January 3: Enter Into the Joy of the Lord
♫ Music:
Day 38 - Tuesday, January 3
Title: ENTER INTO THE JOY OF THE LORD
Scripture #1: Matthew 25:20–23
“So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’ His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’”
Scripture #2: Romans 14:17
For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Scripture #3: 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17
For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.
Poetry & Poet:
“Sound Over All Waters”
by John Greenleaf Whittier
Sound over all waters, reach out from all lands
the chorus of voices, the clasping of hands!
Sing hymns that were sung by the stars of the morn,
Sing songs of the angels when Jesus was born!
With glad jubilations
Bring hope to the nations!
The dark night is ending and dawn has begun:
Rise, hope of the ages, arise like the sun,
All speech flow to music, all hearts beat as one!
Sing the bridal of nations! with chorals of love;
Sing out the war-vulture and sing in the dove,
Till the hearts of the people keep time in accord,
And the voice of the world is the voice of the Lord!
Clasp hands of the nations
In strong gratulations:
Rise, hope of the ages, arise like the sun,
All speech flow to music, all hearts beat as one!
Sound bugles of battle, the marches of peace;
East, west, north, and south, let the long quarrel cease:
Sing the song of great joy that the angels began,
Sing of glory to God and of good-will to man!
Hark, joining in chorus
The heavens bend o’er us
The dark night is ending and dawn has begun:
Rise, hope for the ages, arise like the sun,
all speech flow to music, all hearts beat as one!
ENTER INTO THE JOY OF THE LORD
I love the phrase, “Enter into the joy of the Lord” (Matthew 25:23) because to me it is such an expansive, life affirming invitation. Christ offers this overture to those who have faithfully invested in his kingdom. Our Scripture passage for today goes on to say that God’s kingdom is “righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17). Cultivating righteousness through the power of the Holy Spirit results in the gift of joy. Kingdom living starts here on earth and increases beyond comprehension in the world to come. Because we have the promise of Christ’s second Advent in our hearts (1 Thessalonians 4), we are challenged to live accordingly. Author Bobby Gross asks, “How much do these characterize your own life: prevailing joyfulness, constant prayerfulness, consistent thankfulness, spiritual openness, moral steadiness? How does a vivid hope in Christ’s coming enable such postures in us?”
In Greg Lookerse’s Partial Cross Section—217, he represents a sort of Circle of Life. Lookerse writes, “I spent over two hundred hours creating a scroll of pages using over one hundred books I had read from my own personal library. The final few books, as I neared the end, were selected based on their themes of journey. I like to think of the place and the pilgrims who arrive there as Paul Elie defined a pilgrim: A person who takes a journey, ‘in light of a story.’” Many scholars describe biblical time as linear, like an arrow pointing to heaven, beginning with the story of creation in Genesis and concluding with the final redemption of the world at the end of time in Revelation. In stark contrast, the continuous repetition of the church calendar invites believers to enter cyclical time, where year after year one remembers and relives the glorious Gospel stories both individually and communally. One of the pilgrim journeys Lookerse is describing could very well be our annual expedition to Bethlehem. Or better yet, our lifelong journey from earth to heaven.
The circle is one of the oldest, most universal signs there is. In addition to Lookerse’s journey motif, Christian iconography employs the circle to represent concepts like love, unity, and eternity. Because the circle has no beginning or end, it is the perfect symbol for the mystical idea of timelessness, the notion of ceaseless or infinite being. As we celebrate the joy-filled events of Christ’s Incarnation, earthly sojourn and ultimate victory over sin and death, the timeless, eternal, circle of salvation (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) invites us to add the undulating pages and chapters of our own individual stories to God’s grand narrative. You and I play an important part in God’s ever-expanding circle of love and joy, where together we partake of the Trinity’s enfolding wholeness.
The leading players in the drama of Christmas experienced “the joy of the Lord” as they willingly responded to his redeeming love. The resounding joy in Whittier’s “Sound Over the Waters” poem is palpable as he declares the wonders of Christ’s miraculous birth and how it changed everything. Entering into the stories of the nativity each year should increase our joy as with longing hearts we yearn more and more for Christ’s return. “When we all get to heaven what a day of rejoicing that will be. When we all see Jesus we’ll sing and shout the victory.” Hearing Matt Redman sing these words always makes me tremble. With much anticipation we await that glorious second appearance, when “time shall be no more.”
Eighty percent of Americans claim to believe that heaven and eternal life are real. Evangelical pastor, Rev. John Burke, has spent thirty-five years studying over 1,000 cases of near-death experiences. In his book, Imagine Heaven: Near-Death Experiences, God’s Promises and the Exhilarating Future That Awaits You, he details one hundred twenty accounts that he believes line up with the Bible’s teachings about heaven. These Christians who have technically died and come back to life insist that all of the beauty, wonder, and love we experience in this life is like “a flat, black and white representation compared to the vivid, multi-dimensional realities of heaven.” Burke writes, "How you think about heaven affects everything in life—how you prioritize love, how willing you are to sacrifice for the long-term, how you view suffering, what you fear or don't fear.… I'm convinced we can't even begin—but we should try—to picture how magnificent, how spectacular, heaven will be.” Contemplating Christ’s bidding, “Enter into the joy of the Lord,” it is clear that he wants us to participate in his eternal happiness. May it be so!
Prayer:
Even so, come Lord Jesus.
Come as you have promised.
Come in the fullness of the ages.
Come in the clouds of heaven
with power and great glory.
Lord we love the thought of your swift
appearing, for we long to see you face to face.
It is our glorious hope, our eternal future.
You have said, “If I go and prepare a place for you,
I will come again and receive you to myself;
that where I am, there you may be also.”
Thank you Lord, for the anticipation of our faith.
We’re watching, working, and waiting for the day
when you will descend from heaven with a shout,
with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God.
Oh, that it were today!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Amen!
–Adapted from “A Prayer for Christ’s Return” by David Jeremiah
Barry Krammes
Professor Emeritus, Art Department
Biola University
For more information about the artwork, music, and poetry selected for this day, we have provided resources under the “About” tab located next to the “Devotional” tab.
About the Artwork:
Partial Cross Section
Greg Lookerse
2017
Scroll of book pages
During his time in 2017 as an artist-in-residence at the Fruitlands Museum in Harvard, Massachusetts, artist Greg Lookerse created work that focused on the literature and history of writers connected with the location. Lookerse, an interdisciplinary artist, is interested in the concept of journeying through writers inspired by places. His sculptural artwork may literally begin with a book he has read. Removing novels and essays from their shelves, he deconstructs them, folding or gluing the pages, transforming them as he breathes new life into the works while connecting with their content. This is the case with his piece at the Fruitlands Museum, Partial Cross Section, where glued-together pages from over one hundred books which resonated with him—works by Thoreau, Emerson, and Annie Dillard—take the form of a cross section of an old tree. The carefully constructed, layered piece may appear simple, but it is filled with depth. His original and inventive work is a welcome contemporary musing on transcendentalism. Lookerse explains, “I responded by spending over two hundred hours creating a scroll of pages from over one hundred books. All of the books selected are from my own personal library and were my copies that I read. The final few books, as I neared the end, were selected based on their themes of journey. I like to think of the place and the pilgrims who arrive there as Paul Elie defined a pilgrim: ‘A person who takes a journey, in light of a story.’” https://www.thefreelibrary.com/The+Transcendentalist+Trail-a0515381626
About the Artist:
Greg Lookerse (b. 1987) is an interdisciplinary artist and designer exhibiting and serving clients internationally. His work explores traditional forms that are recontextualized by materials and typography. Lookerse received his B.F.A. from Biola University (2009) and his M.F.A. from The School of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston at Tufts University (2014). Lookerse makes mixed media drawings, installations, and performances that question the nature of sacred objects. He explains, “The studio is a wrestling ring. I see something holy, an icon, temple architecture, or religious practices, and I cannot understand why these things are sacred instead of mundane. In order to understand them, I have to dissect them, rearrange them, often finding something new.” As an educator, Lookerse has taught courses in design, drawing, sculpture, new media, and conceptual approaches to creative practices. He has received prestigious grants and awards including the Travel Fellowship at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston. Currently he is professor of art at Hope University in Holland, Michigan.
https://www.greglookerse.com/?page_id=2
lookerse@hope.edu
https://hope.edu/directory/people/lookerse-greg/index.html
About the Music:
“One Day (When We All Get to Heaven)” from the album Glory Song
Lyrics:
One day You’ll make everything new, Jesus
One day You will bind every wound
The former things shall all pass away
No more tears
One day You’ll make sense of it all, Jesus
One day every question resolved
Every anxious thought left behind
No more fear
When we all get to heaven
What a day of rejoicing that will be
When we all see Jesus
We'll sing and shout the victory
One day we will see face to face, Jesus
Is there a greater vision of grace
And in a moment, we shall be changed
On that day
And one day we’ll be free, free indeed, Jesus
One day all this struggle will cease
And we will see Your glory revealed
On that day
About the Performer/Composer:
Matthew James Redman (b. 1974) is a British worship leader, singer-songwriter, and author. Redman has released sixteen albums, written eight books, and helped start three church plants. He is best known for his two-time Grammy Award–winning single "10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord).” In 1993, Redman helped, alongside his pastor Mike Pilavachi, found Soul Survivor, a global Christian movement and yearly music festival aimed at youth. In 2008, Redman, along with his wife Beth and their three children, moved to Atlanta, Georgia, to help plant Passion City Church with Louie Giglio and Chris Tomlin. In 2005, Redman co-wrote, with his wife Beth, the 2005 Dove Award–winning "Blessed Be Your Name." Since then, Matt and Beth have co-created some of Redman's most successful songs, including "You Never Let Go," "Face Down," and "Let My Words Be Few.” Matt has won thirteen Gospel Music Association's Dove Awards. His songs have been covered by a number of contemporary Christian music artists, including Matt Maher, Michael W. Smith, Jeremy Camp, Rebecca St. James, Chris Tomlin, David Crowder Band, and Hillsong United. He has authored and edited multiple books on Christian worship, including The Unquenchable Worshiper and Facedown, which accompanied the album of the same name.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_Redman
https://mattredman.com/
About the Poetry & Poet:
John Greenleaf Whittier (1807–1892) was an American Quaker poet and advocate of the abolition of slavery in the United States. Frequently listed as one of the “fireside poets,” he was influenced by the Scottish poet Robert Burns. Whittier is remembered particularly for his anti-slavery writings, as well as his 1866 book Snow-Bound. Whittier's first two published books were Legends of New England (1831) and the poem Moll Pitcher (1832). His use of poetry in the service of his political beliefs is illustrated by his book Poems Written during the Progress of the Abolition Question. A number of his poems have been turned into hymns, including Dear Lord and Father of Mankind, taken from his poem "The Brewing of Soma."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Greenleaf_Whittier
About the Devotion Author:
Barry Krammes
Artist
Professor Emeritus, Art Department
Biola University
Artist and educator Barry Krammes (b. 1951) received his B.F.A. in printmaking and drawing from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and his M.F.A. in two-dimensional studies from University of Wisconsin, Madison. For thirty-five years, he was employed at Biola University in La Mirada, California, where he was the Art Chair for fifteen years. Krammes is an assemblage artist whose work has been featured in both solo and group exhibitions, regionally and nationally. His work can be found in various private collections throughout the United States and Canada. He has taught assemblage seminars at Image Journal’s annual Glen Summer Workshop in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Krammes has served as the Visual Arts Coordinator for the C. S. Lewis Summer Institute in Cambridge, England, and has been the Program Coordinator for both Biola University’s annual arts symposium and the Center for Christianity Culture and the Arts for several years. He has also been the editor of CIVA: Seen Journal for Christians in the Visual Arts (CIVA), a national arts organization. For the last five years of his time at Biola, he was the planning coordinator for the CCCA. Krammes was the originator of the Advent and Lent Projects.