’s a song for the sinners, for the skeptics, and the lost. It’s a song for God’s beloved chosen people.

The faithful is you, it is us. It is anyone willing to come and adore Jesus Christ.

How will we adore Him this Christmas season...

What if we were quick to listen and slow to speak (to someone who looks different than us?)
Maybe our words would be a bit more gentle (even when we know we are right.)
What if we slowed down and prayed for our waitress or our neighbor.
What if we counted everything as joy... every good, bad, and ugly moment of the season?

Oh Come All ye Faithful…. Joyful and Triumphant.

Another command and a reminder of why we do what we do.
We are joyful because we know the manger is empty and the cross is bare. We rejoice because what we are fighting for has already been won. We can’t see it yet, but we can read about it.

John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

1John 5:4  for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.

Oh Come Let us Adore Him…

We sing this refrain again and again, but do we stop to see the depth of what’s expected?
To adore means to worship, to glorify, to exult.
Clearly we are worshipers-- just look at how we spend our time.
Our time has a way of revealing the truth about our worship.
But are we good at kneeling in adoration of our King?
Do we stop and ask for His help when we feel the busy stirring?

Let’s let our every breath hang on the simple truth that God really dwelt among us. And that His Spirit is dwelling within us. And one day we will spend eternity with Him in Heaven. We will sing with the angels in jubilant chorus and forever be with our King.

Let us be faithful.
Let us adore Him.
Let us remember Heaven and Earth sing when we come and adore the king.

Oh Come, dear friends, come and be found faithful this Christmas.

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen {A Collective Christmas Carol Tale}

by Kayla Cook

God rest ye merry gentlemen,
Let nothing you dismay
Remember Christ our Savior
was born on Christmas Day
To save us all from Satan's pow'r
when we were gone astray
O tidings of comfort and joy,
comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy


Y'all, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen is my very favorite Christmas song, but that hasn't always been the case. Only in the last several years did I even open my little heart to more than O Holy Night. And when I did, I let this under-appreciated carol both wreck my heart and wrap me in peace. It does so because it tells the gospel story so concisely and so well.

"God rest ye merry gentlemen,"- God provides rest. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak (Isaiah 40:29, NIV). Jesus bids us come weary and burdened, and He will give us rest (Matthew 11:28, NIV).

"Let nothing you dismay,"- I tend to think of dismay as disappointment, but a quick google search of "define dismay" tells me it's more than that. The definition is much closer to distress than disappointment. "Disquiet" is a synonym, which is a feeling of anxiety or worry. Ah, there it is. That familiar yet unwelcome guest. And this song tells me to let nothing dismay me. Nothing? Is that even possible? Look no further than your Facebook feed, or maybe your church or friend group or family, or maybe even your own heart, and you'll find plenty of reason to be dismayed. There is loss and there is grief, there is betrayal and there is rejection, there is disease and drama and doubt. And yet, "let nothing you dismay." It feels like a tall order, a sometimes impossible order, but it's not, and here's why:

"Remember Christ our Savior was born on Christmas Day"- Jesus. He's the answer to every question and every problem. He stepped down from Heaven to enter our brokenness, and here's why:

"To save us all from Satan's power when we were gone astray,"- This is why Jesus came: because we, each and every one of us, need a Savior. Ephesians 2:1-5 tells us that we were dead in our transgressions and sin, all of us, when we "followed the ways of the world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air" (y'all, listen, that's Satan). Because of that, we were deserving of the wrath of God. But because of His great love for us, in His incredible mercy, God made us alive in Christ even when we were dead in our sin- this is grace, and by grace we are saved. Even today, our enemy the devil prowls around looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). That sounds terrifying, doesn't it? That's because it is...well it would be, if we didn't have Jesus. But greater is He who is in me than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4)! We can submit ourselves to God, resisting the devil, and he will flee (James 4:7).

"O tidings of comfort and joy"- God has been speaking comfort to His people since before Jesus came (Isaiah 40:1). He comforts His people so we can comfort others with the comfort we received from Him (2 Corinthians 1:4). He is the God of all comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3) and the God of hope, who fills us with joy and peace as we trust in Him (Romans 15:13). Jesus tells us about abiding in Him and keeping His commands in John 15, and in verse 11, He says He tells us this "so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete." Comfort and joy, from the King of heaven to your heart- what a good God.

I hope you hear the gospel every time you hear God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen this season. I hope you share it with someone who needs to hear it, and y'all, that's all of us. Those who have never met Jesus need Him, and those who know Him need to be reminded of His goodness and His grace. May you find rest in the completed work of Christ this season and always. Tidings of comfort and joy from my home to yours.