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 earth! 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.
Isaac Watts, 1719
Read Psalm 98
(Isaac Watts wrote his hymn as a paraphrase of Psalm 98 rather than as a celebration of Christ’s birth. The psalm is a joyful celebration of the King’s perfect reign. I know for many, joy at Christmas is difficult to muster. For some, the year has been marked by profound loss. For others, family stresses or financial burdens can squeeze out any hints of joy. Those things prove we still live under a curse, but the King comes to make His blessings flow as far as that curse is found. Because we have experienced the sting of the curse, the joy will be that much richer and fuller. Even so, come Lord Jesus.)