S6: Adventure Through Advent

E3: The Joy of Being on the Naughty List!

Once upon a time – 1674 to be precise – a baby boy was born to a loving husband and wife. Their names were Isaac and Sarah. It was during this time that people began to pull away from the established church – or the Church of England to be precise. Those who would not conform to the State Church were known as dissenters. People of that time, like Isaac and Sarah, could not enroll at Oxford, Cambridge, or any other prestigious university for their education unless they were members of the Church of England. Without this membership, they could not run for any public office or become a member of Parliament.

Dissenters thought the State was too involved and interfering in matters of the Church. So, these non-conformists founded their own churches, schools, and communities all over England. Some were imprisoned like John Bunyan who wrote the enduring book A Pilgrims Progress. Some made it across the pond on a ship called the Mayflower to what would become the colonies, free from the Church of England.

Back to Isaac and Sarah’s baby.

He was not only smart, he was a rascal, a disrupter, a revolutionary. Or, in short, he was a naughty boy. His name was Isaac Watts, or “junior” as we would call him today because he was named after his father.

From an early age, Isaac had a natural propensity for rhymes. One day during family prayers his father caught him giggling while looking up at the ceiling. You see, Isaac had heard a noise and looked up to see a mouse climbing a small rope. Instead of a repentant explanation, Isaac rhythmically said to his father:

“A little mouse for want of stairs,

Ran up a rope to say its prayers.”[1]

As his father escorted him out the room by his ear for a good old 17th century thrashing, Isaac continued:

“O father, father, pity take,

And I will no more verses make.”[2]

 Then came the thrashing.

As a result, and before it became popular, the boy called Isaac Watts was firmly etched into the naughty list, almost indefinitely. I say indefinitely because the same disruptive behavior emerged again as a young adult and continued through adulthood.  

For example, during one of his father’s non-conformist church services, Isaac made a keen observation that something did not line up: worshippers looked downright miserable while singing about a loving God. Later that day he eloquently said to his father, “To see the dull indifference, the negligent and thoughtless air that sits upon the faces of a whole assembly, while the psalm is upon their lips, might even tempt a charitable observer to suspect the fervency of their inward religion.”[3]

You see, the non-conformist church was given to singing the Psalms of the Bible. Nothing wrong with that right? Well, theologically, yes there is plenty wrong with it especially if the Psalms are the only thing a congregation is singing.

Isaac had observed the proverbial elephant in the room during worship, so to speak. The Psalms that spoke of Christ as the coming Messiah were prophetic. The incarnation of Christ conceived by the Holy Spirit in the Virgin Mary had not taken place when the Psalms were written. Obviously, by the 17th century the Annunciation and Incarnation had been proclaimed, preached, taught, written about, and performed as the Nativity for over 1600 years. So, while Isaac could understand the anticipation of Christ the Psalms, he was baffled why non-conformists only sang from this collection. Christ has come! Hence, “a charitable observer [might] suspect the fervency of their inward religion.”

What happens next is what every father of an adult child can identify with. You see, Isaac was too old for his father to hand out another 17th century thrashing, so he challenged his son to stop complaining and do something about it.

And he did.

Isaac was particularly inspired by Psalm 98:4-6 “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.” It is filled with anticipation and hope. But the non-conformists were not singing about its fulfillment in Christ the King. So, in 1719, Isaac Watts wrote:

Joy to the world! the Lord is come;
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare him room,

And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven, and heaven, and nature sing.

Joy to the world! 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.

Eventually, he took all the Psalms of King David and wrote songs about their fulfillment. They include, When I survey the Wondrous Cross (Psalm 22), Jesus shall reign where’er the Sun (Psalm 72), Our God, our Help in Ages Past (Psalm 90), My Shepherd Will Supply My Need (Psalm 23) and many more.

In fact, Joy to the World started out as a poem by Isaac Watts. It was not until 1839 that American composer Lowell Mason put music to it borrowing from the famous German composer George Frederick Handle. Similar to Shakespeare whose work was only taken seriously 200 years after his death, Joy to the World only became popular 91 years after the death of Isaac Watts. However, it is the most published Christmas hymn to date in over 1569 hymnals.  

Perhaps it is the most published song because it both Messianic (first Advent) and Eschatological (second Advent). “Let earth receive her King…Joy to the world! the Savior reigns…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…He rules the world with truth and grace, and makes the nations prove, the glories of His righteousness, and wonders of His love.”

In this week’s simple liturgy, I’d like you to read “Joy to the World” in the third week of Advent. And, like last week, you will need a Bible, a hymn book (or a browser), a notepad and something to write with. Like the first week of Advent, on a daily basis through Advent from Sunday December 13 through Saturday 19:

• Offer an invocation. This is an opening prayer of thanksgiving to God for the hope we have. It also acknowledges the presence of God is with you.

• Read Scripture out loud so you can hear your own voice.

  • Sunday Isaiah 35:1-10; James 5:7-10; Psalm 146; Matthew 11:2-11

  • Monday Mark 13:1-13, 24-37

  • Tuesday Luke 21:25-36

  • Wednesday Revelation 1:1-18

  • Thursday Ezekiel 34:1-10

  • Friday Luke 12:35-48

  • Saturday Acts 1:1-11

• After you have read Scripture for that day, write your thoughts down. Try not to overthink this. Simply react to what the Scripture has been saying to you.

• Pray for the church the Body of Christ, for others, and for yourself.

• When you feel faith is coming get out of the way and let God speak to you.

• Read the hymn out loud so you can hear your own voice, “Jot to the World”

• Take a moment to pause and consider what you have done: Scripture, prayer, writing a few thoughts, reading a hymn.

• Offer a benediction. This is a closing prayer asking for God’s guidance.   

On Sunday December 20, I will post another blog with the theme of Love and another simple liturgy to follow during the week. As you journey through each week, you will be hearing God through Scripture, prayer, the words of ancient hymns, and your own journaling.

You see, it’s good to be on the naught list, as long as you can take the 17th century thrashing!

[1] George H. Back. Christmas Joy: Let Heaven and Nature Sing. Spirit and Intelligence Press. 2007, 95.  

[2] Ibid.

[3] Rev. J. Spencer Pearsall. Public Worship: The Best Methods of Conducting It. Jackson, Walford, and Hodder. 1868, 60.