Cornerstone Community Church, San Jose Ca

It is one of those carols that make us feel better no matter where we are or what we’re doing when we hear it. Right from its first word, this carol expresses the deepest longing of our heart, not just for Christmas but for the entire year – joy. What we hope for this Christmas is joy, lasting joy. We’ve had enough sadness this last year. We have lost loved ones. We have lost jobs. We have had marriage struggles and health struggles and struggles on the job. We’ve had run-ins with our children and we’ve had run-ins with our parents. We’ve been angry, we’ve been anxious, and we’ve been apathetic, and now it’s time for a different emotion. We want joy, real joy, lasting joy, the kind of joy that Isaac Watts wrote about in 1719 in his classic Christmas carol we know as “Joy To The World.”