Joy to the World – 12 Days of Christmas Carols

“So many Christmas songs…so little time”

#12 – Joy to the World

Leave your mark of “joy” in the world.

The other day, the girls were super excited to show me a new dance that is supposed to be the latest thing on TikTok.

They finally got my attention and I was ready to be entertained with a cute twist of the arms and hips, or a smooth “ninja-ballerina” type of move. But instead, what they showed me surprised me – it was a dance almost identical to one I did in middle school!

When I started doing the dance with them, they were shocked, and for a few minutes, I think they thought I was cool!

Every generation wants to make its mark in history. They think the generation before it was “boring” or “outdated” and that their contributions to the world are going to be better!

This is how we got one of the most beloved Christmas carols of all time – “Joy to the World”.

Isaac Watts was a teenager in the early 1700s when he began to complain about the songs that were sung in the church. His father got so tired of him complaining that he told his son, “Well then, young man, why don’t you give us something better to sing.”

At the age of 18, Isaac took on his father’s challenge and began to write a new hymn for EVERY SUNDAY! After years of writing music, he wrote the words for “Joy to the World.”

If you are tired of the same ideas of the generation before you, create something new! Write something new! Dance something new! Sing something new! Leave your mark of JOY in the world, and do it to the glory of God!

The beginning of “Joy to the World” was based on a melody by George Frederic Handel (the composer of the “Hallelujah Chorus”). What Isaac Watts did is what we call sampling today.

Even though each generation wants to leave its mark in the world, sampling the old is almost inevitable, and it reminds us that the contributions of the generation before us can only help us on our journey!

I never tire of singing “Joy to the World”. It is an echo of God’s promises. The very definition of the word joy is “a source or cause of delight.” He is our source! He is our joy!

Here are a few of my favorites of “Joy to the World”

I hope you have enjoyed 12 Days of Christmas Carols as much as I have! Which one has been your favorite? Let me know below!

Enjoy and Merry Christmas!

WHITNEY HOUSTON – Whenever I hear this song, I don’t know if I should sing, dance or ‘direct’ the awesome voices of the Georgia Mass Choir behind her. (But real choir directors know, you get to do it ALL!)