This year my favorite Christmas song is Joy to the World. Some years other carols may speak more to me, but most years Joy to the World is my favorite. I like the message:
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.
The truth about Christ and his reign are captured eloquently in these lyrics. Christ is Savior, Lord, and King. He rules in the hearts of his people today. When he returns, he will reign over all of the world.
The TV news each evening focuses on world conflict, distress in many places, and horrible incidents. We need the good news of “joy” that comes with Christ.
Right now, I claim the joy of Christ because he has saved me, because he keeps me through his Holy Spirit, and because he is preparing a place for me to return and take me to.
Can you believe it? Christ is that personal to me — and to everyone who has a saving relationship with him.
Yes, there can be Joy to the World through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Filed under: Christian life, Discipleship, Faith, Jesus, Spiritual Warfare | Tagged: Christ, joy to the world, peace, salvation
I have a goal to teach my kids the words to carols this year. I was singing this song to my daughter yesterday to show her you CAN learn the words to songs so that you can “sing while you work”, as I did while I did dishes.
I got to “far as the curse is found” and she said, “Whoa, whoa…what? A curse? Did you say CURSE?”
It was great to hear her pay attention to the words and see a teaching moment open up.
On the other hand, my eldest insisted he KNEW the words already and did NOT need this exercise of “word learning” added to his ’seaon’. I said, “Okay, Silent Night…let’s hear it”. He got to “holy infant so tender”…and “vile” and my point was well made!
))
Meant to type “season”.
But, just so everyone DOES know…the verse sings “tender and MILD”! …not “ttender and vile”..
though I have to give him a little credit, it did, at least, rhyme!
Blessings~ “Maggie”
It is such a beautiful song. I also liked the lyrics to my solo in the cantata:
“Joy to the world, the Lord WILL come and REIGN forevermore! And EVERY knee will bow, and EVERY tongue confess, that Jesus Christ is Lord, that Jesus Christ is Lord, that Jesus, Jesus Christ is Lord!”
Doesn’t it send chills up your spine to envision EVERYONE on bended knee, even those who have always rejected Him, worshipping Him and confessing Him as their Lord and Savior????