{"id":134,"date":"2009-12-23T15:31:00","date_gmt":"2009-12-23T15:31:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sharefaithblog.wpengine.com\/?p=134"},"modified":"2009-12-23T15:31:00","modified_gmt":"2009-12-23T15:31:00","slug":"merry-christmas-from-sharefaith","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/blog\/2009\/12\/merry-christmas-from-sharefaith\/","title":{"rendered":"Merry Christmas from Sharefaith"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a onblur=\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\" href=\"http:\/\/www.faithclipart.com\/powerpoint\/christmas-joy-christian-powerpoint.html\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 207px; height: 155px;\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/_CkhULgujOks\/S0NYd-eovoI\/AAAAAAAAAMI\/_I9dECTHoKs\/s320\/JoyToTheWorld.jpg\" alt=\"\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423275648295157378\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a> <meta name=\"Title\" content=\"\"> <meta name=\"Keywords\" content=\"\"> <meta equiv=\"Content-Type\" content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\"> <meta name=\"ProgId\" content=\"Word.Document\"> <meta name=\"Generator\" content=\"Microsoft Word 2008\"> <meta name=\"Originator\" content=\"Microsoft Word 2008\">  <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>  <o:documentproperties>   <o:template>Normal.dotm<\/o:Template>   <o:revision>0<\/o:Revision>   <o:totaltime>0<\/o:TotalTime>   <o:pages>1<\/o:Pages>   <o:words>235<\/o:Words>   <o:characters>1342<\/o:Characters>   <o:company>Authoryal Services<\/o:Company>   <o:lines>11<\/o:Lines>   <o:paragraphs>2<\/o:Paragraphs>   <o:characterswithspaces>1648<\/o:CharactersWithSpaces>   <o:version>12.0<\/o:Version>  <\/o:DocumentProperties>  <o:officedocumentsettings>   <o:allowpng\/>  <\/o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <\/xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>  <w:worddocument>   <w:zoom>0<\/w:Zoom>   <w:trackmoves>false<\/w:TrackMoves>   <w:trackformatting\/>   <w:punctuationkerning\/>   <w:drawinggridhorizontalspacing>18 pt<\/w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>   <w:drawinggridverticalspacing>18 pt<\/w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>   <w:displayhorizontaldrawinggridevery>0<\/w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>   <w:displayverticaldrawinggridevery>0<\/w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>   <w:validateagainstschemas\/>   <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false<\/w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>   <w:ignoremixedcontent>false<\/w:IgnoreMixedContent>   <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false<\/w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>   <w:compatibility>    <w:breakwrappedtables\/>    <w:dontgrowautofit\/>    <w:dontautofitconstrainedtables\/>    <w:dontvertalignintxbx\/>   <\/w:Compatibility>  <\/w:WordDocument> <\/xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>  <w:latentstyles deflockedstate=\"false\" latentstylecount=\"276\">  <\/w:LatentStyles> <\/xml><![endif]--> <\/p>\n<style> <!--  \/* Font Definitions *\/ @font-face \t{font-family:Verdana; \tpanose-1:2 11 6 4 3 5 4 4 2 4; \tmso-font-charset:0; \tmso-generic-font-family:auto; \tmso-font-pitch:variable; \tmso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} @font-face \t{font-family:Cambria; \tpanose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; \tmso-font-charset:0; \tmso-generic-font-family:auto; \tmso-font-pitch:variable; \tmso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}  \/* Style Definitions *\/ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal \t{mso-style-parent:\"\"; \tmargin:0in; \tmargin-bottom:.0001pt; \tmso-pagination:widow-orphan; \tfont-size:12.0pt; \tfont-family:\"Times New Roman\"; \tmso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; \tmso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; \tmso-fareast-font-family:Cambria; \tmso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; \tmso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; \tmso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; \tmso-bidi-font-family:\"Times New Roman\"; \tmso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} @page Section1 \t{size:8.5in 11.0in; \tmargin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; \tmso-header-margin:.5in; \tmso-footer-margin:.5in; \tmso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 \t{page:Section1;} -->\u00a0<\/style>\n<p><span style=\"font-size:100%;\"><span style=\"font-family:georgia;\">When Isaac Watts put his pen to paper in 1719, he had no idea that he would be writing one of the world\u2019s best-loved and most-sung Christmas songs. Isaac\u2019s passion for sound music started when he was just a boy. Being raised with age-old liturgy and time-worn songs, Isaac complained to his father that the songs they sung in church lacked genuine meaning and substance. With severity, Isaac\u2019s father reprimanded him: \u201cIf you don&#8217;t like the hymns we sing, write better ones!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Isaac Watts did write better ones<\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size:100%;\">. One of his projects was to take some of the psalms and put them to music. The words of \u201cJoy to the World\u201d were inspired by Psalm 81\u2014\u201cSing aloud unto God our strength: make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob.\u201d Although Watts\u2019s composition was not written for Christmas, the words are relevant and meaningful during the season we celebrate Christ\u2019s birth:<br \/>\n<br \/><\/span><\/p>\n<p  class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"font-family:georgia;\"><span style=\"font-size:100%;\"><br \/>\n<br \/><\/span><\/p>\n<p  class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"font-family:georgia;\"><span style=\"color: rgb(57, 57, 57);font-size:100%;\" ><o:p> <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p  style=\"text-align: center;font-family:georgia;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size:100%;\">Joy to the World, the Lord is come!<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<div style=\"text-align: center; font-family: georgia;\">  <\/div>\n<p  style=\"text-align: center;font-family:georgia;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size:100%;\">Let earth receive her King;<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<div style=\"text-align: center; font-family: georgia;\">  <\/div>\n<p  style=\"text-align: center;font-family:georgia;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size:100%;\">Let every heart prepare Him room,\u2028<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<div style=\"text-align: center; font-family: georgia;\">  <\/div>\n<p  style=\"text-align: center;font-family:georgia;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size:100%;\">And Heaven and nature sing,\u2028<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<div style=\"text-align: center; font-family: georgia;\">  <\/div>\n<p  style=\"text-align: center;font-family:georgia;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size:100%;\">And Heaven and nature sing,\u2028<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<div style=\"text-align: center; font-family: georgia;\">  <\/div>\n<p  style=\"text-align: center;font-family:georgia;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size:100%;\">And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p  class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"font-family:georgia;\"><span style=\"font-size:100%;\"><br \/>\n<br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-size:100%;\"><o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p  class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"font-family:georgia;\"><span style=\"font-size:100%;\"><o:p> <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p  class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"font-family:georgia;\"><span style=\"font-size:100%;\">The final verse is triumphant in its look ahead to the ultimate reign of Christ:<br \/>\n<br \/><\/span><\/p>\n<p  class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"font-family:georgia;\"><span style=\"font-size:100%;\"><br \/>\n<br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-size:100%;\"><o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p  class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"font-family:georgia;\"><span style=\"font-size:100%;\"><o:p> <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p  style=\"text-align: center;font-family:georgia;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size:100%;\">He rules the world with truth and grace,\u2028<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<div style=\"text-align: center; font-family: georgia;\">  <\/div>\n<p  style=\"text-align: center;font-family:georgia;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size:100%;\">And makes the nations prove\u2028<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<div style=\"text-align: center; font-family: georgia;\">  <\/div>\n<p  style=\"text-align: center;font-family:georgia;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size:100%;\">The glories of His righteousness,\u2028<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<div style=\"text-align: center; font-family: georgia;\">  <\/div>\n<p  style=\"text-align: center;font-family:georgia;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size:100%;\">And wonders of His love,\u2028<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<div style=\"text-align: center; font-family: georgia;\">  <\/div>\n<p  style=\"text-align: center;font-family:georgia;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size:100%;\">And wonders of His love,\u2028<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<div style=\"text-align: center; font-family: georgia;\">  <\/div>\n<p  style=\"text-align: center;font-family:georgia;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size:100%;\">And wonders, wonders, of His love.<\/span><\/p>\n<p  class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"font-family:georgia;\"><span style=\"font-size:100%;\"><br \/>\n<br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-size:100%;\"><o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p  class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"font-family:georgia;\"><span style=\"font-size:100%;\"><o:p> <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"\"><span style=\"font-size:100%;\"><a style=\"font-family: georgia;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/\">Sharefaith<\/a><span style=\"font-family:georgia;\"> would like to wish you a Merry Christmas. We are committed to spreading the joy to the world through <\/span><a style=\"font-family: georgia;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.faithclipart.com\/video\/christmas-ornaments-christian-video-background.html\">attractive media<\/a><span style=\"font-family:georgia;\"> and appropriate <\/span><a style=\"font-family: georgia;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.faithclipart.com\/category\/christmas-powerpoints.html\">Christmas messages<\/a><span style=\"font-family:georgia;\">. As you serve and worship Jesus Christ, keep in mind that the Lord has come, that he is our King, and that our heart must prepare Him room. <\/span><\/span><o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p>  <!--EndFragment--><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When Isaac Watts put his pen to paper in 1719, he had no idea that he would be writing one of the world\u2019s best-loved and most-sung Christmas songs. Isaac\u2019s passion for sound music started when he was just a boy. Being raised with age-old liturgy and time-worn songs, Isaac complained to his father that the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-134","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-general"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v14.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Merry Christmas from Sharefaith - Sharefaith Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sharefaithblog.wpengine.com\/2009\/12\/merry-christmas-from-sharefaith\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Merry Christmas from Sharefaith - Sharefaith Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When Isaac Watts put his pen to paper in 1719, he had no idea that he would be writing one of the world\u2019s best-loved and most-sung Christmas songs. 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