Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee

Passion, joined by Charlie Hall, sings Henry van Dyke's 1907 hymn text set to Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" melody, opening with the same wide-angle view of creation the hymn has always used: "joyful, joyful, we adore Thee, God of glory, Lord of love, hearts unfold like flowers before Thee, opening to the sun above."

"All Thy works with joy surround Thee, earth and heaven reflect Thy rays, stars and angels sing around Thee, center of unbroken praise" keeps expanding the scope verse by verse — not just the singer's own gladness, but every part of creation named as already caught up in it.

"Field and forest, vale and mountain, flowery meadow, flashing sea, chanting bird and flowing fountain, call us to rejoice in Thee" echoes Paul's repeated instruction to rejoice in the Lord always, applied here to a whole landscape rather than a single mood.

"Mortals, join the mighty chorus which the morning stars began" closes the hymn by folding human voices into a song the text treats as already in progress long before anyone alive today started singing it.