Let earth receive her King;
Let every 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.
Joy to the earth, 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.
saac Watts, born in the late 1600s, was an English minister and a gifted hymn writer. He wrote between 600-800 hymns over the course of his life, penning one of our most famous Christmas hymns of all time, “Joy to the World.” When singing this hymn at Christmastime, it’s hard not to smile and rejoice in the gift of Jesus. If Watts could see the people who, all over the world, are clapping their hands and raising their voices with this hymn every year, what delight it would bring him!
He was disgusted by the lack of enthusiasm he saw in the church of his day, stating, ”To see the dull indifference, the negligent and thoughtless air that sits upon the faces of a whole assembly, while the psalm is upon their lips, might even tempt a charitable observer to suspect the fervency of their inward religion.” His point was, where is the passion? What has happened to us if we can’t gather together and sing to our Savior with just a tiny drop of the fiery passion He has for us?
One of Watts’ most popular hymns, “When I Survey The Wondrous Cross,” is considered by some to be one of the best hymns in the English language. Here is an example of the powerful words he wrote:
Sorrow and love flow mingled down!
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?
Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.
Let earth receive her King;
Let every 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.
Joy to the earth, 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.
Let earth receive her King;
Let every 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.
Joy to the earth, 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.
saac Watts, born in the late 1600s, was an English minister and a gifted hymn writer. He wrote between 600-800 hymns over the course of his life, penning one of our most famous Christmas hymns of all time, “Joy to the World.” When singing this hymn at Christmastime, it’s hard not to smile and rejoice in the gift of Jesus. If Watts could see the people who, all over the world, are clapping their hands and raising their voices with this hymn every year, what delight it would bring him!
He was disgusted by the lack of enthusiasm he saw in the church of his day, stating, ”To see the dull indifference, the negligent and thoughtless air that sits upon the faces of a whole assembly, while the psalm is upon their lips, might even tempt a charitable observer to suspect the fervency of their inward religion.” His point was, where is the passion? What has happened to us if we can’t gather together and sing to our Savior with just a tiny drop of the fiery passion He has for us?
One of Watts’ most popular hymns, “When I Survey The Wondrous Cross,” is considered by some to be one of the best hymns in the English language. Here is an example of the powerful words he wrote:
Sorrow and love flow mingled down!
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?
Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.
shley Wiggers grew up in the early days of the homeschooling movement. She was taught by her late mother, Debbie Strayer, who was an educator, speaker, and the author of numerous homeschooling materials. It was through Debbie’s encouragement and love that Ashley learned the value of being homeschooled. Currently, Ashley is the co-executive editor of Homeschooling Today magazine, public relations director for Geography Matters, and the author of the Profiles from History series. Ashley makes her home in Somerset, KY, with her loving husband, Alex, and their precious sons, Lincoln and Jackson.