Most Christians in the English-speaking world sang Isaac Watt’s hymn, “Joy to the World” this Christmas. Although Watts intended the song as a celebration of Christ’s second coming, we’ve adopted this favorite Christmas hymn because it is Christ’s first coming that offers the promise of a world made new—a world we all innately crave, believer and unbeliever alike.
“Joy to the World’ is my favorite hymn for that reason, and the third verse offers hope specifically for the workplace. Christ’s reign brings healing for mankind and creation and also our work.
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.
The thorns refer to the curse Adam brought on our work and all creation by his rebellion against God (Gen. 3:17-19). When the human race’s relationship with God was severed, every part of life came unraveled. All of creation is at odds with the rebels (that’s us).
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- Animals growl instead of bow.
- Thorns choke out crops.
- Machines break down.
- Businesses fail.
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We all experience the thorns of the curse in our work.
Thanks be to God that He did not leave us in this in this dismal, hopeless state, In the same breath that He proclaimed the curse, He announced His plan for redemption (Gen.3:16), and two thousand years ago, God invaded planet Earth to rescue us from our willful rebellion and Satan’s dominion.
Jesus worked and lived the life we should have lived,
And He died the death we deserved to die,
to restore our relationship with God—and to our work.
According to God’s word, each of us has important work to do in His great story of redemption before Christ returns to make His blessings flow as far as the curse is found. God has designed us, gifted us, and empowered us to do work that no one else can do and to accomplish things vital to His kingdom.
The reality that Christmas brings is this: Though the world remains badly broken, God expects us to work at fixing what is faulty, developing what is new, resisting evil, and bringing grace to our domain— no matter how small—for His glory.
So what does it look like to pull up thorns, so to speak, and do God’s work in a broken world? It can look like …
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- an engineer asking for wisdom—puzzling over the design of a five-level-stack highway interchange to relieve traffic congestion.
- a researcher hunched over a microscope, peering deeply into God’s creation, asking for the discovery of a cure for cancer.
- the satisfied smile of an accountant who just discovered the inaccurate entry that threw off the balance sheet.
- a caring third-grade teacher who stays after class to help a struggling student.
- the prayerful attentiveness of an air traffic controller landing planes on a snowy day.
- a mother who sends her children off to school with a prayer and lovingly packed lunch boxes.
- the smooth finish of a crafted table built by a skilled carpenter from Nazareth.
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Ordinary tasks done in faith, out of love, with excellence, and for God’s glory are how thorns are pulled, and the curse is held at bay. During such times we experience what we pray for: “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
One day, the frustrations of work will be gone, and joy will be ours in full because the rightful King will return to earth to dwell among men and restore His dominion over our planet. The final mending of the great rupture between God and man will bring healing to all other fractured relationships—and heal our work.
If you know Christ, this is your story, too. Until He returns, we can do our work in light of Christmas. We can reclaim whatever small part of the planet God entrusts to our care. We can bring His love and truth to those who don’t know Him.
And, when we do, we participate in God’s work as we wait for that day when Watts’ words become a reality and “blessings flow far as the curse is found.”
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