O Come!!

Hey!! don't stop with the manger, or the star or even those lowly shepherds or high-born Magi. O COME!! all ye faithful and let us adore Him, Christ, the Lord!!

When the packages are all opened and we have leftovers in the 'frig, the family and friends have gone on their way and we are faced with preparing for another turn of the calendar year, it is easy to have a let-down in emotions and enthusiasm. But, this is just the time to Come and Adore Him. All the bustle is over and you can really concentrate on the wondrous gift that was given to all mankind and that includes you. Take some extra hours and learn of the Word of the Father and read that Word for youself. Don't let this gift be the only one not opened or appreciated or not used!

O Come, All Ye Faithful is a beautiful Christmas carol and I think is best sung today, as the final verse says: "Yea, Lord, we greet Thee, born this happy morning." There has been some questioning of the author and when written and a possible circuitous route started by John Wade, a Roman Catholic, who may have written the words and slipped them in a manuscript he was writing while in Lisbon, Portugal in 1750. It was published in Wade's Cantus Diversi, 1751. The story goes on that 30 years later it turned up in the Portuguese chapel in London, the Duke of Leeds heard it sung and included it in repretoire of his singing group, using it yearly thereafter. We do know that it was originally in Latin and you can often hear, at least the first verse, sung "Adeste Fideles". We thank Frederick Oakeley (1802-1880) for translating it into English for his congregation and for us to sing.

We generally sing only 3 verses, although some versions contain 7. The 3 that we sing are beautiful and full of the imagery that fills so many of the carols. It has one of the most familiar refrains ever penned: "O Come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, Christ, the Lord". I just know you are singing along with those words. If you want some music, click here:http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/o/c/ocomeayf.htm

An interesting title is given to our Lord in the first verse -- born the King of angels. And the last verse has another very interesting title - Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing. Those are good reasons for us to Come and Adore Him.

We're not quite finished with our Christmas carol overview. There are some energetic, more recent additions to the carols that remind us that once we have Come, it is time to Go.