Joy to the World.

 

Author: Ares

Written for Blood Roses Advent calendar, 2007.

 

**

 

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.


Angel wondered if the carol meant living, beating hearts.  Did he have the right to prepare Him room, a creature such as he? Would letting the Lord into his heart mean his doom? Would he crumble to dust as if pierced with a sliver of wood? He used to be a churchgoing man, and he knew first-hand the validity of souls, holy water, the crucifix, and the power thereof.

 


Joy to the world, the Saviour reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.

 

Repeat the sounding joy. Yeah! That’ll work! Joy for him only brought about terror and destruction. The world would tremble if Angel so much as felt such happiness. Let the world resound with joy. He was constrained to a joyless existence.

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,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

His curse is found. Those gypsies were kindly remiss in informing him that his curse came attached with strings. And what was the reason for that? Did they intend for Angelus to burst free at some stage, killing and maiming anything and anybody that the soul had dared to love?  He thought so. Those gypsies were vindictive bastards. Why else would they neglect to mention the hiccup in his curse? No greater punishment could they wreak upon their immortal enemy.


He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.

 

God didn’t love him. Darla was correct in that. And yet, he held out faint hope. He was the Powers’ champion, and wasn’t that by the Grace of God? Had the finger of the Lord pointed him out, marked him, making possible his redemption, even without the reward of shanshu?

 

Angel pondered the wonders of His love as the carollers moved off down the street, unaware their words had had a profound affect on the being standing in the shadows of the night.

 

The End. 

 

 

Author’s note.

 

Joy to the World
Words and lyrics of the old Christmas carol 'Joy to the World' were written in 1719 by Isaac Watts (1674-1748). The father of John Watts was a Non-conformist and so extreme were his views that he was imprisoned twice. His father's influence over Isaac was demonstrated when he chose to attend Non­conformist Academy at Stoke Newington in preference to a University. Watts was ordained as a Pastor of an Independent congregation. He wrote many hymns and Carols and was awarded a Doctor of Divinity degree by the University of Edinburgh in 1728. The music to the carol is by George Frederick Handel (1685-1759).


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