Joy to the World: The Angel’s Joyful Announcement
The night sky was serene and peaceful over the quiet hills near Bethlehem, when “Suddenly a great company of heavenly hosts appeared” (Luke 2:13).
How astonishing it must have been to look up and see hundreds of angels bursting through the veil of night to announce peace and good tidings of great joy. Imagine the thrill of that dazzling moment!
If I were an angel announcing the incarnation of Jesus Christ, come to save the world of their sins, I would be exhilarated with joy!
I wanted to paint that moment. Now, I know it is no small challenge to portray an angel. All through history people have tried, making some look so austere and others overly romanticized. The Bible describes angels in such a way that any attempt is certain to fall short. Yet the sheer gladness of that moment inspired me to try.
First, I needed a model who could exude happiness, so I asked my secretary to help. I had her drape herself in a white sheet, stand on a stool, and then hold an olive branch in one hand as a symbol of peace on earth. I then asked her to excitedly stretch out her other arm and spread her fingers apart, all to convey the idea of bursting-forth joy that can’t be contained. Then I had one more request of my angel model: do all this while laughing!
My precious secretary posed this way and that, while a friend snapped scores of photos. From the collection of pictures, I was able to sketch a rough draft of my glad angel. Of course, my secretary didn’t have wings, so I had to look elsewhere for those. I studied the wings of dozens of birds, looking for the best way to capture happiness in the very shape of the wings. I found that birds of prey such as vultures have wings whose tips curve downward in flight whereas the wings of a dove curve slightly upward. So, with that knowledge, I painted the feathers in a way that suggested something good about the wings, rather than something sinister.
I used pen and ink to outline the sketch, filling in the wings and the angel with very pale watercolor. For the sky, I chose faint pastel pencils, doing the same for the angel’s hair. Then I decided to add a sprightly touch in the sky, painting the word JOY in the style of Hebrew lettering. I decided to place the words “to the world” under a horizontal line to anchor that phrase to the heaviness of earth. To reinforce that idea of earth’s weightiness, I added heavy mountains above “to the world.”
Finally, I lined the angel and the sky in black ink to make the viewer think of a stained-glass window. I wanted this angel to be worthy of a towering stained-glass window in a cathedral with colored panels, telling the marvelous story of God’s redemptive plan. Most people don’t have the time nor the inclination to sit in a quiet church and ponder stories told with light filtering through grand windows, but you and I can ponder the Good News announced by this happy angel.
Then let’s turn our faces to the Light of the World and let his love filter through our eyes, smiles, and our words to brighten this dark world. For we have the best news ever: “Joy to the World, the Lord is Come!!”
–Joni Eareckson Tada
Joy to the World Christmas Card
Featuring Joni’s “Joy to the World” artwork, these festive cards invite you into the first heavenly celebration of Christ’s birth—the moment when angels burst through the sky, announcing tidings of great joy.
