photo: grittygrace.com

Joy to the world, the Lord is (has) come!  What a glorious refrain during Advent.

That the GOD of the Universe put on human skin.  This is truly something to rejoice over.  Not only that, but He came to rule as King over His world and Savior from sin.  There is much to be joyful over in this hymn.

Isaac Watts wrote this hymn

Isaac Watts was the writer of  this hymn.  He lived from 1674-1748.

 Among the other things he did, he wrote many, many hymns…over 500.  Not all have stood the test of time, but his gift to the Church has been many wonderful hymns.

 Among the ones you may be familiar with are the following:  Alas, and did my Savior Bleed; Am I a Soldier of the Cross?; Come Holy Spirit, Heavenly Dove; Give to our God Immortal Praise; Jesus Shall Reign; Our God, Our Help in Ages Past; When I Survey the Wondrous Cross.  Joy to the World  joins the many other hymns he wrote that have added to our worship services for many generations.

This one reminds us that our Lord and King has come.

Our Savior reigns.  As Savior, he has triumphed over sin.

I’m thinking about what he means when he writes about His ruling the world with “truth and grace”?  What does that look like?

Or making the “nations prove the glories of His righteousness and wonders of His love.”  Definitely food for thought this week.

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 World, 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.

I hunted but couldn’t find the name of the back-up choir.  They were in quite a few of her YouTube arrangements from 2008.  If anyone knows who they are, let me know.