Let Us Adore Him
DECEMBER 23, 2009 (WEDNESDAY)
[The blogs for this week are reproductions of the Christmas week blogs of 2007]
I’ve told you that my favorite carol is “Silent Night,” followed very closely by “Joy to the World.” The countdown continues with number three: “O, Come, All Ye Faithful.” These choices are not set in stone; I’m not even totally convinced that they are my favorite three carols, but right now I think they are. We will have no number four, but if we did, I think it would be, “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing.”
John Frances Wade wrote the words; 100 years later, Frederick Oakely composed the music. The hymn has two titles, “O, Come All Ye Faithful,” and “Adeste Fidelis.” Wade wrote the words of the original hymn in Latin, and never translated the words into his native tongue, English. That was left for others to do at a later date. Adeste Fidelis is the title of the original Latin version.
Don’t you just love the opening verse? “O, come all ye faithful, joyful and trimphant!” hits the ground running, affirming Christ, who gives us joy and promises victory over all our spiritual enemies.
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.
O Sing, choirs of angels,
Sing in exultation,
O sing, all ye citizens of heaven above!
Glory to God, all glory in the highest;
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.
Yea, Lord, we greet Thee,
born this happy morning;
Jesus, to Thee be glory given;
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.
(This blog is a reproduction of the Dec 21, 2007 blog)