I find it interesting how the secular appropriation of Christmas turns an indifferent ear to the lyrics of Christmas carols. A great deal of secularization has overtaken Christmas, but blatantly Christian lyrics to the carols remain. If we take a more deliberate look at the lyrics, they reveal great thought and wisdom—and mysteries to take to prayer.  

“Joy to the World” is a great example of a song capturing the exuberant spirit of the Christmas season. The accompanying music enhances it; an opening brass fanfare is often part of the accompaniment. I can hear my favorite versions of the song, the vocalists singing out boldly. If a brightly lit midnight Mass with trees, candles, decorations, and gold vestments could be put to music, “Joy to the World” would be it. A closer look at the lyrics reveals more than a surface-level joy; the song actually has a well-ordered theology. It begins with creation, moves quickly to the Incarnation, devotes a verse to salvation and redemption, and finishes with the Second Coming.  

Joy to the world; the Lord is come; 

Let Earth receive her King; 

Let every heart prepare Him room, 

And heaven and nature sing.  

This opening verse reminds me of Psalm 24.  It begins by proclaiming that “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it; the world, and those who live in it” (v. 1).  In the material world, God created the universe first.  The song of praise has more than our human voices: it echoes throughout heaven and all creation.  

Psalm 24 ends with several verses celebrating the coming of the King of Glory.  “Lift up your heads, O gates! and be lifted up, O ancient doors!  That the King of glory may come in” (v. 7).  This first verse of the song provides a good reminder that Christmas is not about us.  Christmas is first and foremost about Jesus coming for our hearts so that He could lead us to heaven.  That should sit on the very top of our lists, above parties, family get-togethers, and buying presents.  Jesus knocks at the door of every heart, but it is only us that can allow Him to enter (Revelation 3:20). 

Joy to the Earth, the Savior reigns,

Let men their songs employ,

While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains

Repeat the sounding joy.  

The Savior reigns.  This is cause for great rejoicing!  Earthly kings have weaknesses and flaws; in Jesus, we have the perfect king.  He is the divine Son of God, mysteriously both God and man.  King David’s line reaches its perfection in Jesus.  Here again, all of creation takes up the song.  Did not Jesus rebuke the Pharisees on Palm Sunday?  “I tell you, if [His disciples] were silent, the very stones would cry out” (Luke 19:40).  

The Archangel Gabriel made the kingly identity of her Son clear to Mary (yes, she did know):

“He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there will be no end.” (Luke 1:32-33)

A king Who loves perfectly, judges justly, and brings His own to the Father?  The only thing better than that is if He reigned forever.  

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.

It’s a shame that this verse is omitted from the most common Catholic hymnals in the United States.  We always need reminding: preparing the way for Jesus requires repentance.  Every single person needs to repent from their sins.  Sins are about as pleasant to remove as blackberry bushes in the backyard—yet it remains our task.  Left untreated, sin—just like thorns—will infest the ground of our hearts. 

The thorns in this third verse also hearken back to Adam and Eve, as well as to the parable of the sower (Matthew 13:1-23).  For me, this comes as a subtle, second reminder to repentance.  A life of grace cannot coexist with the thorns of the world.  One will inevitably give way to the other: which do you choose?

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of his righteousness,
And wonders of his love.

We can look at Jesus’ rule of the world in a sort of symbolic sense now.  Yes, He reigns in His kingdom, but the peoples of the earth are a long way from fully belonging to that kingdom.  When we do experience the fullness of Jesus’ rule, it will be after great tribulation and suffering.  And perhaps some of us will be around when Jesus returns to earth in majesty.  When those things happen, we will see His righteousness in a transfigured way.  The divine love seen in full will move us to deep wonder.  We will never want to leave Jesus’ side.  

This Christmas season, take a closer listen to the lyrics of “Joy to the World” and other carols. Rejoice and pray with them while celebrating the coming of the Savior of the World.