Carols – O Come All Ye Faithful
Sycamore Creek Church
December 9 & 10, 2012
Tom Arthur
Merry Christmas Friends!
Today we continue in the series, Carols. Each week we’re looking at a different classic Christmas carol and unpacking it to help you hear it in a way you’ve never heard before. Today we’re exploring O Come All Ye Faithful.
This carol was written in the 18th century by John Francis Wade. He was a Catholic who was persecuted in England and fled to France where he lived in exile with other English Catholics. The first line of the song, O come all ye faithful, joyful, and triumphant is an interesting line from someone who was not politically triumphant! Although Bennett Zon, the head of the Department of Music at Durham University believes that the song was “a birth ode to Bonnie Prince Charlie [the Catholic usurper to the English throne] replete with secret references decipherable by the “faithful.”” At least that’s the conspiracy theory about the song!
The song was originally written in Latin and was titled Adeste Fideles, Laeti Triumphantes. Frederick Oakeley, an Anglican priest turned Catholic, first translated the song mid 19th century as “Ye faithful, approach ye.” This wasn’t very catchy and didn’t really have much mass appeal, but later he retranslated the opening line as “O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant!” And that’s what we sing today.
Here’s a music video version of the song to begin today’s message.
Faithful, Joyful, Triumphant?
O come all ye faithful, joyful, and triumphant. But what if you don’t feel faithful, joyful or triumphant? The holidays can sometimes be depressing & weary. Last week we explored the weariness of the season and wrote down on snowflakes where we’re weary right now. We’ve got no money, no family, too much family(!), no friends, past bad memories, too much holiday (lines, not enough money for presents, too much food, and not enough time for all the parties). I realized the irony of discussing this last week and then hosting a basement blessing and open house that night at the parsonage! Even the church adds to your weariness sometimes. YIKES!
Here’s the good news for today: Jesus doesn’t call the faithful, joyful, and triumphant! Jesus calls the sinners, weary, and burdened. Here what he says:
On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick…For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Matthew 9:12-13 NIV
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Matthew 11:28 NIV
Maybe we should sing O come, all ye sinners, weak and overburdened!
Thankfully Jesus doesn’t leave you there. Rather, Jesus helps us become faithful, joyful, and triumphant!
Faithful
The author of the book of Hebrews says:
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith…
Hebrews 12:2 NIV
Jesus perfects our faith. Each of us grows over time more and more into the character of Jesus. We don’t become Jesus, but we become like Jesus in his character.
A friend of mine, Charlie Matz, was a youth in my youth group in Petoskey. He didn’t really attend youth group regularly, but he did attend guys Bible study that I led each week. When he was a senior in high school he was part of a high school “mob” that ran through the high school building on the last day of school knocking over trash cans and in one instance knocking over a teacher. This ended up making national news! Mob of students in Petoskey! There were three young men named in the newspaper as “ringleaders.” Charlie and the other two were all in my guys Bible study! On one level, I failed. On another level, I succeeded because these were the three guys willing to take responsibility.
Well, Charlie’s life was kind of like this as a whole. Sometimes he was faithful and other times he was not so faithful. One summer I took this group of guys on a backpacking trip in theJordanValley. We spent two days hiking about twenty miles, the second day in the rain. Over the two days we studied the book of Romans, written by Paul to the church atRome. Later Charlie would tell me that it was on that backpacking trip that he really came to make a commitment to Christ.
Fast-forward many years to 2012. Charlie founded and runs a Christian video production company that makes videos for churches to use. I contacted him and worked with him at the beginning of the year to help create a video for the United Methodist denomination that would show all the different ways that a church could be planted. What a joy it was to work with him so many years later and see how he has grown up in maturity and faithfulness. I had no idea how God would use him back when he was a high school “mob ringleader.”
By the way, here’s that video that we made:
Jesus helps us become more faithful.
Joyful
Jesus also helps us become more joyful. St. Paulsays in his letter to the Galatians:
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy…
Galatians 5:22 NIV
We’re talking about the Holy Spirit here. The Spirit of God and of Jesus. Joy is the fruit of a right relation with God, and God’s Spirit at work in you. It is not something you can create by your own efforts. We receive it when we “come and adore him.”
It’s important to make a distinction between happiness and joy. Happiness depends on what happens, but joy depends on Jesus! Happiness has to do with our current circumstances, but joy is built on a hope that runs much deeper. You can be unhappy with your current circumstances, but still full of joy because of the hope you have through a relationship with Jesus.
Let me give you an example. This past week John Brinkerhuff died after a long hard battle with brain cancer. It was his second battle with cancer. I think in a time like this we’re all a little or a lot inclined to ask the big question: Why? Why God did you let this happen to someone? I want to tell you that it’s OK to ask, “Why?” I know it’s OK because when Jesus, the perfector of our faith, hung on the cross, before he died, he asked God, “Why?” If Jesus could ask God, “Why?” then it must be OK for us to ask God why too.
And yet in the midst of grieving John’s death and all the messiness of life that this entails, underneath it is a hope that brings Joy. Where O death is your sting? Jesus hangs on the cross and dies, but three days later he raises from the dead. His resurrection is the first-fruit of the hope of our own resurrection in him. It is this resurrection that provides the foundation of our hope that brings a deep foundation of joy amidst the unhappiness of current circumstances.
If you’re a guest here today and you don’t know Jesus, it may be a little hard to comprehend what I’m talking about. It’s hard to know a peace and joy in the face of death if you haven’t experienced the hope that comes in Jesus Christ. It’s like standing in the darkness one moment without Jesus, and then standing in the light the next moment with Jesus. Know Jesus, know hope. Hope = joy. The “snowflakes” of weariness are here today and gone tomorrow, but the love of Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. That brings hope. That brings joy. Even when we face death!
Jesus makes us more joyful.
Triumphant
When I hear the word triumphant I immediately hear horns blowing a military regal after a battlefield victory. I think of the book I just read, Masters of Command – Alexander, Hannibal, and Caesar and the Genius of Leadership. These were three of the best generals the world has ever seen. And yet their appetite for triumph was insatiable. They expanded their empire solely so that they could rule more and more territory. Is this the kind of triumph that Jesus brings? No way!
The prophet Isaiah says:
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.
Isaiah 9:6-7 NIV
I don’t think Isaiah is talking about a government that makes war, but rather a voluntary kingdom of the heart where Jesus is:
Wonderful Counselor
Mighty God
Everlasting Father
Prince of Peace
I think of it like this: I’ve got a friend, Bill Copeland, who is an Ironman. I’m talking about the triathlon where you swim 2.4 miles, run a 26.2 mile marathon, and then bike 112 miles. The guy is one serious endurance athlete, and from time to time I get the great pleasure of backpacking with him. When I backpack with him, I have a kind of confidence that helps me hike further and longer than I can hike by myself. I’m confident because I know he’s got my back.
This is the kind of triumph that Jesus brings. It’s a triumph of maturity. It’s growing up in the faith. It’s a triumph of resisting and enduring sin longer. It’s a triumph over addictions, lusts, broken relationships, broken marriages, isolation, loneliness, materialism, consumerism, and more. It’s a triumph of peace in your life.
O come all ye sinners, weak and overburdened. And in your adoration of Jesus become all ye faithful, joyful, and triumphant!
Prayer
Jesus, we confess that we are sinners. We are weak and overburdened. We need your help. Help us to become faithful. Help us to become joyful. Help us to become triumphant. In your name, and in the power of your Spirit we pray. Amen.
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.
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