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.”
Luke
2:15-16 (NIV)
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.
