Joy to the World

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As I consider the song Joy to the World, I am prompted to ponder what is the true source of joy. The lyrics of this majestic carol remind us that the humble arrival of our King should bring great joy. This hymn it is believed also declares Christ's triumphant second coming.

Luke 2:9-11

New American Standard Bible (NASB)
9 And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; 11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

Following is an excerpt from Wikipedia:
Joy to the World" is a popular Christmas carol.
The words are by English hymn writer Isaac Watts, based on Psalm 98 in the Bible. The song was first published in 1719 in Watts' collection; The Psalms of David: Imitated in the language of the New Testament, and applied to the Christian state and worship. Watts wrote the words of "Joy to the World" as a hymn glorifying Christ's triumphant return at the end of the age,[2] rather than a Christmas song celebrating his first coming as a babe born in a stable. Only the second half of Watts' lyrics are still used today.[3]
The music was adapted and arranged to Watts' lyrics by Lowell Mason in 1839 from an older melody which was then believed to have originated from Handel, not least because the theme of the refrain (And heaven and nature sing...) appears in the orchestra opening and accompaniment of the recitative Comfort ye from Handel's Messiah, and the first four notes match the beginning of the choruses Lift up your heads and Glory to God from the same oratorio. However, Handel did not compose the entire tune.[4] The name "Antioch" is generally used for the tune. 

Verse 1



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.
Verse 2
Joy to the world! the Saviour 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.
Verse 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,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.
Verse 4
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

Even those of us who were not present when that angelic proclamation was made can still rejoice. We can have joy that He came to this world to redeem us. We can rejoice that He will come again to reign and receive us to Himself.

Here is a link tp listen to the song Joy to the World:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J820DMrPvZI&feature=related

Comments

Pat said…
I never knew the history of this carol. Thanks for sharing this.
December 13, 2011 at 10:39 PM
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