O Come, All Ye Faithful

(hymn – attributed to John F. Wade)

Verse 1:
O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant
Come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem;
Come and behold Him, born the king of angels:
Chorus:
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ, The Lord.

According to western Christian tradition, Advent begins the 4th Sunday before Christmas. This year that is Sunday, December 2, 2012.  It is important, as lights and decorations go up around the nation, that we, as Christians, begin reminding ourselves of the true meaning of the season: adoring Christ, the Lord.

Context

While the words of the hymn, “O Come, All Ye Faithful” aren’t lifted directly from scripture, it appears to be most closely related to the account in Matthew 2:2 of wise men coming to Jerusalem seeking to worship the King of the Jews. They (and apparently not “three kings of orient;” where’d that come from anyway!?) would eventually find the baby Jesus and give him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Go figure, the Christmas tradition we still have today began with giving to the gift! Jesus, the gift to mankind was given gifts in celebration of His birthday!

Are We Coming Into This Season to Adoring Him?

It is very easy to get caught up in the hype of the holiday.  Even for me, I look forward to Christmas because I get to see mom, dad, sister, brother, nieces, nephews, extended family and friends and give many of them gifts (technically making up for missed birthdays throughout the year). At the same time, I want to remain cognizant that Jesus is the reason for the season.  A friend of mind recommended a devotional for advent based on the writings of John Piper (www.DesiringGod.com). I would like to challenge you to check it out or find some other way to bring Christ to the forefront of your celebration as we approach December 25.