Come, Let Us Join Our Cheerful Songs
Come, let us join our cheerful songs
Come, Let Us Join Our Cheerful Songs is a hymn text by Isaac Watts (1709) in C.M. meter. Found in CW93 227, ELH 66, ch95 69, elw 843. Sung to ST. MICHAEL.
This hymn expresses the Lutheran joy in Christ's victory and heavenly intercession, emphasizing the believer's participation in the eternal worship of the Lamb. It celebrates the communion of saints across heaven and earth united in glorifying the exalted Christ.
History & Background
Isaac Watts composed this hymn in 1709 based on Revelation 5, originally published in his Hymns and Spiritual Songs. It has been a standard hymn in English-speaking Protestant churches for over three centuries, appearing in nearly all major hymnals.
Hymnal Appearances
- Christian Worship — 227
- Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary — 66
- Chalice Hymnal — 69
- Evangelical Lutheran Worship — 843
- Glory to God — 267
- Lutheran Book of Worship — 254
- Lutheran Service Book — 812
- Lutheran Worship — 204
- New Century Hymnal — 236
- Trinity Hymnal — 164
- The Lutheran Hymnal — 344
Bulletin Note
Isaac Watts (1674–1748) penned this masterwork in 1709, drawing on Revelation 5 to portray Christ's reign and the believer's union with heavenly worship—a distinctly Protestant vision of grace and glory made accessible in simple, singable verse.
Preaching Connection
This hymn amplifies the Gospel proclamation of Christ's exaltation and present intercession, inviting believers to taste the joy of their heavenly calling and to understand worship not as duty but as grace-filled participation in eternal praise.
Catechism & Confessional Connections
- The Third Article (Concerning Sanctification) Small Catechism — The Apostles' Creed
Stanza Arc
The narrative or theological arc traced by this tune's stanzas: Commemoration of saints' faithful witness → Rest from earthly labor → Perseverance in faith → Universal inheritance through Christ
Background Research
Watts, Hymns and Spiritual Songs (1707), Book I, 'Collected from the Holy Scriptures'. His heading: 'Christ Jesus the Lamb of God, Worshipped by all the Creation; Rev. 5.11, 12, 13.' It is a free paraphrase rather than a close one, and it invites the congregation to join the angels' song before the throne, the 'ten thousand thousand' of Rev 5. That gives it a natural tie to the Sanctus and 'with angels and archangels' (from memory: often suggested for Communion and All Saints). Many books drop Watts's original st 4. Next lead: compare TLH's stanza count with the 1707 original.
Sources: Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology (excerpt).
In the Church Year
Suggested in the three-year series
- Proper 21 (1×)
From LCMS Worship's published hymn suggestions, 2014–2026. The count is how many of those yearly lists suggested this hymn for that day.
Overview
Watts's paraphrase of Revelation 5:11-13. The congregation joins the countless angels around the throne (st. 1), answers their 'Worthy the Lamb' with its own reason — 'For He was slain for us' (st. 2), ascribes honor to Jesus (st. 3), and calls all creation to bless the Father and the Lamb (st. 4). The heart of the hymn is the difference between the angels' praise and ours: they praise the Lamb as worthy; we praise him as the one slain for us.
Central theme: Joining heaven's praise of the slain Lamb, with the added gratitude of the redeemed
Structure
Joining the angels (1); antiphon of angels and church (2); ascription (3); all creation (4).
Law & Gospel Shape
Gospel: 'He was slain for us.'
Confessional Connections
The worship of Christ as God alongside the Father (Rev 5:13); the communion of saints and angels in worship (Preface: 'with angels and archangels').
Liturgical Use (Study Notes)
Easter season; Ascension; All Saints; festive openings; communion (Preface/Sanctus theme).
Historical Notes
In Watts's 'Hymns and Spiritual Songs' (1707).
About the Tune
NUN DANKET ALL (Johann Crüger, 1647) in TLH.
Scripture References
Rev 5:11-14 Heb 12:22-24 Rev 4:11 Rev 7:10 Phil 2:9-11
Stanza by Stanza
Let us join our joyful songs with the angels around the throne; their tongues number ten thousand times ten thousand, but their joy is one.
Rev 5:11: 'myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands' of angels around the throne. The church on earth joins that worship now (Heb 12:22-24) — in the liturgy's Preface, 'with angels and archangels and all the company of heaven.' 'All their joys are one' — the countless voices have a single focus. Unity in worship comes from a common object: the Lamb.
- Scripture
- Rev 5:11, Heb 12:22-24, Isa 6:3, Ps 148:2
- Imagery & language
- Countless tongues; one joy; throne.
- Law / Gospel
- Doxology — joining heaven.
- Connection to previous
- Invitation.
The angels cry that the Lamb who died is worthy to be exalted; our lips answer 'Worthy the Lamb,' because he was slain for us.
Rev 5:12. A brilliant antiphon: the angels proclaim his worth; the church adds its unique reason — 'For He was slain for us.' Angels were not redeemed; only humans can sing as those for whom the Lamb died (Rev 5:9; 1 Pet 1:12). This line is the theological heart of the hymn — the pro nobis of the Gospel turns praise into gratitude.
- Scripture
- Rev 5:9, 12, 1 Pet 1:12, Isa 53:5, 1 Pet 1:18-19
- Imagery & language
- Antiphonal cry; slain Lamb.
- Law / Gospel
- Gospel — 'slain for us.'
- Connection to previous
- The heart of the hymn.
Jesus deserves honor and divine power; may blessings beyond what we can give be his forever.
Rev 5:12: 'power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.' 'Honor and power divine' — ascribing divine honor to Jesus confesses his deity (John 5:23, 'that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father'). 'More than we can give' — our praise is always inadequate.
- Scripture
- Rev 5:12, John 5:23, Phil 2:9-11
- Imagery & language
- Honor; power; blessings.
- Law / Gospel
- Doxology.
- Connection to previous
- Ascription.
Let all creation together bless the sacred name of him who sits on the throne and adore the Lamb.
Rev 5:13: 'every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea' praises 'him who sits on the throne and the Lamb.' The Father and the Lamb receive the same worship — a strong witness to the Trinity. Creation itself, set free (Rom 8:21), joins the song.
- Scripture
- Rev 5:13, Rom 8:19-22, Ps 148
- Imagery & language
- All creation; throne; Lamb.
- Law / Gospel
- Doxology.
- Connection to previous
- Universal conclusion.
Themes
Ascension and exaltation of Christ Heavenly worship Joy in salvation Lamb of God Communion of saints