Day 22: O Come all Ye Faithful

1. 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;

Refrain
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.

2. God of God,
Light of Light,
Lo! he abhors not the Virgin’s womb;
Very God, Begotten not created. Chorus

3. See how the shepherds,
Summoned to His cradle,
Leaving their flocks, draw nigh with lowly fear;
We too will thither
Bend our joyful footsteps:  Chorus

4. Lo! star-led chieftains,
Magi, Christ adoring,
Offer Him frankincense, gold, and myrrh;
We to the Christ child,
Bring our hearts' oblations: Chorus

5. Child, for us sinners
Poor and in the manger,
Fain we embrace Thee,
With awe and love;
Who would not love Thee,
Loving us so dearly? Chorus

6. Sing, choirs of angels,
Sing in exultation;
Sing, all ye citizens of heaven above!
Glory to God,
In the highest; Chorus

At the entrance into the choir. Unison.

7. Yea, Lord, we greet Thee,
Born this happy morning;
Jesu , to Thee be glory given;
Word of the Father,
Now in flesh appearing. Chorus

This has always been one of my favorite carols!  It's one of those I just like, and have to think about why exactly I like it. It could be the thrill of singing it, the triumphant melody and harmony, and the call to adore my Savior. It could be the whole presentation of Christ as King, to Whom belongs all the glory.  

I don't think I had ever read stanzas 2, 3, 4, or 5 until today. I love the way they draw in the other characters of the Christmas story.  But this phrase in stanza five jumped out at me: Who would not love thee, loving us so dearly?

That reminds me so much of my thoughts when I submitted to Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior at age six.  "If He loves me so much, giving His life for me, how can I not give my life to Him?" Truly, this question is one of the groundworks of my faith: "we love Him because He first loved us."

I know that I would never have chosen Jesus. I would never have loved Him, had He not loved me first in such a sacrificial and unconditional way.  And that is (one of the many reasons!) why I love Him!

O come let us adore Him, all those to whom He has shown His great love! Let us give Him our love, our souls, our adoration, our praise, and our very lives! O come, let us adore Him, Christ OUR Lord!