Joyful, Joyful, Lord We Adore Thee!

There are only a handful of movies where the sequel is better than the original. The Empire Strikes Back, End Game, The Dark Knight, and Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan (Now that I'm looking at it, that is a pretty nerdy list of films). While those movies may be a nerd's dream, the next better-than-the-original sequel is something completely different, yet also one of my all-time favorites: Sister Act 2.

If you don't know the premise let me give you a quick rundown. Whoopee Goldberg plays a nightclub singer who gets in trouble with the mob and needs to hide. So she sneaks into a Catholic convent by disguising herself as a nun named Sister Mary Clarence. Using her musical skills and talents as a nightclub singer, she develops an incredible choir of nuns. In the sequel, when a Catholic school is going to be shut down, the nuns reach out to Sister Mary Clarence asking her to teach their rowdy students how to become a choir and save the school. If you haven't seen it, you need to add it to your must-watch list. This movie is notable for two things: Being great and launching the career of Lauryn Hill.

I was thinking about this movie because it crescendos in an epic arrangement of Joyful, Joyful Lord We Adore Thee. In fact, it's so good that I can barely remember the original now (Sorry Henry Van Dyke and Beethoven). I would link a Youtube video of the song, but that would be like posting spoilers. You need to watch the movie!

As I was preparing for this week's message I couldn't stop humming this amazing song. Christmas time is a time of great joy, and tomorrow we will be looking at three instances of incredible joy in the Christmas story. I pray you'll join us for worship during this Christmas season.

Then, on Sunday afternoon, go watch Sister Act 2.