Joy to the world, The Lord has come

My thoughts on the tenth day of AtoZ Challenge, will, I bet, take many if us down the memory lane, for a lot of you are going to identify with the post.

Like all schools, morning assembly was mandatory at STS. All students had to attend the morning ritual. The cabinet members were responsible for making sure no one hides in the toilets or in the common rooms. Trust me it was a difficult task. Especially getting the "oh so happening" class twelfth students.

During rains, or extreme weather conditions, the assemblies were held inside the classes. We had a speaker in each classroom connected directly to the principal's room. So there was no escape, any day.

The assemblies started with hymns - songs on the praise of Lord. We had a hymn book. It's lying tattered somewhere in the big trunk at my mum's, where all my school treasures and memories are safe. It's a true treasure. I am definitely sure that I don't remember any school lessons as much as I remember the hymns. It's imprinted in my mind. Two of my favorites was "The Lord is my shephard" and "This little guiding light if mine". 

Christmas used to inject life in the assembly. Christmas carols, stories of bible, and a lot of other preparations (details in later post) was exciting. Cheer spread across the school. My all time favorite carol, which I remember is joy to the world. 

It goes like this:

Joy to the world

The Lord has come

Let earth recieve her king

Let every heart

Prepare him room

And heaven n nature sing.. 

It's a beautiful carol, implicating the joyous celebrations for the birth of of Christ.

Nowadays, these carols and hymns are not restricted for missionary schools. Instead a lot of schools have incorporated them in their school song books. But the vigour and empathy Thomasites exhibit while singing the hymns and carols, is definitely unique. 

I used to wait for the days when we sang Joy to to world in the assembly, and used to rejoice the whole day. Simple pleasures and treasures of childhood. 

My cousin and I used to decorate a Christmas tree every year (any potted plant from our grandpa's garden used to so the needful). She had learnt "joy to the world" reading it from my hymn book. We used to sing this, and eat home baked cakes. (No, I am not a Christian by birth, I believe that God is one). 

V sang the hymn - joy to the world, in his Christmas procession this year, and I watched him tearly eyed, as he imbibes the gratitude toward The Lord, the gracious Christ. 

This post is dedicated to the A-to-Z blogging challenge - the largest Blog Challenge in the history of Blogkind. My selected theme is "memories of St. Thomas' "- my Alma mater. This is the tenth post of the challenge, and is linked to the letter J - Joy to the world, The Lord has come.. 

Linking this post to UBC too.