The angelic announcement to the shepherds in the fields near Bethlehem was, “I bring you good tidings of great joy.” But how much joy is there in our world today? The rapid spread of the COVID virus has stolen joy from countless millions who have succumbed to its often deadly impact, even apart from the lingering damage done to children whose education has suffered so dramatically. The halls of the US Congress are filled with angry rhetoric and intensely personal attacks that have prevented much of a positive nature from being accomplished. The leading cause of death in the world today is abortion, as 42.6 million infants in the womb were slaughtered worldwide last year. Our borders are not secure, our enemies are bold to threaten us, and the persecution of Christians is at an all-time high. So where’s the joy?
But that angelic message is still true. Just as the war in Europe continued for a time after the invasion at Normandy until victory was achieved, even so God’s invasion of our world at Bethlehem guarantees that He will come again for the final victory. As someone has written, “the most significant event our history is not when man walked on the moon, but when God walked on the earth!” We have every reason to live lives full of joy, even in the midst of so many dimensions of sin and evil and suffering. And that’s because we walk by faith, not by sight.
By faith, we live in the realm of joy that comes with the knowledge that God is working His purpose out (as we sing in the hymn by that name), looking forward to the day when the earth will be filled with the knowledge of God as the waters cover the sea” (Habakkuk 2:14). This is a joy that transcends Christmas lights and vacation pleasures. It is the joy that Paul possessed when he wrote to the Philippians from his Roman imprisonment, “Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4).
One of the newer Christmas hymns that leads us to sing with that joy comes to us from Keith Getty and Stuart Townend, “Joy Has Dawned.” After they had written their signature song, “In Christ Alone,” they decided to write songs based on the Apostles’ Creed. That launched their ministry to write modern hymns for the church. Thinking about Christ’s birth inspired a song cycle based around John chapter one, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God,” which they believe to be “one of the most beautiful pieces of poetry ever written.” It was 2004 when they wrote the hymn. Out of that came their Christmas concert tour called “Joy – An Irish Christmas.” They have been blessed to share the gospel by presenting that set on public television and in sold-out venues such as Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center and New York’s Carnegie Hall.
Keith has written about that album, echoing the very theme of this hymn study, that in a world filled with sadness, “Joy Has Dawned.”
Even in the evil agenda and corruption of society, Christ came down to be with us. That’s the message of Christmas. So much of what inspires us to write hymns actually finds its origin in carols even more than traditional hymns. There is such enjoyment and excitement in celebrating the most improbable thing that is the incarnation of God on earth … We are His bride, and we live every moment looking forward to His return. The Gospel is a map of history, and we want to tell the story in a way that is meaningful.
Keith and Kristyn Getty have become widely recognized as one of the primary writers and performers of new hymnody for the church during the last 20 years. They have recorded numerous CDs of their compositions and performed in concert tours across the country. To that has been added in recent years their national “Sing” conference which has attracted more than 12,000 in- person registrants and thousands more as on-line participants. Their Irish background and solid reformed theology have won the hearts and minds of great numbers, and their songs have become part of many congregations’ favorite repertoire.
They have teamed up in many of their projects with Stuart Townend, as co-writer of some of their best-known work. That’s true of “Joy Has Dawned.” This is what Stuart has written about that song.
Keith Getty and I wrote “Joy has dawned” as part of a project we’ve been working on entitled “Creed”—a collection of new hymns and songs based on the themes of the Apostles’ Creed. Keith and I both share a passion to see churches singing songs full of truth, compositions that not only express our love and devotion to God, but also declare the wonderful truths of the faith—truths that form the foundation of our lives. With that in mind, we realised that there was shortage on new material on a number of key themes—one being the Incarnation. We therefore set about trying to write what is essentially a Christmas carol, telling the story and significance of Christ’s birth, and this is the result.
The text is filled with allusions to the nativity accounts in Scripture. The song is based on the plan that had been laid down in the Covenant of Redemption before the foundation of the world. The Father planned the salvation of those who would receive the son (Ephesians 1:4-5). This plan “promised from creation” was first revealed to men in Genesis 3:15 with the certainty that a future offspring of the woman Eve would crush the head of the deceiving serpent. This “good news of great joy” was heralded throughout the Old Testament as the hope not just for Israel, but for every nation (Isaiah 49:6; Psalm 67:1-4).
But when the Messiah finally came, when “God’s salvation was unfurled,”it didn’t happen the way most people expected. The long-awaited King didn’t arrive with fanfares, arrayed in glorious raiment at the head of an army on the streets of the holy city. The eternal Son of God came as a “humble gift of love,” a baby born to a teenage mother from the sticks, “sheltering in a stable.” There were those who were not surprised by this arrival, however. The angels knew exactly what a big deal this was, as they announced the birth to shepherds on a nearby hill (Luke 2:8-14). They had seen Jesus on His heavenly throne, ruling over His creation. Now they witnessed Him at his “mother’s breast, vulnerable and helpless.” As they sang that first Noel, they glimpsed one of the greatest ironies in history as “shepherds bowed before the Lamb” (take a moment to reflect on that profound lyric!).
When wise men from the “distant lands” (Matthew 2:1) came to Bethlehem to visit the King whom the prophet Micah had foretold would be born in that city (Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:5-6), the gifts which they presented to Him served to “prophesy the story” of Jesus’ life and death. Gold was indeed a gift fit for kings (1 Kings 10:10). And while the gift of incense may seem appropriate for new parents (Jesus was fully man, you know, stinky diapers and all!), frankincense was a particularly costly fragrance used for worshiping deity (Exodus 30:34-35). Myrrh, on the other hand, was an embalming spice, an exceedingly odd gift to give to a baby, unless that baby was the Suffering Servant of whom Isaiah had written in Isaiah 53:4-5, who would win us by His blood. Three decades later, myrrh would again be given as a gift for Jesus, this time by Nicodemus for the preparation of Christ’s body for burial (John 19:39-40).
Jesus Christ, the “son of Adam” (Luke 19:10) and “son of heaven” (John 3:16), was “given as a ransom” (1 Timothy 2:6) for the sake of “reconciling God and man” (2 Corinthians 5:19). He has become “our mighty Champion” over sin, death, and hell (1 Corinthians 15:57), whose reign on the throne of David as “Lord of history” will never end (Isaiah 9:7). What a wonderful song for the Christmas season.
Stanza 1 speaks of that promise made before the worlds were made, and now fulfilled in space and time … a plan that brings “hope for every nation” as this humble birth unfurls God’s salvation. For something as significant as this, we would have expected “fanfares from above,” but everything about Jesus’ earthly ministry, including His death, were accomplished in weakness.
Joy has dawned upon the world, Promised from creation –
God’s salvation now unfurled, Hope for ev’ry nation.
Not with fanfares from above, Not with scenes of glory,
But a humble gift of love – Jesus born of Mary.
Stanza 2 speaks of the amazing contrast between the angels in the sky and the babe in the manger. And the even greater contrast is there between the divine “hands that set each star in place and shaped the earth in darkness” and those hands that “cling now to a mother’s breast, vulnerable and helpless.”
Sounds of wonder fill the sky With the songs of angels
As the mighty Prince of Life Shelters in a stable.
Hands that set each star in place, Shaped the earth in darkness,
Cling now to a mother’s breast, Vuln’rable and helpless.
Stanza 3 speaks of the shepherds and the magi. Shepherds who tended lambs, some of which were destined for sacrifice in the temple, were going to bow before the Lamb of God. And the three gifts the magi brought were each a form of prophecy of the nature of Jesus’ ministry as prophet, priest, and king.
Shepherds bow before the Lamb, Gazing at the glory;
Gifts of men from distant lands Prophesy the story.
Gold – a King is born today, Incense – God is with us,
Myrrh – His death will make a way, And by His blood He’ll win us.
Stanza 4 speaks of the benefit for those of us who have received Him as Savior. Both God and man, He came not to offer us salvation by our works of imitating His example of a good life. No, He came to offer Himself as a ransom, to die in our place, to reconcile us to a holy God. And in the final line is another enormous contrast, from “a babe in Bethlehem” to “the Lord of history.”
Son of Adam, Son of heaven, Given as a ransom;
Reconciling God and man, Christ, our mighty champion!
What a Savior! What a Friend! What a glorious myst’ry!
Once a babe in Bethlehem, Now the Lord of hist’ry.
Stuart Townend & Keith Getty Copyright © 2004 Thankyou Music (Adm. by CapitolCMGPublishing.com excl. UK & Europe, adm. by Integrity Music, part of the David C Cook family, songs@integritymusic.com)
Here’s a performance of a concert arrangement with chorus and orchestra.