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Did you know that Joy to the World was not written as a Christmas song?
I KNOW!!!!! I was shocked to learn that too.
It was actually written about the second coming to the Lord. It was written by Isaac Watts. (source)
Can you imagine how joyful the world will be when the Lord returns? Even the mountains and the trees will clap their hands. 🙂 All the sins and sorrows of this world will be gone! Imagine it just for one moment…just imagine…no more sin, no more sorrow, just the joy of the Lord at his return.
Isaac Watts, the same boy who was fed up with lacklustre singing in the church, who was challenged by his dad to make something better, became “Father of English hymnody”. If you want to know about Isaac Watts, check here.
Lyrics
Joy to the World, the Lord has 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 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.
[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
I didn't realize it wasn't written as a Christmas carol. Thank you for teaching me something new!
I know!! I was surprised too. 🙂
Lovely hymn study. I just love them and wish I would integrate them more into our year. I always learn something myself when we do a hymn study. Thanks for sharing!
I pick a song from Sunday service and that's our hymn of the week. I play it via youtube, I it sing it and I think on it throughout the week.
I guess it is inevitable but it seems unfortunate that so many hymns typically sung at Christmas time are usually ONLY sung at Christmas time. Joy to the world is one of my favorites!
i know… unless you live in my house and find yourself belting out Santa Clause is coming to town, or Frosty the snow man or joy to the world at odd times… ALWAYS earning one strange looks from one's hubby. 🙂
Wow that is interesting! It is hard to think of it as anything but a Christmas song but it certainly makes sense in the context of the second coming! Thanks or sharing!
I know, it's interesting learning tidbits about different hymns eh? 🙂
My dad taught our seminary class when I was in high school (all our church's high schoolers take it), and he used this song for a Second Coming lesson. I've wanted to slip it into the music for Sacrament Meeting when they were having a Second Coming theme, but I've never actually done it…
That was interesting to learn. You should do it sometime, just introduce it well. 🙂
We sang this on Sunday followed by Sing To The King, which is even more clearly about the second coming. Turned out to be a great combination!
I don't think I know that one Kym