(This article is an all-new edition of last year’s “Ten Songs of Joy for Gaudete Sunday.”)
The third Sunday of Advent is traditionally known as Gaudete (Joy) Sunday, a day of celebrating the joyful reality that God is near. Advent is characterized by our waiting and yearning for Christ, which can feel heavy, especially as we look around and within and see so much brokenness. But on this day we are reminded to embrace a spirit of joy as we wait and as we yearn—much like a child waits with eager anticipation to unwrap a gift, or lovers to be reunited after a time of separation.
The following ten songs help us to inhabit the gladsome aspects of the Advent season, paving the way to Christmas.
1. “First Song of Isaiah” by Jack Noble White (1976) | Arranged and performed by Advent Birmingham, feat. Annie Lee, on Canticles (2020): Here’s an upbeat rendition, with xylophone and ukelele, of Jack Noble White’s choral setting of Isaiah 12:2–6. “You shall draw water with rejoicing from the springs of salvation. . . . Cry aloud, inhabitants of Zion, ring out your joy!” In the Book of Common Prayer this text appears in the section “Morning Prayer, Rite 2,” where it is labeled Canticle 9, “The First Song of Isaiah: Ecce, Deus.”
2. “Rejoice Greatly, O Daughter of Zion” from Messiah by George Frideric Handel (1741) | Performed by Regula Mühlemann (2019): A setting of Zechariah 9:9–10, this aria from Handel’s most famous oratorio features coloratura in the vocals—that is, elaborate, fast-paced ornamentation, trills, runs, and wide leaps—that accentuates the prophecy’s joyful message of a coming king. It’s sung by the Swiss soprano Regula Mühlemann, accompanied by the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden under the direction of Alondra de la Parra. For a Broadway-style arrangement of this piece, see here.
3. “Joy (Elizabeth)” by Poor Bishop Hooper, on Firstborn (2018): This song by Jesse and Leah Roberts voices Elizabeth’s awe upon visiting with her younger relative Mary, who is newly pregnant with the Son of God. Elizabeth radiates such joy in the Messiah that her preborn son, John, catches it too, leaping in her womb.
4. “Joy” by Kirk Franklin and Donald Malloy | Performed by the Georgia Mass Choir, feat. Dorothy Anderson and Kirk Franklin, on I Sing Because I’m Happy (1992): Sweet, beautiful, soul-saving joy! That’s what Jesus gives. The Georgia Mass Choir testifies with vigor, led by the Grammy-winning artist Kirk Franklin. In 1996 this song was adapted for Whitney Houston for the film The Preacher’s Wife, with Christmas-specific lyrics, but I really dig Dorothy Anderson’s solo work in this original recording.
5. “Rejoice” by Victory Boyd, on Glory Hour (2023): This anthem by singer-songwriter Victory Boyd is based on Nehemiah 8:10: “Do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” Victory often incorporates scripture recitations into her songs, and here she speaks Psalm 27:1–6 as a bridge, which has thematic crossovers with the Nehemiah verse. In this live performance from the February 4, 2024, episode of the Hour of Power television program, she is accompanied by the Hour of Power Orchestra, conducted by Marc Riley.
6. “Joy” by Shakti, on Shakti with John McLaughlin (1976): Shakti is an acoustic fusion band that combines Indian music with elements of jazz; they were active in the 1970s and re-formed in 2020. Recorded at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1976, this instrumental improvisation features John McLaughlin on guitar, L. Shankar on violin, Zakir Hussain on tabla (hand drums), and T. H. “Vikku” Vinayakram on ghatam (clay pot).
7. “There Will Be Joy” by Paul Zach and Kate Bluett (2022): “Sorrow has an ending / Something new is coming / Oh, there will be joy!”
8. “Come That Day” by Ken Wettig, on Behold and Become (2019): Ken Wettig served for eight years as pastor of Early Church, a Mennonite congregation in Harrisonburg, Virginia, before becoming a community minister at Coracle. This song he wrote is one that Early Church sings in its worship services. It celebrates the coming day of the Lord, when death will be no more and Christ will bring about total restoration. On that day, all chaos will be stilled, swords will be beaten into plowshares, the poor will be filled, and loved ones taken too soon will embrace one another once again. The song is an invocation: it beseeches Christ to come, to bring the promised consummation of his kingdom.
Wettig has given me permission to post the lead sheet for “Come That Day,” which he freely offers for noncommercial use. Click the link to download a PDF.
9. “Peace and Joy,” Shaker hymn (1893) | Performed by the Rose Ensemble, feat. Kim Sueoka, on And Glory Shone Around (2014): One of the less recognized roots of bluegrass and old-time music is the Shaker tradition. This hymn, performed here by the Rose Ensemble, hails from the late nineteenth-century Shaker community in Mount Lebanon, Columbia County, New York. It beckons us “Awake!” and hear the angels whispering forth the blessings of Christ. “Happy are they who gather these gifts” of peace and joy ushered in by the Incarnation. The fabulous soprano soloist is Kim Sueoka.
10. “Carol of the Bells” – Music by Mykola Leontovych (1914), based on a traditional Ukrainian folk chant | Words by Peter Wilhousky (1936) | Arranged by Isaac Cates and performed by Ordained on Carol of the Bells (2014): The composer, conductor, and pianist Isaac Cates plays piano accompaniment for his choir, Ordained, in this original arrangement of a Christmas classic. Dramatic and haunting, energizing too, “Carol of the Bells” is one of my favorite choral songs of the season—I never tire of hearing it! I love the build in volume and the interplay of voices in imitation of church bells.
Art & Theology 