Celebrating Christmas Carols Part Two
by Barbara Latta
Another favorite Christmas song of mine is O Come All Ye Faithful. Listening to all these old hymns at Christmas brings back memories of my childhood when we sang them at church. I didn’t comprehend the meaning of the words at that time, but I enjoyed the feeling of exaltation they brought to my heart. I know the feelings were holiday emotion, but I knew Christmas was about Jesus.Without Jesus the day is empty because there is nothing to
celebrate. The gifts and decorations have no meaning. This is the reason so
much depression and hopelessness prevails during December.
This beautiful hymn is a prayer of worship. Written by John
Francis Wade in 1743, the tune is sometimes referred to as Adeste Fideles and was originally penned in Latin. Wade moved from England to France during the Jacobite Rebellion
of 1745 and the words were translated into English by Frederick Oakley. Because
these hymns were written long ago the old English language is used. We don’t
speak this way today but if we try to alter the ye’s, thee’s and thou’s,
we lose the poetic flow.
O come all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem
Come and behold Him, born the King of angels
O come let us adore Him
O come let us adore Him
O come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord
Sing choirs of angels, sing in exultation
Sing all ye citizens of Heav'n above
Glory to God, glory in the highest
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.
All Hail! Lord, we greet
Thee,
Born this happy morning,
O Jesus! for evermore be Thy name adored.
Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing;
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.
Christ was born to bring us back to God. He gives our lives
hope. He gives us His identity and authority and the power to overcome the
temptations of life.
We can adore
Him because He came to earth as one of us.
Adore Him
because He gives us hope.
Adore Him
because He loves us.
Adore Him
because He protects us.
Adore Him
because He brought us access to the Father.
Adore Him
because He was willing to be the sacrifice for our transgressions.
Let us adore Him this Christmas and bring that worship into the New Year.
We can be joyful and triumphant because Christ was born.
Celebrate and adore the newborn King with hymns of old. O Come All Ye Faithful (click to tweet)
"O Come All Ye Faithful" is one of my favorite Christmas hymns, too. And the message is meaningful throughout the entire year--ADORE HIM! We are so blessed by our Savior. Loving and praising Him seems a small gift back to Him. Thank you for sharing about this beautiful song of the season. Wishing you and your family a wonderful Christmas.
ReplyDeleteLoving and praising Him is a small gift for us to give back to Jesus after all He gave to us. We have so much to adore Him for. Thanks for sharing, Katherine. Blessings and Merry Christmas!
DeleteThis hymn is so appropriate at Christmas. I love it because it’s a song of pure praise. Adoration seems the highest form of love. Mothers experience adoration when their newborn baby is first placed in their arms. How appropriate then to proclaim it it this song welcoming Jesus as a baby.
ReplyDeleteCandyce
Yes, Candyce, "Adoration seems the highest form of love." What a profound statement. Thanks for sharing. Blessings and Merry Christmas!
DeleteBarbara, this carol leads us to worship. We sang it at my mom's funeral service in Dec. 4, so it has special meaning to me. Thank you for sharing so many reasons to adore our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
ReplyDeleteJeannie, I'm sorry for the loss of you mother. This hymn seems appropriate for her homegoing service as she can now bow and adore Him in heaven. Thanks for sharing this memorial meaning of O Come All Ye Faithful. Blessings and Merry Christmas!
DeleteThank you for sharing so many reasons for why Jesus is worthy of our adoration. It has encouraged me to meditate more on why I adore him.
ReplyDeleteYes, Vicki, Jesus is worthy of our adoration. I'm so glad you were encouraged. Thanks for sharing and Merry Christmas!
DeleteI love this Christmas hymn and so many others. Thanks and Merry Christmas
ReplyDeleteThe hymnal graces us with so many beautiful renditions of Christ's birth. It is difficult to choose a favorite. Thanks, Yvonne, for sharing and Merry Christmas!
DeleteBarbara, I love, love, love this song. We should sing it all year long. And, yes, I learned to sing it in Latin when I was a youth and again when my kids learned Latin in our homeschool. Christmas blessings to you!
ReplyDeleteThis is a beautiful song and one of my favorites. I think that's awesome that you can sing it in Latin. Thanks for sharing, Annie. Blessings and Merry Christmas!
DeleteWe have so much to adore Him for. Thank you for this beautiful post.
ReplyDeleteYes we do have so much to adore Him for, Jennifer. Thanks for sharing. Blessings!
Delete"Without Jesus, the day is empty with nothing to celebrate." Oh, how that sentence broke my heart this early morning Ms. Barb. I think of so many lost souls who will be smiling and laughing for just a few moments CHRISTmas morning as they unwrap their gifts or watch their loved ones fawn over a gift they received from that person. Yet, inside, there's an emptiness. A realization that the euphoria of CHRISTmas is but a fleeting emotion that is lost with the next airing of the news, the next day at the office, etc. They know that something is missing in their lives, but they can't explain that cross-shaped hole they can never fill with the trappings of this world. If only we could point them to the source of joy they need to complete the longing in their life. My wish for CHRISTmas is that God help me to show and serve Him more in the coming days. God's blessings and thank you for sharing all these beautiful songs. I can't say that I've even listened to hymns and CHRISTmas songs outside of church this year, so your brief respites of praise have been a godsend.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure this anonymous is J.D. and your phrase "cross-shaped hole" is so true. The sad fact that so many are emoty when so much love has been sent to us. Thanks do much for sharing. Blessings!
DeleteI'm pretty sure this anonymous is J.D. and your phrase "cross-shaped hole" is so true. The sad fact that so many are emoty when so much love has been sent to us. Thanks do much for sharing. Blessings!
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