Tuesday, December 15, 2015

O Come, All Ye Faithful
By Brita Crouse

“When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.’ So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.”

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, (3x)
Christ the Lord.

This song has always been one of my favorite Christmas carols because it perfectly captures the essence of the holiday season: joy in the birth of Jesus. But, it wasn’t until a few years ago, that these words of jubilation took on a whole new meaning for me.

For most people, Christmas emits positive attitudes and optimistic outlooks, but for my family it is also a stark reminder that an integral family member is no longer with us because it was around the holidays that my family suffered a great loss.

The words to “O Come, All Ye Faithful” have always been powerful to me, but until I experienced this grief, I could not fully understand the weight of its words or the purpose of the song, which is to call us to faithfulness.

In the verses above, we see the shepherds stepping out in faith by leaving behind their livelihood - - their sheep - - to seek out Jesus. What a courageous and rewarding act of faith!

We can see throughout Scripture we are not called to be faithful to God only during the good times, but at all times and through everything. Much like the marriage vows spoken by a husband and wife - - which call for faithfulness, in sickness and health, for richer or poorer, for better or worse - - we enter into a similar covenant with God when we become a Christian.

My family is not the only one who experiences polarizing emotions during the holiday season. But, we still have hope and joy in Jesus during the holiday season; a true testament to God’s faithfulness and our striving for faithfulness to God.

God continually conveys His faithfulness to us through His consistency and lavish downpour of blessings. Shouldn’t we show Him the same kind of faithfulness, despite our circumstance?

This Christmas season, take time to behold and adore Christ and His greatness with faith, joy and triumph.

GOING DEEPER:
1.  Listen to Adeste Fideles/ “O Come, All Ye Faithful.” How can you apply these lyrics to your own life?
2. How can you be encouraging those around you toward faithfulness to God?

FURTHER READING:

Brita is currently working toward her Master’s in Counseling at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. She has called Oakwood her home church for the past seventeen years.