Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee, God of glory, Lord of love;
Hearts unfold like flowers before Thee, opening to the sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness; drive the dark of doubt away;
Giver of immortal gladness, fill us with the light of day! All Thy works with joy surround Thee, earth and heaven reflect Thy rays,
Stars and angels sing around Thee, center of unbroken praise.
Field and forest, vale and mountain, flowery meadow, flashing sea,
Singing bird and flowing fountain call us to rejoice in Thee. Thou art giving and forgiving, ever blessing, ever blessed,
Wellspring of the joy of living, ocean depth of happy rest!
Thou our Father, Christ our Brother, all who live in love are Thine;
Teach us how to love each other, lift us to the joy divine. Mortals, join the happy chorus, which the morning stars began;
Father love is reigning o’er us, brother love binds man to man.
Ever singing, march we onward, victors in the midst of strife,
Joyful music leads us Sunward in the triumph song of life. If you were going to express joy, how would you do it? Well, I would take the most joyful thoughts I could think of, add in the work of arguably the greatest composer ever to lift a pen, bake with the Holy Spirit and let God have His way with it and tadaa!! This hymn is probably the most unadulterated joyous praise to our Lord ever written. Henry Van Dyke (1852-1933) said this: “These verses are simple expressions of common Christian feelings and desires in this present time, hymns of today that may be sung together by people who know the thought of the age, and are not afraid that any truth of science will destroy their religion or that any revolution on earth will overthrow the kingdom of heaven. Therefore these are hymns of trust and hope.” Van Dyke was born in Germantown, Pennsylvania and was recognized as one of the premier Presbyterians and liturgists of his time. He served as a professor of literature at Princeton for over twenty years, was a Navy chaplain in WWI and was appointed ambassador to Holland and Luxembourg by President Wilson. He also wrote many best-selling books. This text was written while he was a guest preacher at Williams College in Massachusetts. The Berkshire mountains were his inspiration, and as he handed the lyrics over to the college president, demanded that it be sung to none other than Beethoven’s glorious ninth symphony, specifically the Ode (Hymn) to Joy in the final movement, published in 1826. This symphony was his last, and took him over six months to write. It is also considered to be his greatest work, all the more impressive since by this time he was so deaf that when this work was performed, he had to be turned around to notice the thunderous applause and standing ovation awaiting him. Isn’t God great?
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