When I first saw the antics of environmental activists throwing liquids on priceless works of art, I was a bit confused. After all, what does one really have to do with the other? Yes, these acts gain immediate attention. However, the most troubling connection I see now is their attempt to create a joyless society. For some time, our culture has taught that joy is not only impossible, but it is also not desirable. They pressure people into believing that if you find joy in anything, it is because you do not care enough about all the troubles in this world. They not only live a joyless life, but they also seek to rob others of their joy.

Young people are conditioned to forsake long-term joy in favor of short-term pleasure. They are told to disparage true beauty and celebrate vulgarity. They are taught to ignore the virtues of our Nation and magnify its faults. They are indoctrinated into believing that true unity is impossible, and our only hope to correct past oppression is by more oppression. For decades, they have been scared into believing that they have no hope of a future, and then we wonder why they live like that’s true.

One of my favorite hymns this time of year is, “Joy to the World!” Now whether you consider it a Christmas carol, an Advent hymn, or just a great song of everyday praise to God, this classic by Isaac Watts beautifully captures the antidote that is needed to cure our depressed culture. For in Jesus Christ, God has given us a reason to rejoice each moment of every day.

To experience this joy, we all need to receive Jesus as King by making room in our lives for Him. And not just a little bit of room, but every part of our lives needs to be filled with the joy of the Lord. When we praise the Lord as King of Heaven and earth, and teach our young people to do the same, a wonderful thing happens. Both Heaven and nature sing a song of praise to the Creator!

This is a great picture of the 2 Kingdoms. At Creation, God gave to Adam two main responsibilities. First, God gave him authority over nature (Kingdom of the Left) to subdue the earth and rule over the animals in Genesis 1:28. Second, God gave him authority in spiritual matters (Kingdom of the Right) by entrusting His Word to Him concerning the prohibition to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil in Genesis 2:16-17. When we speak of the 2 Kingdoms Ministry, we are referring to this two-fold responsibility that God entrusted to us.

When Adam sinned, he let Satan usurp his authority in both areas. This started the battle between God’s Kingdom of Light and Satan’s Kingdom of Darkness on earth. This battle, however, isn’t between two kingdoms as much as it is the struggle of two rulers that are vying for authority over those kingdoms God established on earth. Even today, Satan is trying to assert his authority by deceiving both the nations and the church into following him instead of the Lord.

This is why the third verse of “Joy to the World” is my favorite. While it is a reminder of the painful thorns that now infest the ground, it also assures us, “He comes to make His blessings flow Far as the curse is found.” There is no place on earth where we can only find the curse and not the blessings of God. Jesus Christ has overwhelmed and overcome the curse. In Christ, we have the promise that one day the thorns will be no more, and we will be left with only the blessings of God. It encourages us to rejoice in the Lord even when the thorns prick us from time to time.

It is this promise that leads us to pray in the fourth petition of the Lord’s prayer, “Give us this day our daily bread.” This petition is a prayer of thanksgiving for the ways in which God has provided for our earthly needs in the past, and it is a statement of faith that God will continue to provide His earthly blessings despite the curse of sin this Creation is currently under.

The final verse rejoices in Christ’s triumph over Darkness: “He rules the world with truth and grace And makes the nations prove The glories of His righteousness And wonders of His love.” Jesus, as the New Adam, had regained that authority that was given away in the sin of Adam. So as we exercise the authority of the Lord that has now been entrusted to us, let us make sure we do so in the truth and the grace of the Lord.

Yes, as faithful servants of our King, we need to speak His truth. We need to point out that the lies of this world only lead people to painful thorns, but may we spend even more time rejoicing in the Lord. Let us constantly sing the praises of our Lord and rejoice in the beauty He has brought into this world. Let us praise Him for all those things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and admirable (Philippians 4:8), and let us teach our children to find their joy in these things as well.