Psalm 98:4 Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music;

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…

That is something worth singing about. The curse of sin has been defeated for us. Life is different when you know Jesus. It would be nice to think that all problems disappeared, but that doesn’t happen. Instead, Christians are given the ability to cope with the problems of this world. The blessings of God are poured out upon His faithful disciples. Knowing what God has done for you in Jesus enables you to face whatever comes your way in the sure and certain hope that you are forgiven and that you have eternal life. If you would draw on that strength and certainty every day, what could possibly come up that you could not face?

Psalm 98:9 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.

He rules the world with truth and grace And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness, And wonders of His love…

Righteousness has become ours in Christ. We live under the gracious rule of the one who gave himself for us to redeem us from death and the grave. There is certainly nothing wrong with remembering the incarnation of Jesus, His birth as a man, all year long. That is why this hymn is suitable for the entire year as well. Jesus becoming man enables us to relate to Him on our level. And it was the fact that He took on human flesh and became one of us that allowed Him to pay the price for our sins. God’s justice demanded that a man pay the price for man’s sins, and Jesus was truly a man. Yet He was also fully God, so He was able to make payment for the sins of all people, offering His perfect, sinless life as an acceptable offering to pay the penalty.

We have this joy, this certainty, that transcends everything else in life. Tears and sorrow and suffering and sadness and trials and heartaches are all tempered by the surpassing joy of having heard what the angels proclaimed to those shepherds just outside of Bethlehem:

Luke 2:10-11 … “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.”

 Joy to the World, the Lord is Come.