Joy to the world, the Lord has come! Let earth receive her King. Let every heart prepare him room And heaven and nature sing...
Joy to the world was written by Isaac Watts in 1719 and is an accidental Christmas Carol. It was originally written as a poem based on part of Psalm 98. Then more than a century after it was written it was slightly adapted and set to music and now celebrates Christ’s second coming more than the first. It has now become a well loved and very popular carol.
What brings us so much joy that we want to tell everyone we meet?
Are we feeling joyous as we begin our Christmas preparations? Or are we too busy worrying about the presents we still have to buy? Or the mince pies and cakes we still have to make? Or will we fit everyone around the table on Christmas day? In short are we too busy worrying and forgetting the real reason for the season?
Twice in my memory at Park Church Grimsby we have had a real baby in the manger. In the first instance, was when I was a teenager, I played Mary and my new born cousin played the part of baby Jesus. The second time one of the young girls in the church played Mary and my own baby son played the part of Jesus. What joy it brought to the church, the nativity story came to life and seemed so much more real.
My husband and I have three wonderful grandsons. Arthur and Edward are four and Henry is nearly two. Their letters to Santa are written and they are waiting full of joy, excitement and expectation with a belief that something wonderful is going to happen. Arthur has been learning Christmas songs and carols at nursery school. He belts them out with joy and happiness overflowing.
Are we feeling that kind of joy at the impending arrival of our coming King?
Let us stop amidst all our preparations and remember that Jesus is the reason for the season. Do we have the joy and expectation of a child, do we have the joy of the Angels and the Shepherds on that first Christmas day.
Let us re-discover the joy that the baby Jesus brought, not only on Christmas day, but a joy that can be ours, always, if we follow him. Then we can truly sing with all our hearts “Joy to the world the Lord has come.”