O' Come All Ye Faithful: Sermon
This morning, we will focus on a Christmas carol. Not Charles Dickens’ story, but a song. We are doing a sort of hymn study. For years, the youth have done these each summer during their trips. Here is how it works,
One kid shares about difficult words in the hymn,
Another talks about the history of the hymn,
A third communicates a scriptural lesson from that hymn,
And a fourth sings it.
We pastors thought we would spare you our solos. You can thank me later. [] What carol would you pick, if you had to choose? [] I picked O Come All Ye Faithful.
HISTORY: AUTHORSHIP
The lyrics are often attributed to a man named John Francis Wade. He was born in the 1700s. However, he may not have been the author. You see, Wade made his living by copying and translating songs. His copying offered a valuable service to the church and world. Wade never pretended to be the author of this carol. He lived in Douai, France, with other ex-pats from England. He wrote the earliest known copy of this carol, titled Adeste fideles, in 1751 in Latin. There are several theories of where they came from, if not from him.
Some suggest that a composer named John Reading, who came up with the familiar tune, wrote it.
Others posit that a Portuguese king, John IV, known for his love of music and talent, wrote it. He had a massive library, yet in 1755, an earthquake in Lisbon destroyed his collected works.
And still others point to Cistercian monks.
The authorship remains a mystery today.
HISTORY: TRANSLATION
We do know that roughly a hundred years later, in 1841, an Anglican priest by the name of Frederick Oakley translated Adeste Fideles into English, titling it Ye Faithful, Approach Ye. In that century, more Latin verses were added and translated. Abbé Étienne Jean François Borderies was responsible for most of the additional verses in Latin, and an Anglican named William Thomas Brooke translated them.
Today, the English lyrics are as follows:
Verse 1 is,
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!
The refrain is,
O come, let us adore Him;
O come, let us adore Him;
O come, let us adore Him, Christ, the Lord!
Verse 2 is,
God of God, Light of Light,
lo, He abhors not the virgin’s womb;
very God, begotten not created;
Verse 3 is,
Sing, choirs of angels; sing in exultation;
sing, all ye citizens of heav’n above!
Glory to God, all glory in the highest!
And Verse 4 is,
Yea, Lord, we greet Thee, born this happy morning;
Jesus, to Thee be all glory giv’n!
Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing!
DIFFICULT WORDS
What would you say are the difficult words, if you were doing the hymn study? Some of the difficult words could be,
Ye,
Behold,
Lo,
Abhor,
Begotten,
Yea,
Thee,
Glory
Word,
And Flesh.
We will look at each as we work through the Carol.
FIRST VERSE
In the first verse, we have words like “Ye” and “Behold.”
“Ye” means you.
And “Behold” is to look at.
BEHOLD
Where does this call for you, faithful, joyful, and triumphant to look at Jesus originate? Why should we behold Jesus? Hebrews 12:1 and 2 state,
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1–2, ESV)
The Bible tells us to behold Jesus. So, come let us look at him.
BETHLEHEM
Let us look at his birthplace. Why Bethlehem? Let’s explain its significance. King David and his family were from there in 1 Samuel 16:1. From David would come one who would be king forever. Some three hundred years later, a prophet came on the scene, Micah, and he wrote,
But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me [God]
one who is to be ruler in Israel,
whose coming forth is from of old,
from ancient days. (Micah 5:2, ESV)
Ephrathah was part of the Hebrew name for Bethlehem, meaning “fruitful and abundant.” God knows the future and controls all things. Bethlehem was the place of Jesus’s birth. And it was just as God said. So let us come and adore him who was predicted to be born in Bethlehem.
KING OF ANGELS
What does “king of angels” mean? The Bible describes Jesus as,
“Lord of lords and King of kings” (Revelation 17:14b, ESV).
He is the ruler of you, me, the United States, Israel, and every single nation. He is the Lord of time, space, and the heavenly host. So let us come and adore the king of everyone and everything, including angels.
SECOND
The second verse is trickier. It goes,
God of God, Light of Light,
lo, He abhors not the virgin’s womb;
very God, begotten not created;
DEFINITIONS
“Lo” means to look. (It is like the word to behold.)
“Abhor” means to hate.
And “Begotten” refers to birth.
GOD OF GOD
What is this verse getting at? The verse is saying Jesus is God. Why does it say he is God, not the Son of God? Well, he is both. Deuteronomy says,
“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one” (Deuteronomy 6:4, ESV).
We believe the Bible is God’s Word and teaches that God is one. And there is no other. We are to have no other gods besides God. The Bible teaches that God is three persons: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We bump into part of the Trinity in this second verse. It is not something we can fully explore. But let me give you one example from the Bible that demonstrates the divinity of Jesus. Let’s look at John 1:1:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1, ESV).
Jesus was the Word and thus was God. The Nicene Creed, which we began our service with, says as much. Let us come and adore the God of God and light of light.
LIGHT OF LIGHT
What does light of light mean? Jesus said of himself that he was the light of the world (John 8:12). Paul wrote,
“For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6, ESV).
There is a way in which the pure light of God, his glory, is seen through Jesus, two thousand years before Jesus’s birth. Moses saw the glory of God, and his face shone so brightly that he had to wear a veil in public. He was not the light of light, but reflected the light of God. He was a messenger and a prophet. Jesus was that and more. The Bible says that if we look on God in all his glory, we will die. Jesus became human and revealed the glory of God in a way we could see and live. How could the light of God be so powerful?
SUN
Consider the power of the Sun for a minute. Our Sun is 93 million miles away, yet it is so brilliant that if we stare at it for just 10 seconds, we can get photokeratitis, a sunburn on the cornea. If you stare at it for too long, you can go permanently blind. Friends, if the Sun is that powerful, imagine the light of God's glory unveiled. The Bible says of Jesus,
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell. (Colossians 1:15–19, ESV)
Hebrews states something similar about Jesus:
“He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power” (Hebrews 1:3, ESV).
Jesus is the light of light and the God of God. You can’t get brighter or more godly than Jesus. So let us come and adore the God of God and light of light.
ABHOR
That being the case, the following line says that he didn’t abhor the virgin’s womb. How does that work? Let me explain with an analogy. Think of King Charles of England coming to visit our great Lake Michigan and going to our church. What if he showed up in sweats and a hoodie? Picture him wearing a baseball cap backwards and sandals with no security. I have a hard time picturing that. A king, dressed down? Now, imagine the king of the universe coming to church? Even if he was dressed up like us. That would be shocking, yet Jesus, the king, went further in his condescension; instead of thinking that a trip to Earth was beneath him, he embraced it. Not only that, Philippians 2 teaches us that he became one of us to the full extent. He camped with us in a sense and became 100% human. Theologians call this the incarnation. That comes from Latin, meaning “to put on skin.” And he wasn’t playing dress-up or pretending. Nor did he arrive from heaven on a chariot, donning a royal robe, and living in a palace in Rome. No, he came naked as a baby, born in a cave and placed in a feeding trough. This was not a hospital or home birth. He and Mary had no medical care or medicine. Once born, he lived dependent on his mom and, to some extent, his adoptive father. He grew up in a humble home of a carpenter and became a refugee in Egypt because of religious persecution. When the threat disappeared, he returned home to his parents’ small town of Nazareth. There, he likely suffered from the gossip around his mysterious parentage. His siblings didn’t buy the tale Mary and Joseph claimed; why would his neighbors? He spent most of his life in obscurity until he was about thirty years old. Then, when he began to teach and perform miracles, many of his own people made fun of him and rejected him rather than following him and adoring him. His religious superiors, the Bible experts of the day, and the powerful, became his enemies and went so far as to have him killed as a criminal. No, Jesus didn’t hate the idea of being born in a womb to a virgin with a death sentence ahead of him. Paul wrote of the event,
Though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:6–8, ESV)
VIRGIN
What is with Mary being labeled a virgin? God’s word teaches that Jesus never sinned. He didn’t possess sin, yet was born. He didn’t have Original Sin. How could that be? He was miraculously conceived by the Holy Spirit. Mary, up to the birth of Jesus, never had an intimate relationship with a man. She was a virgin. It was a miracle. This was predicted 700 years before it happened, like the location of the Messiah and family line. Isaiah, another prophet, wrote,
“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14, ESV)
Jesus was born miraculously. O come let us adore him who did not abhor the virgin’s womb.
BEGOTTEN NOT MADE
The next line was that he was begotten, not made. We see this word “begotten” in the King James Version of the Bible. Most translations interpret it as “only Son.” So we read in John 1:14,
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son [begotten] from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14, ESV).
That means Jesus was not a created being. He was not made. He always existed. How do we know? What did Jesus teach? He said,
“Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58, ESV).
In this saying, he used the Greek equivalent of the expression, the Hebrew Tetragrammaton, or I AM, for Yahweh, the unmentionable name of God. Jesus claimed that he existed before their ancestor who lived 2100 years earlier. Why did he say that? It was because he knew who he was. He was the godman. He always existed. He holds the patent on time. He stands outside of time. So let us come and adore the one who was begotten, not made.
THIRD VERSE
Let’s go to the third verse.
Sing, choirs of angels; sing in exultation;
sing, all ye citizens of heav’n above!
Glory to God, all glory in the highest!
This is a call to worship. These verses echo Psalm 103:
Bless the LORD, O you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his word,
obeying the voice of his word!
Bless the LORD, all his hosts,
his ministers, who do his will! (Psalm 103:20–21, ESV)
When Isaiah saw the throne of God, he witnessed angels do just that. He wrote
I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim[a type of angel]. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said:
“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory!” (Isaiah 6:1–3, ESV)
When Jesus was born, the angels praised God. Luke reports,
And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” (Luke 2:8–14, ESV)
Many years later, John, the apostle, was in prison for his faith and had a vision of heaven. He saw angels praising God, much as Isaiah did. He documented,
And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say,
“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,
who was and is and is to come!” (Revelation 4:8, ESV)
O Come All Ye Faithful calls the angels to do what angels did, do, and will do: praise. The fun thing is, we get to join Scripture, inviting angels to worship. And in the refrain, we call each other to join the angels. O come let us adore him and sing in exultation.
VERSE 4
We get to the final verse, verse 4:
Yea, Lord, we greet Thee, born this happy morning;
Jesus, to Thee be all glory giv’n!
Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing!
DEFINITIONS
“Yea” is another word for yes.
“Thee” is another word for you.
“Glory” is another word for worship.
The “Word” refers to Jesus.
And “Flesh” refers to skin and bones.
TAKE AWAY
Like the shepherds and kings, we pay respect to Jesus. We recall his birth at Christmas. We can say to God, “To you belongs the glory.” We can give him the recognition that is his due. The reality is, we will either do it in this life or the next. One day, every knee will bow, and tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:10–11). All authority in heaven and earth has been granted to him. He is worthy of worship. O come let us adore Jesus.
WHY IS HE WORTHY OF WORSHIP
[] Why? Why do we celebrate the birth of the Word, the begotten, not made, the light of light, God of God? Why should we adore Jesus, who didn’t abhor the Virgin’s womb? If we jump outside the confines of this song, we can hear Jesus himself give reason. Here are seven:
He said he came to give us abundant life and life to the full (John 10:10). Who doesn’t want that?
He said he was the light of the world. (John 8:12). He came so that people won’t live in the darkness any longer. O come, let us adore him for that.
He taught that he is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and no one comes to the Father except through him (John 14:6). Do you want backstage access like that? I do.
He proclaimed that he was the resurrection, and that all who believe in him, though they die, will live (John 11). Do you want a resurrected body, not subject to sickness or decay? Let’s go to Jesus and adore him.
He declared that he came to give his life as a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28; Mark 10:45). He paid our sin guilt, which itself is worthy of adoration. Do you?
He said he went to Earth to save the lost (Luke 19:10). Now we can be found. Who doesn’t want to be rescued?
And finally, he described himself as the Son of Man and the Son of God, as predicted in the Old Testament, to fulfill God’s redemptive plan to rescue the people he created from the bonds of death.
Those are some good reasons to adore him. Don’t you agree?
GIFTS
When I think of Christmas, I think of gifts. I love giving and getting gifts. Yet, I could never afford the gifts that Jesus has given us. His gifts are tremendous. What can we give him? All I can think of now is what Wade and Oakley penned: adoration. Another word for adoration is love. O come let us adore him.
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