Isaac Watts 
Joy to the World 
The Forgotten Meaning of Christmas

Few people know that “Joy to the World” – the world’s most popular Christmas song – wasn’t written for Christmas at all. Isaac Watts wrote it in imitation of Psalm 98. That psalm has nothing to say about the coming of the Messiah as a child; it is instead about the Messiah who comes in glory, and righteousness, and victory over evil, to judge the world and comfort the faithful. In other words, Isaac Watts meant “Joy to the World” as a spiritual reflection on Christ’s soon-to-be, expected, triumphant return to earth. This book explores this theme with selected readings from elsewhere in the writings of Watts, as a way of preparing our hearts for Christmas morning.

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Paraclete Press offers ideas, wisdom, and beauty from authors, composers, and artists, drawing from Christian traditions through the centuries and from today, providing resources for those desiring wholeness through Christ. We are the publishing house of The Community of Jesus on Cape Cod, a monastic, Christian community in the Benedictine tradition. Visiting our company, you would meet vowed religious brothers and sisters, parents and teenagers, artists, pastors, dancers, and musicians.