Healing Rays of Righteousness

I love singing the many joyful, glorious hymns of Christmas. And “Joy to the world” is one of my favorite carols. It is also one of the most sung hymns during the Christmas season. Why? Possibly because its message and melody echo the angelic joy that Jesus’ birth brought into the world.

Isaac Watts put the angel’s message in poetry and George Frederick Handel set those words to music: 

Joy to the world! the Lord is come; Let earth receive her King.

Let every heart prepare Him room, And heav’n and nature sing.

He rules the world with truth and grace, And makes the nations prove,

The glories of His righteousness, And wonders of His love.

Yet today we live in difficult times of joyless darkness and despair, and many are longing to see the transforming presence of God in our world, church, and families. Many others feel threatened by the evils of wars, violence, and injustices. And many more feel powerless against corrupted authorities and selfish leadership, politically touting their lies and conspiracies theories.

And sadly, many of us are deeply troubled by witnessing the Christian church being deceived and swayed by political lies and religious conspiracies, causing disputes, divisions, and a blatant disregard for God and neighbors. And many are quietly and publicly crying out for God to come down and rescue us from this devilish darkness. Nevertheless, the angels song continues to ring out the good news. “The Lord is come; Let earth receive her King.  …He rules the world with truth and grace.”

I love the story of the grandpa who found his grandson jumping up and down in his playpen, crying at the top of his voice. When Johnny saw Grandpa, he reached out his chubby little hands and said, “Out, Grandpa, out.”

Filled with love, Grandpa reached down to lift his grandson out of his predicament, but as he did, Johnny’s mom came into the room and said, “No, Johnny, you are being punished; you have to stay in your playpen.”

With undeterred love Grandpa’s heart and mind searched for a way to satisfy the child’s cry. His grandson’s tears reached deep into his heart. But mom’s firmness could not be taken lightly. It was then that love found a way. Grandpa could not take his grandson out of the playpen, so instead, he climbed into the playpen with the little boy.

That story vividly illustrates the grand love message of the Christmas story. From His eternal glorious heavens God looked down upon us and heard our crying for help and hope. And because God so greatly loved us, He left the glories of heaven and came down to earth, climbing into our world with us. Taking on human flesh, becoming fully one with us, God in Jesus, was born into our world to live in our midst. Oh, the wonders of his love!

The eternal significance of this love gift was so amazing that God rolled back the heavens to make space for the angelic choir to burst forth in song announcing the birth of Jesus, our Savior, Messiah, and Lord with singing “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” (Luke 2:14).

And in unwrapping God’s glorious gift of love, we discover God’s other gifts of joy, peace, and hope. The world-wide Christian church of Jesus followers still trembles in awe and wonder at the miracle of that glorious birth. God came down and, through the infant Jesus says to each one of us, “I dearly love you!”  

May God’s gift of Christmas love be daily enjoyed in your life and mine!

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Ray M. Geigley – “Healing Rays of Righteousness” – www.geigler13.wordpress.com – 12/24/25