A Christmas Song for All Year Long

There is a special Christmas song that I believe is so much more than seasonal. The beautiful words detail a timeless response.

I love this song - this Christmas song. But it does not specifically mention Jesus’ birth or anything surrounding it, or even any Christmas tradition or phrase that labels it as a just one time a year song.

Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee…

It is all about joy, worship, and adoration. Yes, Jesus Christ coming to earth in absolute humility should result in a response that includes joy, worship, and adoration.

But there’s so much more here in these amazing lyrics.

Which begs the question: What if we don’t just think of this as one of the wide variety of songs we sing every year around Christmas? What if we pause and dive into this song? What if we reflect more fully on what a gift of unconditional love and supreme sacrifice we have access to, every single day? He wasn’t just born for us. He also lived as one of us, yet not as one of us, and died and rose again for us. That’s unfathomable love.

Let’s dive into this masterful tapestry of worship.

Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee, God of glory, Lord of Love.

There is so much packed into just this first sentence. This is where I’m going to stop and reflect. 

Joyful, joyful…We are joyful; therefore, we worship and adore. Or… we worship and adore; therefore, we are joyful.

Why are we joyful? And which comes first? Joy? Or worship and adoration? Yes.

Throughout Scripture, we see how a Christian’s joy is to be separate from life situations. It has nothing to do with circumstances or even feelings. It’s a baseline of stability, powered by a hope that nothing and no one can shake. We have hope because we have Him. We are His, He is ours. We are in Him; He lives in us. And oh, how He loves us.  We are joyful in the knowledge of Him and His love. And we praise. Praise brings joy, joy brings praise.

This doesn’t mean that our lives are going to be easy, smooth, and problem free. This means that despite whatever struggles come our way, we can cling to what we know to be true even when we are barely hanging on and it’s messy, painful, and definitely not pretty. A brief look at the life of Jesus shows us that He was well acquainted with suffering at a level we can’t imagine. His perfect life was perfect, but full of strife. Why should we expect our lives to be cozy and comfortable?  

We adore Thee… Adore. Not look, or see, or watch, or view… but adore. Gaze intently, focus on, consider, ponder… and we do it with this always present understanding that is beyond understanding: we don’t deserve Him. Yet we are the astounded receivers of His unending grace and love and mercy. So, we adore Him. It’s an intricate, intimate caress without touch. It’s a beholding where we linger and allow everything else to fall away. We drink Him in and let His love permeate throughout all we are, to sink into the deep parts of us no one sees, not even us. We love You, Lord. We adore Thee.  

God of glory, Lord of love…In Him is the ultimate glory. He embodies the greatest significance, the heaviest weight, the highest prominence. He is high and lifted up, and His holiness is beyond anything we can imagine. Yet, He chooses to love, and even more amazing, He chooses to love us. He loves us, delights in us, sings over us. And we respond.

This is only the first sentence of this song!

There is so much here – multiple poignant reminders of God’s Godness.   

The birth of the Messiah was the beginning of God's rescue plan for humanity. But it continued through His life and death and resurrection and lives on every day in His never ceasing faithfulness to offer Himself to us, freely, lovingly. He is the incomprehensibly beautiful gift. We have only to receive.

Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee

God of glory, Lord of love

Hearts unfold like flowers before Thee

Opening to the sun above

Melt the clouds of sin and sadness

Drive the dark of doubt away

Giver of immortal gladness

Fill us with the Light of day!