Joy to the World

Did you know “Joy to the World” is actually NOT a Christmas carol?  I didn’t either until we had a visiting preacher to talked about it.  I was shocked!!!!  I love that song and now I had someone tell me I could actually sing it ALL YEAR ROUND!  The excitement was building, but I wanted to verify that myself (ok, so I didn’t want to get too excited).  I looked it up and what to “my wondering eyes should appear”, verification that indeed it WAS NOT written as a Christmas carol! I can sing is now WHENEVER I want and I will!

In 1719, Sir Isaac Watts published a book of poems in which each poem was based on a psalm. He adjusted them to refer more explicitly to the work of Jesus as it had been revealed in the New Testament instead of just translating the original Old Testament texts.

One of the poems was an adaptation of Psalm 98. Sir Isaac Watts interpreted this psalm as a celebration of Jesus’s role as King of the whole world. More than a century later, music was added to give us this beautiful Christmas carol.

Now you have the facts, it wasn’t written as a Christmas carol, but to honor our Lord and Savior as King of Kings!  So, sing your heart out ANY TIME YOU WANT with “Joy to the World”. 

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.

Joy to the earth, the Savior 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!

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!

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!