There’s a Song in the Air

This Christmas series, There’s a Song in the Air, will help prepare listeners to fully embrace the joy of Christmas and the powerful theological basis for many of our Christmas hymns. Joy to the World was not originally written to be sung only at Christmas. In this message we learn that three men contributed to this great hymn: Isaac Watts, George Frederick Handel and Lowell Mason. The words and theology of this hymn are rooted in Psalm 98. This Psalm describes the many reasons for rejoicing in our God and the faithfulness of our God to send our Messiah, Jesus. There are striking similarities between Psalm 98 and Mary’s Magnificat in Luke 2. It’s possible that Mary had Psalm 98 in mind as she sang her song of praise. There are striking similarities between the four stanzas of Joy to the World and the three stanzas of Psalm 98. Listeners will be once more filled with joy at the faithfulness of God and will most likely sing with deeper fervor the words of Joy to the World as a result of hearing this message.