Getting Ready For The Week | Christmas With Compassion | JOY To The World
Getting Ready For The Week
JOY To The World
Sunday, December 7, 2025
Reading For Sunday | Psalm 98
Getting Ready For the Week
Dallas Willard defines joy as “a pervasive sense of well-being infused with hope, grounded in the goodness of God.”
Joy is not a “fleeting feeling of pleasure” but a deep and constant state of being that can coexist with sorrow or hardship. According to the Apostle Paul in Philippians 4, such spiritual wisdom and understanding provide the foundation for contentment in “any and every circumstance” (Phil. 4:12, NIV).
This week we turn our attention to the well-known favorite Joy to the World—one of the most popular Christmas songs of all time! This great text is rooted in biblical depth, and its musical setting is recognized throughout the world. The big, bold melody encourages us to sing loudly and with abandon as we “burst into jubilant song with music!” (Psalm 98). Many of us connect with the sense of joy and celebration as we express the hope and good news proclaimed in this compelling hymn.
Interestingly, Joy to the World isn’t strictly a Christmas hymn. In 1719, Isaac Watts wrote the text based on Psalm 98, which focuses on the reign of the King and the renewal of creation. Its themes include Christ’s rule, the healing of the world, joy filling all creation, and every heart preparing room for the Savior. All these themes blend beautifully with the Christmas season—pointing us to the hope beyond the manger.
Joy is not a “fleeting feeling of pleasure” but a deep and constant state of being that can coexist with sorrow or hardship. According to the Apostle Paul in Philippians 4, such spiritual wisdom and understanding provide the foundation for contentment in “any and every circumstance” (Phil. 4:12, NIV).
This week we turn our attention to the well-known favorite Joy to the World—one of the most popular Christmas songs of all time! This great text is rooted in biblical depth, and its musical setting is recognized throughout the world. The big, bold melody encourages us to sing loudly and with abandon as we “burst into jubilant song with music!” (Psalm 98). Many of us connect with the sense of joy and celebration as we express the hope and good news proclaimed in this compelling hymn.
Interestingly, Joy to the World isn’t strictly a Christmas hymn. In 1719, Isaac Watts wrote the text based on Psalm 98, which focuses on the reign of the King and the renewal of creation. Its themes include Christ’s rule, the healing of the world, joy filling all creation, and every heart preparing room for the Savior. All these themes blend beautifully with the Christmas season—pointing us to the hope beyond the manger.
Resources
Waiting for Jesus: An Advent Invitation to Prayer and Renewal — book, by Rich Villodas