Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give
you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in
heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29
This is a hymn carol that incorporates a sense
of reverence, joy, and solemnity all in one composition. Originally written in
Latin by John Wade in 1743, it was later translated into English by Frederick
Oakley and William Brooke (1841). The musical score was composed by Simao
Portogallo.
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;
Refrain:
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him,
Christ the Lord.
God from God, Light from Light eternal,
lo! he abhors not the Virgin's womb;
only-begotten Son of the Father; Refrain
Sing, choirs of angels, sing in exultation,
sing, all ye citizens of heaven above;
glory to God, glory in the highest; Refrain
See how the shepherds, summoned to his cradle,
leaving their flocks, draw nigh to gaze;
we too will thither bend our joyful footsteps;
Refrain
Child, for us sinners poor and in the manger,
we would embrace thee, with love and awe;
who would not love thee, loving us so dearly? Refrain
For Christmas:
Yea, Lord, we greet thee, born this happy
morning;
Jesus, to thee be glory given;
Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing; Refrain
For Epiphany:
Lo! star-led chieftains, magi, Christ adoring,
offer him frankincense and gold and myrrh;
we to the
Christ-child bring our hearts oblations: Refrain
This hymn is as often sung in Latin as in
English since the original Latin is so beautifully expressed and
poetically fashioned. We not only know, but FEEL the meaning of Venite
adoremus.
The invitation to come to Christ is
addressed to all who are of mind and inclination to come in in humility and
faith. The shepherds were invited, and they dropped their mundane labors and
went immediately to see this thing of which the Angel had spoken. They were
surprised by the wonderful invitation. There are others, however, who
diligently seek Him such as the Wise Men of the East. These were most
likely the Magi of Persia who studied the heavenly bodies and loved light. The Magi
were priests of the Zoroastrian religion who kept a perpetual fire burning as a
matter of their own faith. Men and women are chosen and called today in the
same variety of ways. Many are oblivious to the ways of God and are suddenly
drawn; others may have even studied false religion for a lifetime, and are then
awakened to the True religion of Christ.
It is certain that in whatever circumstances we find ourselves, we are lost
without Christ; so, we are drawn to depart our present life and “Come
unto” the Lord Jesus Christ. Though we are called from every walk of
life, there is only ONE WAY that will benefit - and that is the Narrow Way
of Jesus Christ. As the Wise Men learned, it was not by way of the capital
cities of the world, but the humble and lowly ways of the Savior. We must
LEAVE our former trappings behind and go immediately when beckoned, to the Holy
One - Jesus Christ. “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.” Though we are invited to come
from wherever we are beckoned, we cannot remain in that same pitiful
state after we learn of Christ.
“True God of true God, Light from Light
Eternal, Lo, He shuns not the Virgin’s womb; Son of the Father, begotten, not
created.” Jesus is not only the Light of the World, but the True Light that
has shone from Eternity Past whose beams pierce the endless and dark ether of
infinity. Though He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords, He is not proud and
self-exalted. He is willing to be born of a humble and simple young
virgin of the common people. Though the carnal Son of Mary, He is the only
Begotten Son of God the Father. He is of the same substance with the Father
and, therefore, not made as we are made after the blood-line of Adam.
“Sing, choirs of angels, sing in
exultation; O sing, all ye citizens of heaven above! Glory to God, all glory in
the highest” Though in that Ancient Day, it was the Angels who sang in
chorus, it is now our own privilege to do so in singing the praises to God our
Savior and Maker. Those who have become naturalized citizens of Heaven may join
their voices to those of the great angels. Having traveled the earth as
pilgrims and vagabonds, bearing our meager means of living lightly on our
backs, we may now walk up to those gates of splendor and be welcomed to the
Heavenly Kingdom - leaving all burdens at the gate.
“See how the shepherds, summoned to His
cradle, Leaving their flocks, draw nigh to gaze; We too will thither bend our
joyful footsteps.” Not only will those who are called come to the warmth
and light of the Baby Jesus, but also to the sacrifice of that rugged cross of
Calvary. “And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him
deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” (Luke
9:23)
Do you know that all who follow Christ
are, just like the Wise Men, following a Star? “Lo! star led chieftains,
Magi, Christ adoring, Offer Him incense, gold, and myrrh; We to the Christ
Child bring our hearts’ oblations.” It is not possible to view the
effulgent Light of Christ without awe and adoration. But He is that Bright and
Morning Star that leads, relentlessly, through the our dark night of despair
and the very Valley of the Shadow of Death to the glowing Light of the Sunrise
of the Day Star which is also the Resurrected Christ. We offer what gold we
have as a token of His rightful heir to the Throne of Heaven; our Frankincense
of worship to honour Him as Lord and Savior; and our Myrrh as evidence of the
atoning death He died in our stead. Our physical gold and silver will not gain
the passage, but the treasures of our hearts are His glory and prize.
“Child, for us sinners poor and in the
manger, We would embrace Thee, with love and awe; Who would not love Thee,
loving us so dearly?” Though Christ was poor in His earthly manger, He was
rich in the possessions of Heaven. Though lain in a manger, He was Maker of the
manger, of the beasts of the field gathered there about, and of all that the
eye could see from horizon to horizon. There are only two ways of embracing
Christ - with the kiss of Judas, or with awe and love. Had He not first loved
us, we could not have the privilege to love Him so. Yes, He loved us so dearly
even before we were born. He loved us so dearly that He came out from the
Palisade Palaces of Heaven to lie in a manger and also on a cross for us.
“Yea, Lord, we greet Thee, born this
happy morning; Jesus, to Thee be glory given; Word of the Father, now in flesh
appearing.” It is, indeed, a happy morning of our lives when Christ comes
into a newborn heart. We are born anew in the morning of eternity when Christ
comes to us! He was the Word from the very beginning - that eternal beginning
before the worlds were made. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word
was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All
things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in
darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not……..He was in the world, and the
world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and
his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to
become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born,
not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the
glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”
(John 1:1-5, 10-14).
If you have read and believed on His Word,
to you, too, has He appeared!
Come now, dear Reader, from your weary
struggles and hardships…...come away from the dreary life of rags and poverty….come
to the Light of the World and the warmth of Heavenly Love…Come to Christ.
O Come Let Us Adore Him,
O Come Let us Adore Him,
O Come Let us Adore Him,
Christ, the Lord!
