我很享受圣诞的季节。我喜欢那些令人愉悦的装饰，和亲朋好友相聚一起，品尝圣诞佳肴。不过，到目前为止，我最喜欢的部分是唱圣诞歌曲，尤其是，“普世欢腾”这首歌。
神的百姓在圣诞时节宣告说：“普世欢腾，救主下降”。以撒·华兹（Isaac Watts）这首18世纪的圣诞颂歌是基于诗篇98篇，为了庆祝耶稣基督的降临。
救主降临的喜悦在万物中回响，甚至田野、岩石，小山和平原都“响应歌声嘹亮”。这对神的整个世界来说都是大好的消息！
我们在每个圣诞节都宣告的这个消息为什么这么好呢？为什么唱这首歌的感情如此丰沛而欢快？华兹在第三节中回答了这个问题，他在那里宣告说，耶稣的到来化解了人类犯罪和悖逆而来的咒诅。耶稣藉着祂的死和复活，“将咒诅化为了祝福”。
在华兹的诗歌中，这句歌词重复了好几遍——这是有原因的。脱离了罪的束缚以及死亡的辖制，我们便得以自由，活在喜乐中，能以爱神和爱邻舍，耕耘神赐给我们的土地。所以，让我们喜乐地唱出这个好消息吧：“普世欢腾！救主下降！”
耶稣，祢已经来释放我们脱离了罪和死的辖制。请帮助我们活出并宣扬祢爱的奇妙。阿们。
路加福音 2:8-20
8 在伯利恒之野地里有牧羊的人，夜间按着更次看守羊群。
9 有主的使者站在他们旁边，主的荣光四面照着他们，牧羊的人就甚惧怕。
10 那天使对他们说：“不要惧怕，我报给你们大喜的信息，是关乎万民的。
11 因今天在大卫的城里，为你们生了救主，就是主基督。
12 你们要看见一个婴孩，包着布，卧在马槽里，那就是记号了。”
13 忽然有一大队天兵，同那天使赞美神说：
14 “在至高之处荣耀归于神！在地上平安归于他所喜悦的人！”
15 众天使离开他们升天去了，牧羊的人彼此说：“我们往伯利恒去，看看所成的事，就是主所指示我们的。”
16 他们急忙去了，就寻见马利亚和约瑟，又有那婴孩卧在马槽里。
17 既然看见，就把天使论这孩子的话传开了。
18 凡听见的，就诧异牧羊之人对他们所说的话。
19 马利亚却把这一切的事存在心里，反覆思想。
20 牧羊的人回去了，因所听见、所看见的一切事正如天使向他们所说的，就归荣耀于神，赞美他。
“I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord." — Luke 2:10-11
I enjoy the Christmas season. I like the cheerful decorations, spending time with family and friends, and eating Christmas goodies. My favorite part of Christmas, by far, though, is singing carols—and, above all, “Joy to the World!”
“Joy to the world! The Lord is come,” God’s people announce at Christmastime. Based on Psalm 98, Isaac Watts’s eighteenth-century carol celebrates the coming of Jesus, the Christ. The joy of the Savior’s coming resounds throughout all of creation, even the fields and rocks and hills and plains “repeat the sounding joy.” This is good news for all of God’s world!
What’s so good about this news announced each Christmas? Why sing this carol with such exuberance? Watts answers that question in the third stanza, where he declares that Jesus has come to deal with the curse of human sin and rebellion. Through his death and resurrection, Jesus brings the blessing as “far as the curse is found.”
In Watts’s hymn, this phrase repeats several times—and for good reason. Released from bondage to sin and the power of death over us, we are now freed to live with joy, to love God and our neighbor, and to cultivate the earth God has given us. So let’s sing with joy that good news: “Joy to the world! The Lord is come”!
Jesus, you have come and released us from the power of sin and death. Help us to live in ways that proclaim the wonders of your love. Amen.
诵读: 楚云
片头: 张妙阳
