LSB 387: Joy to the World

The Rev. Paul Hemenway, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Springfield, IL, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study the hymn “Joy to the Word.”

What if I told you that one of your favorite Christmas hymns isn’t really a Christmas hymn at all? This last hymn in our Countdown to Christmas series speaks more of Christ’s return than his birth, but that doesn’t keep us singing this song to celebrate Jesus’s everlasting reign! So, open up your Lutheran Service Books to 387 and get ready as we dive into: Joy to the World. Learn more: hymnary.org/hymn/LSB2006/387

Celebrate the birth of our Savior with Thy Strong Word’s Countdown to Christmas, a special series where we explore 10 of the most beloved Christmas hymns found in the Lutheran Service Book. Learn the history and meaning of these beautiful carols and how they reflect the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Each weekday we dive into every stanza of these classic hymns and discover the rich theology and joy it expresses. Don’t miss this opportunity to prepare your hearts to receive Christ anew and rejoice with Thy Strong Word: Countdown to Christmas.

Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations.

Thy Strong Word is graciously underwritten by the Lutheran Heritage Foundation. Through the mission gifts of people like you, LHF translates, publishes, distributes and introduces books that are Bible-based, Christ-centered and Reformation-driven. Learn more at lhfmissions.org.

Lutheran Service Book 387

1 Joy to the world, the Lord is come!

Let earth receive her King:

Let ev'ry 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.

2 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.

3 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.

4 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.

Text Information

First Line: Joy to the world, the Lord is come!

Title: Joy to the World

Author: Isaac Watts, 1674-1748

Meter: C M and refrain

Language: English

Publication Date: 2006

Scripture: Psalm 98; Romans 5:16-19; Revelation 22:1-5

Topic: Psalm paraphrase

Tune Information

Name: ANTIOCH

Composer: George Frideric Handel, 1685-1759 (adapt.)

Arranger: Lowell Mason, 1792-1872

Meter: C M and refrain

Key: D Major

Learn more: hymnary.org/hymn/LSB2006/387