One of my favorite things of the Christmas season is the music. Sure the fun Christmas songs like Straight No Chaser’s “12 Days of Christmas” are catchy and fun to sing along with. But the ones that resonate with me each year and come to mind first when thinking of the Advent and Christmas season are those songs we sing in worship and in our elementary singing time each week. A favorite Advent song of mine was introduced at our church a few years back. It is called, “Prepare A Place” by Christine Dente and Michael W. Smith. Another favorite is from the group Pentatonix “Oh Come, All Ye Faithful.” But, no matter what’s being played on the radio or from my personal music collection, my all-time favorite is singing “Joy to the World” with the elementary students and with my church congregation.
May the joy of music fill your hearts as you sing about the good news of the Messiah!
Mr. Paul Lapka, Elementary Principal
Joy to the World, by Isaac Watts
1 Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
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.
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.
