Church doesn't get much more joyful than this, does it? Christmas Day! Our scripture speaks of joy, as well as our other carols today. How could this service have possibly started with any other carol than "Joy To the World"?

Often, in anticipation of Sunday services through the rest of the year, those involved in planning worship scour the lectionary for scholarly comments on Bible passages in question for the day; our musicians go to the music library in search of music in keeping with scripture's theme for the day. Prayers and hymns and worship songs are all intended to build on the theme set by scripture. In preaching on the passages for Sundays, preachers go to commentaries and Bible dictionaries and try to bring to light the context for scripture, to ferret out details that might he…