Christmas Hymns: Joy to the World

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I have been reviewing some modern worship songs, but I’ve taken a break to explore some Advent and Christmas hymns. I have listed some of the Advent hymns that I’m familiar with, but perhaps it’s time to move on to Christmas hymns 😀. Let’s begin with Joy to the World:

Joy to the World – Celtic Woman

Lyrics

Interestingly, this is more of an Advent hymn in some ways because the writer, Isaac Watts, actually wrote it about the second coming of Christ. It wasn’t meant for Christmas 😀.

The lyrics are a Christian interpretation of Psalm 98, with references to Genesis 3 and Psalm 96.

1. Joy to the world; the Lord is come;
Let Earth receive her King;
Let ev'ry heart prepare him room,
And heav'n and nature sing.

2. Joy to the Earth, the Savior reigns;
Our mortal songs employ,
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains,
Repeat the sounding joy.

3. 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.

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

Verse 3 refers to the current state of the world. The Bible claims that sin and suffering is present because Adam and Eve chose to disregard God and eat the forbidden fruit. Why should we suffer the consequences for their disobedience? Well, every time that we sin, we follow their example. I see myself as a follower of Christ, but can I ever look back on a single day and claim to be perfect in my thoughts, words and deeds? I’m a sinner, which is why I need a Saviour. And I look forward to the return of Jesus with the same joy that I look back on his first coming into the world, and his coming into my own life when I was 18.

Luke 2:10 – Angel speaks to the shepherds
But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.

Here are some interesting versions of the hymn: