{"id":42342,"date":"2021-12-22T18:41:58","date_gmt":"2021-12-22T23:41:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.timesandseasons.org\/?p=42342"},"modified":"2021-12-24T18:31:39","modified_gmt":"2021-12-24T23:31:39","slug":"as-we-commemorate-the-birth-of-jesus-christ","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/2021\/12\/as-we-commemorate-the-birth-of-jesus-christ\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cAs we commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

Of all the Christmas carols in the English hymnbook, the one with the longest association with the Church\u2019s hymnals is \u201cJoy to the World.\u201d[1]<\/a>\u00a0 It\u2019s probably fitting, then, that the \u201cCome, Follow Me\u201d materials for this week reference it.\u00a0 The reading material for the week is the document \u201cThe Living Christ,\u201d published by the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve on 1 January 2000, \u201cas we commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ two millennia ago.\u201d\u00a0 The document covers the mission of Jesus Christ before, during, and after his mortal life.\u00a0 In one section, it states that: \u201cWe testify that He will someday return to earth. \u2018And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together\u2019 (Isaiah 40:5<\/a>). He will rule as King of Kings and reign as Lord of Lords, and every knee shall bend and every tongue shall speak in worship before Him.\u201d[2]<\/a>\u00a0 Asides from some nice references to the Biblical texts behind George Frideric Handel and Charles Jennens\u2019s Messiah (which President Gordon B. Hinckley was fond of quoting), this paragraph is brought up in the \u201cCome, Follow Me\u201d manual because it addresses the Second Coming of Jesus Christ: \u201cChristmas is a time both to look back on the day Jesus Christ was born and to look forward to the day He will come again. \u2026 It might \u2026 be interesting to read, sing, or listen to Christmas hymns that teach about the Second Coming, such as \u2018Joy to the World<\/a>\u2019 or \u2018It Came upon the Midnight Clear<\/a>.\u2019\u201d[3]<\/a><\/p>\n

As indicated in the manual, the focus of \u201cJoy to the World\u201d is as much on the second advent of Jesus the Christ as it is on the first.\u00a0 And it was primarily for that reason it was included in the original Latter-day Saint hymnbook in 1835.\u00a0 The initial confirmation that music was to be used in worship services at all came in an 1830 revelation, directed at Emma Smith. \u00a0It declared that: \u201cIt shall be given thee also\u00a0to make a selection of Sacred\u00a0Hymns as it shall be given\u00a0thee which is pleasing unto me to be had\u00a0in my Church\u00a0for my Soul\u00a0delighteth in the song of the heart yea the\u00a0song of the heart<\/span>\u00a0righteous is a prayer unto me.\u201d[4]<\/a> \u00a0Most frequently, we as church members look at this instruction with the knowledge that Emma was involved in compiling the original, 1835, hymnbook of the Church.\u00a0 Indeed, by 1835, that was how Church leaders interpreted the revelation when they \u201cdecided that Sister\u00a0Emma Smith\u00a0[should] proceed\u00a0\u2026 to make a selection of sacred hymns, according to the Revelation,\u00a0and that President\u00a0W[illiam] W. Phelps\u00a0be appointed to revise and\u00a0arrange them for printing.\u201d[5]<\/a>\u00a0 Interestingly, though, this revelation did not specifically indicate that new, uniquely Mormon hymns needed to be sung, only that Emma was given authority to indicate which hymns were proper to be sung in the Church of Christ, akin to the music leader in wards today who select hymns for sacrament meetings.<\/p>\n

The process of producing unique Mormon hymns was initiated by William Wines Phelps, an eccentric editor of a political newspaper who converted to the Church in 1831. \u00a0In 1832, a Church council ordered \u201cthat the Hymns selected by sister Emma be corrected by br. William W. Phelps.\u201d[6]<\/a> These corrections were doctrinal edits to Protestant hymns, some of which were extensive enough to render the hymns virtually a different text altogether.[7]<\/a> They were published in the church\u2019s newspaper, The Evening and Morning Star<\/em>. By early 1833, Phelps moved on to composing and publishing original hymns for use in the Church. Finally, in 1835, the First Presidency of the Church directed that \u201ca selection of sacred hymns\u201d was to be prepared for printing through a joint effort on the part of Emma Smith and William Phelps.[8]<\/a><\/p>\n

The overriding philosophy presented in the preface of the hymnbook they compiled was to collect hymns that were \u201cadapted to their faith and belief in the gospel.\u201d Of special importance were the topics of \u201cglorious resurrection\u201d and the Millennial reign of Jesus Christ (a major focus<\/a> for Church members at the time).[9]<\/a> \u00a0About half of the hymns used in the 1835 hymnal were adopted directly from Protestant Christian sources, while the rest were written by Mormons, including Phelps\u2019s \u201ccorrected\u201d and original hymns.\u00a0 \u201cJoy to the World\u201d is among the \u201ccorrected\u201d hymns, with the text edited to focus more fully on the Millennial reign of Jesus Christ.\u00a0 A comparison of the text published in the 1835 hymnbook with the current hymnbook in the Church and a standard Protestant text based on Isaac Watt\u2019s version is as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Protestant Text<\/strong><\/td>\n1835 Text<\/strong><\/td>\n1985 Text<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Joy to the world! the Lord is come;<\/td>\nJoy to the world! The Lord will come!<\/td>\nJoy to the world, the Lord is come;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Let earth receive her King;<\/td>\nAnd earth receive her King;<\/td>\nLet earth receive her King!<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Let ev’ry heart prepare Him room,<\/td>\nLet ev’ry heart prepare him room,<\/td>\nLet ev’ry heart prepare him room,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
And heav’n and nature sing.<\/td>\nAnd saints and angels sing.<\/td>\nAnd Saints and angels sing.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Joy to the earth! the Savior reigns;<\/td>\nRejoice! rejoice! When Jesus reigns,<\/td>\nRejoice! Rejoice when Jesus reigns,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Let men their songs employ;<\/td>\nAnd saints their songs employ:<\/td>\nAnd Saints their songs employ,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains<\/td>\nWhile fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains,<\/td>\nWhile fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Repeat the sounding joy.<\/td>\nRepeat the sounding joy.<\/td>\nRepeat the sounding joy.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
No more let sins and sorrows grow,<\/td>\nNo more will sin and sorrow grow,<\/td>\nNo more will sin and sorrow grow,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Nor thorns infest the ground;<\/td>\nNor thorns infest the ground;<\/td>\nNor thorns infest the ground;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
He comes to make His blessings flow<\/td>\nHe’ll come and make the blessing flow<\/td>\nHe’ll come and make the blessings flow<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Far as the curse is found.<\/td>\nFar as the curse was found.<\/td>\nFar as the curse was found.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
He rules the world with truth and grace,<\/td>\nRejoice! rejoice! In the Most High,<\/td>\nRejoice! Rejoice in the Most High,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
And makes the nations prove<\/td>\nWhile Israel spread abroad<\/td>\nWhile Israel spreads abroad<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
The glories of His righteousness,<\/td>\nLike stars that glitter in the sky,<\/td>\nLike stars that glitter in the sky,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
And wonders of His love.<\/td>\nAnd ever worship God.[10]<\/a><\/td>\nAnd ever worship God.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

Phelps\u2019s version has changes made to every verse, but most especially the fourth verse.\u00a0 In general, it\u2019s changed to focus on anticipating future events rather than a reflection on current events at the time of Jesus\u2019s birth.\u00a0 The current edition in the hymnbook is most like the Phelps edition, with the first line reverted to the traditional text.\u00a0 Among the hymns published in the 1835 hymnal, the only other Christmas song included was \u201cMortals, awake! With angels join,\u201d[11]<\/a> which was most recently included in the 1927 Latter-day Saint Hymns<\/em>.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s unclear what tune the early Latter-day Saints would have sung \u201cJoy to the World\u201d to.\u00a0 The earliest hymnbooks only used text and did not include music.\u00a0 The ANTIOCH tune (written by Lowell Mason and attributed to George F. Handel) was arranged and published in its current form in 1836, thus post-dating the publication of the 1835 Latter-day Saint hymnbook.\u00a0 (As an aside, it\u2019s unclear how Handel was involved in composing the music, since there isn\u2019t the full tune available in any of his known manuscripts, though it\u2019s possible Mason took phrases from two pieces from Handel\u2019s Messiah: \u201cLift up your heads, O ye gates\u201d for the opening phrase and \u201cComfort, Comfort Ye My People\u201d for the chorus.)[12]<\/a>\u00a0 Even after music was added to the Church\u2019s hymnbooks, the ANTIOCH tune only began to be used in the 1927 Latter-day Saint Hymns <\/em>(the older green hymnbook).\u00a0 The first Latter-day Saint hymnal published by the Church with music was the 1889 Latter-day Saints\u2019 Psalmody<\/em>.\u00a0 Work on that hymnal began when, in the 1880s, a committee of five notable musicians\u2014George Careless, Ebenezer Beesley, Joseph J. Daynes, Evan Stephens, and Thomas C. Griggs\u2014received approval to compile an official tune book to accompany the current text-only hymnal of the Church.\u00a0 They used both hymn tunes that were \u201coriginal music\u201d *which were mostly \u201cthe production of \u2018our mountain home\u2019 composers\u201d), and \u201ca number of old and familiar tunes.\u201d[13]<\/a> The committee contributed the lion\u2019s share of hymn tunes used, providing 180 of the 330 hymn tunes presented, including \u201cJoy to the World.\u201d<\/p>\n

Among the original music contributions was a new hymn tune for \u201cJoy to the World\u201d by Thomas C. Griggs (the composer of \u201cGently Raise the Sacred Strain\u201d and \u201cGod is Love\u201d) that was named MAGGIE.[14]<\/a>\u00a0 The MAGGIE tune provides a striking contrast from the stately ANTIOCH tune that is almost universally associated with \u201cJoy to the World\u201d today.\u00a0 Set in a rollicking 6\/8 time, it almost sounds as though it could belong in a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta.\u00a0 While I\u2019m grateful we use the ANTIOCH tune in our hymnbook today, MAGGIE is fun in its own right (see sheet music and .mp3 file below).<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Maggie Joy to the World<\/a><\/p>\n\nhttp:\/\/www.timesandseasons.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Joy-to-the-World-Maggie.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

 <\/p>\n

Most of the Christmas hymns we have in our hymnbook were added in the 20th<\/sup> century, with the bulk of them entering our hymnals with the 1948 Hymns<\/em>.\u00a0 While a few other Christmas and Advent hymns were included in Latter-day Saint hymnbooks early on, most of those have not persisted to the present day.\u00a0 The major exception is \u201cJoy to the World,\u201d which has remained in our hymnbook from the start in 1835 to the present day.\u00a0 And that is fitting, since \u201cwe commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ\u201d at Christmas, who \u201cis the light, the life, and the hope of the world. His way is the path that leads to happiness in this life and eternal life in the world to come.\u201d[15]<\/a><\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

*Lloyd Newel voiceover*\u00a0 Thank you for joining us for this blog post.\u00a0 This concludes the weekly series focusing on the 2021 \u201cCome, Follow Me\u201d manual.<\/p>\n

In all seriousness, though, thank you for reading.\u00a0 It\u2019s been an interesting year to ponder on and write about the Doctrine and Covenants.\u00a0 I\u2019m not quite done talking about the Doctrine and Covenants yet, though, and will come back to it soon.\u00a0 Once that\u2019s done, I\u2019ll compile a Table of Contents for the blog posts in this series in case it\u2019s useful to anyone.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Footnotes:<\/strong><\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> See Chad Nielsen, \u201cSing a Christmas Carol: Christmas Music in the Latter-day Saint Hymnbooks,\u201d Times and Seasons <\/em>December 23, 2018, https:\/\/www.timesandseasons.org\/harchive\/2018\/12\/sing-a-christmas-carol-christmas-music-in-the-latter-day-saint-hymnbooks\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> \u201cThe Living Christ: The Testimony of the Apostles,\u201d https:\/\/www.churchofjesuschrist.org\/study\/scriptures\/the-living-christ-the-testimony-of-the-apostles\/the-living-christ-the-testimony-of-the-apostles?lang=eng<\/a>.<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> Come, Follow Me\u2014For Individuals and Families: Doctrine and Covenants 2021<\/em> (Salt Lake City: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2020), 219, https:\/\/www.churchofjesuschrist.org\/study\/manual\/come-follow-me-for-individuals-and-families-doctrine-and-covenants-2021\/52?lang=eng<\/a>.<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> “Revelation, July 1830\u2013C [D&C 25],” p. 35, The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed September 21, 2017, http:\/\/www.josephsmithpapers.org\/paper-summary\/revelation-july-1830-c-dc-25\/2<\/a><\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> “History, 1838\u20131856, volume B-1 [1 September 1834\u20132 November 1838],” p. 612, The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed March 7, 2021, https:\/\/www.josephsmithpapers.org\/paper-summary\/history-1838-1856-volume-b-1-1-september-1834-2-november-1838\/66<\/a><\/p>\n

[6]<\/a> “Minutes, 30 April 1832,” p. 26, The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed September 21, 2017, http:\/\/www.josephsmithpapers.org\/paper-summary\/minutes-30-april-1832\/2<\/a><\/p>\n

[7]<\/a> See Michael Hicks, Mormonism and Music: A History <\/em>(Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1989), 12-14.<\/p>\n

[8]<\/a> “History, 1838\u20131856, volume B-1 [1 September 1834\u20132 November 1838],” p. 612, The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed September 21, 2017, http:\/\/www.josephsmithpapers.org\/paper-summary\/history-1838-1856-volume-b-1-1-september-1834-2-november-1838\/66<\/a><\/p>\n

[9]<\/a> “Collection of Sacred Hymns, 1835,” pp. [iii-iv], The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed September 21, 2017, http:\/\/www.josephsmithpapers.org\/paper-summary\/collection-of-sacred-hymns-1835\/5<\/a><\/p>\n

[10]<\/a> “Collection of Sacred Hymns, 1835,” p. 21, The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed December 20, 2021, https:\/\/www.josephsmithpapers.org\/paper-summary\/collection-of-sacred-hymns-1835\/23<\/a><\/p>\n

[11]<\/a> “Collection of Sacred Hymns, 1835,” p. 103, The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed December 21, 2021, https:\/\/www.josephsmithpapers.org\/paper-summary\/collection-of-sacred-hymns-1835\/105<\/a>.<\/p>\n

[12]<\/a> See Karen Lynn Davidson, Our Latter-day Hymns: The Stories and the Messages<\/em> (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1988), 213-214.<\/p>\n

[13]<\/a> The Latter-day Saints\u2019 Psalmody <\/em>(Salt Lake City: Deseret News Company, 1889), \u201cCompilers\u2019 Preface.\u201d<\/p>\n

[14]<\/a> The Latter-day Saints\u2019 Psalmody<\/em>, No. 137, https:\/\/archive.org\/details\/latterdaysaintsp00unse\/page\/n109\/mode\/2up?view=theater<\/a><\/p>\n

[15]<\/a> \u201cThe Living Christ: The Testimony of the Apostles,\u201d https:\/\/www.churchofjesuschrist.org\/study\/scriptures\/the-living-christ-the-testimony-of-the-apostles\/the-living-christ-the-testimony-of-the-apostles?lang=eng<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Of all the Christmas carols in the English hymnbook, the one with the longest association with the Church\u2019s hymnals is \u201cJoy to the World.\u201d[1]\u00a0 It\u2019s probably fitting, then, that the \u201cCome, Follow Me\u201d materials for this week reference it.\u00a0 The reading material for the week is the document \u201cThe Living Christ,\u201d published by the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve on 1 January 2000, \u201cas we commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ two millennia ago.\u201d\u00a0 The document covers the mission of Jesus Christ before, during, and after his mortal life.\u00a0 In one section, it states that: \u201cWe testify that He will someday return to earth. \u2018And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together\u2019 (Isaiah 40:5). He will rule as King of Kings and reign as Lord of Lords, and every knee shall bend and every tongue shall speak in worship before Him.\u201d[2]\u00a0 Asides from some nice references to the Biblical texts behind George Frideric Handel and Charles Jennens\u2019s Messiah (which President Gordon B. Hinckley was fond of quoting), this paragraph is brought up in the \u201cCome, Follow Me\u201d manual because it addresses the Second Coming of Jesus Christ: \u201cChristmas is a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10397,"featured_media":42348,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17,2895,24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-42342","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-church-history","category-come-follow-me-currculum","category-music-and-poetry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Joy-to-the-World-Maggie-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42342","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10397"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42342"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42342\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42350,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42342\/revisions\/42350"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42348"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42342"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42342"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42342"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}