Among the best-loved Christmas carols today is O Come, All Ye Faithful. The original author, John Francis Wade, penned the opening line in Latin: “Adeste Fidelis, Laeti triumphantes,” which means something like “Be present, faithful, happy, triumphant ones.” A century later, an Anglican cleric, Frederick Oakeley translated it into English as “Ye Faithful, Approach Ye,” but it didn’t catch on. So a few years later, he tried again, and the title we know was born.
As we approach the final year of the first quarter of the 21st century since the birth of Jesus, we need to revisit the simple and compelling lyrics of this carol. They call all faithful Christians to reflect on the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, to “come and adore Him…Christ the Lord”
What does it mean to be “faithful”? The word means ‘to remain loyal and steadfast,” and for Christians, that can mean a lot of things. In our walk with God, it means to be committed to His Word – both to read it, to study it, and to apply it to our lives. Doing that will affect countless other areas of our lives – time we spend in prayer, the priority we give to meeting with believers, the way we view our finances and giving to the Lord, and living out the roles we play in life – as husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, employers, employees, citizens, and more – in ways that honor God.
What does it mean to “adore Him”? This speaks to our hearts, our passions. It’s one thing to say “I love you;” it’s another thing to back up those words with your life. Do you have an ‘affection’ for the Savior that governs your life? Just as human relationships can lose their warmth and grow cold, so too our intimacy with Christ. Our actions not only demonstrate our adoration of Christ, they also cause our adoration of Him to grow. Are you intentionally giving your time, talents, and treasure as an act of adoration to the Lord?
The world is a caustic environment for Christians – it lies in Satan’s power, and he is occupied 24-7 blinding the eyes of unbelievers, promoting sin and death, and attacking Christians. But by the power of the Spirit, we can be ‘more than conquerors’ – we can live faithful lives that show our adoration of the Savior. Let that be your goal this Christmas season.
If there is one thing I’d change (not because it’s wrong, but because I know the heart of God) in this song, it would be to widen the invitation: O Come, All People! The call of God goes out to everyone – to those who have never known the Savior, to those who have known Him but have wandered away from Him, and to those who know Him, but the cares and weights of the world have made their relationship grow cold. To one and all, Christ says “Come!” His own words put it best (Matthew 11.28-30):
“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”