Joy to the World!

“Joy to the World.” I think I’ve always thought about the “Joy,” but seldom about “the World.”

This past weekend, several friends came over for a small Christmas fellowship. I had bought a tree at a market downtown, but wanted some help in decorating it. And who wants to decorate a tree by themselves? Well, our time turned into much more than decorating. I got the girls going on making Apple Crisp—something that they had never tasted, much less made, before. The guys began making the decorations, and were soon joined by the girls. Mathew joined us a bit later for the food and ‘lighting’ of the tree. If you want to see an interesting juxtaposition of two cultures, try playing “Christmas with Ray Conniff” with Chinese and Russian friends (for those of you who were deprived of Ray Conniff’s Christmas music when you were growing up, I express my deepest regret on your behalf). Then we sang some carols together, aided by Mathew and his guitar. We also were able to talk to my parents on Skype® —so that both sides could see each other. A neat opportunity for both. I've enjoyed a lot of things so far in China, but I think that this was one of the most enjoyable and joyful evenings that I've experienced here.

I’ve sung that song hundreds of times, but I think I’ve begun to understand the meaning in a greater way.