O Come All Ye Faithful

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!

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

Oh, sing, choirs of angels
Sing in exultation
Oh, come ye, oh come ye to Bethlehem
Come and behold Him
Born the King of Angels

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

One of the most well-known Christmas carols, O Come All Ye Faithful was composed in the mid-18^th century.

The song celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem and hints at the events surrounding Jesus’ birth recorded in Matthew 2:1-12 and Luke 2:1-14. Through the prophet Micah (Micah 5:2), God foretold the birth of the Messiah in Bethlehem hundreds of years before Jesus’ birth.

Christmas is a celebration of the coming of Jesus, the Messiah, the Son of God:

“Though [Jesus] was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:6-11 NLT)

Jesus humbled Himself to become a man. He lived a sinless life, then willingly gave Himself as the sacrifice for our sins. He paid the death penalty for our sins and offers eternal life to all who trust Him and follow Him.

“O come, let us adore Him!”

While the song celebrates Jesus’ birth, it is also a call to the “faithful” to worship Him. The shepherds, the great company of angels, and the Magi all came to Bethlehem and worshiped Jesus at His birth. The lyrics of this song urge us as well to “behold Him, born the King of angels;” and to “adore Him, Christ the Lord;” and to “sing in exultation” to Him along with the “choirs of angels.”

This Christmas season, let us “behold” anew “the King of angels.” “Come, let us adore Him!” And let us “Sing in exultation” to Him, for He is Christ (the Messiah) the Lord (our sovereign God)!

Let us also encourage each other and watch expectantly for Christ’s return. For He Himself says, “’Yes, I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.” (Revelation 22:20)