Christmas Eve Services
Growing up I remember being at church for Christmas Eve every year. I grew up going to a small Southern Baptist church, where my uncle was the worship pastor, before moving to another slightly bigger Southern Baptist church not too far away. There were two songs that I’ll always remember as staples at Christmas Eve services; the first is Silent Night. I won’t spend any time on that one, but it’s also one of my favorite Christmas carols. While Silent Night was often the finishing song for these services, the one that stands out just as much was almost always the opener: Joy to the World. The reason this song stands out is that it was always such a joyous and upbeat song that we sang to celebrate the birth of our Savior. Not only did we have the opportunity to rejoice in this truth together, I also loved the deep voices of the men’s choir as they belted out those opening words, “Joy to the world! The Lord is come.” Even as a child it was a moment filled with joy, but also the hope that we can all have in Jesus. With this in mind, let’s dive into the song. If you know the words, fantastic, but if you don’t, here they are.
Joy to the World Lyrics
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 Saviour 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.
Fun Fact
Did you know that the famous Christmas carol “Joy to the World” by Isaac Watts, wasn’t even written as a Christmas carol, much less a song? In fact, “in 1719, Watts published a book of poems in which each poem was based on a psalm. But rather than just translate the original Old Testament texts, he adjusted them to refer more explicitly to the work of Jesus as it had been revealed in the New Testament.”
Quick Look In Psalm 98
As we think back on this song in light of this chapter of Scripture, the themes of Psalm 98 jump off the page. In verses one and two we’re reminded to not only sing to the Lord a new song but to also, remember that He has provided salvation and revealed his righteousness in the sight of nations. While verse 4 implores the reader to make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth in joyous song and sing praises! These verses leap from the pages as a proclamation to lift up our praises to our God. To remember His love and faithfulness.
Although the author who penned the Psalm is unknown and hadn’t seen the fulfillment of these words through the birth of Jesus, when Watts wrote Joy to the World, he had. Watts, just like us, understood the sacrifice Jesus made for the world, but it wasn’t just His sacrifice on the cross, it was humility He showed, to leave His place in Heaven. To be born like all of us, giving up His equality with God. Not only that, but Watt’s words echo the truth found in the final verse of the chapter that says, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity. It’s where we can find our hope and shout out with joy, that Jesus will return again. And when He does, these words will ring true. “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.”
Take Heart
I don’t know what’s going on in your life right now, but God does. As we walk through this Christmas season, my prayer is that you’ll find your peace and rest in Him. Regardless of the circumstances you’ve been through over the course of the year, or struggles you are facing right now, remember this. We serve a faithful God. A God who sees us where we are. A God who loves us enough that He gave His one and only Son for our salvation. That longs to spend time with you and be your strength. Wherever you are, whatever is going on, my hope for you this holiday season is that when you hear this song, that same joy will stir up in your heart. That you’ll be reminded of God’s love for not just the world, but His love for you. Remember all that He’s done and trust that He’s working towards the day, where there is no more sin or sorrow present. Until that time though, we rejoice in the love that He’s shown as we celebrate the birth of Jesus.
Joy to the World, the Lord has come!
Forster, Greg. n.d. “A Brief History of ‘Joy to the World.’” Crossway. Accessed November 21, 2025. https://www.crossway.org/articles/a-brief-history-of-joy-to-the-world/.
