Sermonette on Psalm 98:4-9

Choir Christmas Concert at Saint Mark's

(Pastor Karl Walther)

December 19, 1999

"Joy to the world, the Lord is come!" It's those words that our bulletin proclaims to us this morning. It's those words with which we led off today's worship. Those words were inspired by the Lord's inspired Word on page nine hundred thirty-six of your pew Bibles. Please turn to page nine hundred thirty-six, as we read together the words that led to the song "Joy to the World!" ...

First of all, please read aloud with me the verses that tell us how we ought to celebrate this season-- Psalm Ninety-Eight, verses four through six: Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music; make music to the LORD with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing, with trumpets and the blast of the ram's horn -- shout for joy before the LORD, the King. And hold that page....

Shout, burst, make music, and shout again! Do you hear how the Lord is urging us to throw ourselves into celebration this season? With song, music, harp, trumpets, and even ram's horn! Do hear see how specially the Lord is urging us to celebrate? Joy, jubilation, and joy again! Do you hear how the Lord is sounding the keynote of your life: joy? -- Deep down and big broad happiness!

So, brothers and sisters: rejoice! Smile today as you hear the lovely songs with which our choirs are favoring us. And when it's your turn to sing, don't hold back; instead, lend a powerful voice to the jubilation you hear around you. But that isn't the end of it, is it? The Bible bids us: Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! So, rejoice today, when you go home. Rejoice tonight, when you go to bed. Rejoice tomorrow, when you're back to work or school. Rejoice right to and through the next millennium.

But why? Well, please read aloud with me the verses that tell us why we ought to celebrate this season-- Psalm Ninety-Eight, verses seven through nine: Let the sea resound, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy; 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.

Celebrate this season, then, because it says here: the LORD comes to judge the earth. Now, I know that God's judgment sounds like a poor reason to celebrate and a great reason to cower in fear. We are, after all, miserable sinners. We have thought all sorts of shameful thoughts, uttered all sorts of evil words, done all sorts of embarrassing deeds.

Nevertheless, celebrate this season because the LORD will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity. Thank God his judgment is, as it says here, both right and upright! Thank God that God is going to look at your conception and birth in sin and see Christ's holy beginning. Thank God that God is going to look at your evil life and see Christ's holy continuation. Thank God that God is going to arrange your death in the light of Christ's suffering and death. And thank God that God is going to arrange your eternal life with Christ's resurrection as the guarantee.

After all, the Bible urges us to: be found in him, not having a righteousness of our own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ. So, yes: "Joy to the World!" because our Lord, our Savior, has come! Amen.