It's still Christmas in my heart.....

Even though Christmas 2010 has come and gone I wanted to share more Christmas-y thoughts this week.  Have you ever stopped to listen to some of the popular Christmas carols?  I'm not talking about Jingle Bells or Santa Claus is Coming to Town.  The Christmas carols, those that tell of the TRUE meaning of Christmas, that we hear on the radio ad nauseum.   They have been remade by various artists, tempos changed, and styles abound.  But have you ever really stopped to listen to what the words are saying?   To stop and ponder what they are saying about this season and what it means for mankind?

I've been listening.  And I decided to dig a little deeper and learn some of the history behind a few carols that really touch my soul.   I also love that these are pieces that have lasted hundreds of years.  So, over the next few days I want to share these with you.  Aren't you excited?  ;)  I have bolded the lines that I love. 

Here is the first for you to ponder.

Joy to the World

This carol, written by Isaac Watts (he wrote hymns), was published in 1719.  It is based on Psalm 98, which says (NIV):

1) Sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him. 2) The LORD has made his salvation known and revealed his righteousness to the nations. 3)  He has remembered his love and his faithfulness to Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
 4) Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth,  burst into jubilant song with music; 5) make music to the LORD with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing, 6) with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn - shout for joy before the LORD, the King.
 7) Let the sea resound, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. 8) Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy; 9) let them sing before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity.


This carol wasn't originally written as a Christmas song.  It was written to sing of the Second Coming!!


Isaac Watts was challenged by his father after church one Sunday to write “something better for us to sing” (http://www.suite101.com/content/joy-to-the-world-christmas-song-a37361).  So Isaac wrote Joy to the World.  He continued to write two hymns ever Sunday over the course of two years!!  Others you may recognize that he authored are When I Survey the Wonderous Cross and Oh God Our Help in Ages Past. 

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

My favorite version of this song, by Chris Tomlin, adds the lines:

Joy, unspeakable joy
An overflowing well, no tongue can tell
Joy, unspeakable joy
Rises in my soul, never lets me go

And just because I love this version so much, here it is for you to listen to!