O Come All Ye Faithful
By Rachel Wright
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!
“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
Sing, choirs of angels; sing in exultation;
sing, all ye citizens of heav'n above!
Glory to God, all glory in the highest!
“When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.’ And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.” Luke 2:15-20
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!
O come, let us adore Him;
O come, let us adore Him;
O come, let us adore Him, Christ, the Lord!
On a dark night, in a regular field, 2000 years ago, ordinary men watched over their sheep. On this seemingly routine work night for the shepherds, God chose to change their lives and make the most wonderful news known to them. He revealed the birth of the long-awaited Savior to these ordinary men! Why reveal this great news to shepherds? Why not share it with a religious leader or someone with political power? You see, God knew the hearts of these men. He didn’t just randomly flip a coin to see which field His angels should arrive in. God had a perfect plan. The shepherds were specifically chosen by God for His divine purpose.
He saw that these men had faithful, humble, obedient, hearts that were ready to hear what He had to say to them. These men knew that just as their own sheep needed someone to watch over them, they needed God to be their shepherd and Savior. These men had hearts that were prepared to praise God. We see this in the passage as they urgently responded to the angel’s message with obedience and faith. Immediately they left the field, seeking the child that the angel told them about. We see their faithfulness again when after they saw Jesus, they left with their hearts filled to the brim with joy, rejoicing and praising God.
O Come All Ye Faithful is a hymn that calls us to action. As believers, we cannot sit idly and watch the Christmas season pass us by. We must prepare our hearts to be faithful to our Lord. We need to spend time aligning our hearts to God’s will, and coming into His presence through praising Him for the good news of Jesus. Praise is an essential part of the Christian walk, and Christmas is a perfect time to practice praising our God! We are called to praise God for the best gift that the world has ever received: Jesus. We celebrate Christmas to remember the day that Jesus was born and God’s mighty plan of salvation.
Just as God chose the shepherds to reveal His good news to, He also chose you! He chose to reveal the good news of Jesus to you because He loves you and wants you to have a relationship with Him. So this Christmas season, remember to praise and thank God for His grace. Worship God this month by singing songs to Him and praying prayers of praise as the angels did. Praise and adore Him by pondering His goodness in your heart as Mary did. Exercise your faithfulness by sharing your faith with others: Proclaim the good news of Jesus to anyone who is willing to listen, just as the shepherds did on that peaceful, holy night all those years ago.
REFLECTIONS:
Are you ready to listen to what God wants to teach you this Christmas season? Just as the shepherds were ready to hear from God, are you prepared to hear from God through sermons and His Word the ways in which He is calling you to leave behind your sin and follow Him faithfully into a deeper relationship with Him?
The holiday season can often lead to sadness and disappointment when expectations are not lived up to. This Christmas season, is your heart prepared to praise God? If not, what can you do to prepare your heart to praise Him through both the hardships and joyous times?
How can you practically praise God this week?
Now, do it! Praise God right now, whether it be through prayer, song, or sharing His good news!
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: