Announcements, Reflection Verse, & Opening Prayer 

Opening Song: Sing We the Song of Emmanuel

Reading Reflection: Joy to the World & Psalm 98** (Below)

Congregation: Joy to the World  & Joy has Dawned

Program (Amelia)  [20-30  minutes]

Congregation:  Manger Throne

Special Music: On a Dark Night (Steve)

Message

Closing Song:  Majesty in a Manger & We Wish You a Merry Christmas

A Reflection on “Joy to the World”

As we continue to celebrate this blessed season, I’d like to share the story behind one of the most uplifting and triumphant carols of Christmas — “Joy to the World.”

Unlike many of our Christmas hymns, “Joy to the World” wasn’t originally written to tell the story of the Nativity. Its words were penned in 1719 by Isaac Watts, one of the great hymn writers of the English church. Watts based his lyrics on Psalm 98, which speaks of the Lord’s coming to reign with truth and grace. He imagined what it would be like when all of creation rejoices at the coming of its King.

The music we know today came much later. In the early 1800s, the composer Lowell Mason arranged the tune and adapted parts of it from melodies inspired by Handel — the composer of Messiah. Over time, these words and music came together to form the joyful hymn we now know so well.

Even though “Joy to the World” wasn’t originally written as a Christmas song, it has become one of the most beloved carols of the season, because its message fits so perfectly with the story of Christ’s birth. The angels proclaimed “good news of great joy for all people,” and this song calls us to share in that joy.

This carol reminds us that the joy of Christmas is not merely sentimental; it is the joy of salvation secured by God’s sovereign hand. The Lord has come to reign, and His work brings true joy because every promise of God is fulfilled in Christ.

For more than two centuries, “Joy to the World” has been sung in churches, homes, and gatherings around the world — a song of hope, celebration, and victory. Its message reminds us that Christ’s coming brings joy not only to us, but to all creation — “fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains” — all rejoicing in the promise of redemption.

So as we lift our voices in this carol today, let us do so with true joy — the joy that comes from knowing that the eternal King has come, that He reigns over all, His work on the cross brings redemption to His people, and that His love endures forever.

 Read Psalm 98