Scriptures: Luke 2:8-12, Isaiah 43:11, 49:26, 1 John 4:14, Matthew 1:21

In 1719, Issac Watts wrote a hymn entitled, “Joy to the World.” Most of you probably know that outside of the United States, “Joy to the World” is more widely known as a “second-coming” song and not a Christmas carol at all. The lyrics more closely describe not the first coming, or birth, of Christ, but instead His second coming, which has not occurred. Yet our cultural influence is great, and “Joy to the World” over the years has come inseparably tied to Christmas. In this message, Dr. Merritt uses the backdrop of the song "Joy to the World" to share the tremendous and joyous gift that Christ is to us--and that we can also share this good news with those around us.

"We tend to underestimate the incredible expectation and anticipation that this event be fulfilled. From the first sin in the Garden of Eden when God first promised a Savior to the world, for thousands of years there was this incredible anticipation and expectation for the coming of the Savior. Some were looking for a political savior, some were looking for a judicial savior, but some were looking for a spiritual savior. Yet, it came in an absolutely, incredibly, unexpected way." --Dr. Merritt

Keywords: Jesus, birth, Christmas, songs, Savior, carols, music, Christ, Mary, Joseph, holidays, joy, happiness, gift, giving, Napoleon, Alexander the Great, Charles Darwin, William Gladstone, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Abraham Lincoln, servant, ordinary, Anissa Ayala, Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia, cancer