Joy to the World, LBW 39 & ELW 267
1 Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her kin;
let ev’ry heart prepare him room
and heav’n and nature sing,
and heav’n and nature sing,
and heav’n, and heav’n and nature sing.
2 Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns!
Let all their songs employ,
while fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
repeat the sounding joy,
repeat the sounding joy,
repeat, repeat the sounding joy.
3 No more let sin and sorrow 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.
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.
Devotion
This week on Nov. 25, we remembered Isaac Watts, England’s prolific hymn writer. Our worship book places this favorite Watts hymn last in the Advent section. Just turn the page and you’re into Christmas. As a parish pastor I found that people wearied of the heaviness of many Advent hymns but here we had a joyous hymn everyone loved to sing, and we sing it we would.
Pregnancies are joyful and expectant times. Waiting for God’s intervention and accordingly preparing ourselves is a joyful time as well.
Our Lord Jesus has come into our world. He came 2000 years ago. He comes today, and he will come again in the future. Joy to the world!
Prayer
Lord Jesus, heaven and earth rejoice at your coming into the world as you reveal your glory. With great joy we invite you into our hearts this day. Make room there to fill us with the wonders of your love. Amen.