O Come All Ye Faithful
My favorite part of O Come All Ye Faithful is the repetitive part of the chorus.
O Come, let us adore Him.
O Come, let us adore Him.
O Come, let us adore Him,
Christ, the Lord.
We use the word adore in a couple of different ways. For example, we use it for loving admiration and devotion. I just adore you. And we use it when we are fond of something. For example, I adore ice cream. Although, we usually use the term for people. And we use a variation of the word when we think someone is cute. Isn’t that an adorable baby.
List some things each person in the family adores.
What is your favorite possession?
What is your favorite food?
Do you know any adorable babies?
What does it mean to adore Jesus? The magi in Matthew 2 provide a great example.
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: “ ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.’” Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.” After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. (Mt 2:1–12)
We don’t know how many magi came to see Jesus. Traditionally, the number is three since there were three gifts. The Bible doesn’t specify how many. How did they know the star had anything to do with Jesus? These men were probably Babylonians or Persians. They were astronomers and studied the stars. During the captivity in the Old Testament, the Jewish people were deported to Babylon, which was later conquered by the Medes and Persians. Perhaps, they knew the Old Testament from the Jewish people who remained in those areas. They could have continued studying the Old Testament from the time when Daniel was one of the wise men. And why were they looking for a star? The only reference in the Old Testament to a star and a ruler is Numbers 24:17: I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel. (Num. 24:17)
We don’t know exactly how many wise men, or exactly where they came from, or why they were looking for a star, but we know, if they came from the East, they traveled a long distance. We usually picture them arriving at the manger scene on camels. If they were Persian dignitaries, these magi would have likely travelled in a large caravan, riding on Persian steeds rather than camels. There would have been servants to cook and a large division of soldiers to protect them as they travelled through foreign lands. They would have traveled hundreds of miles. Their journey could have lasted as long as a year. They probably weren’t there the night of the birth, either. According to Matthew 2:11, they entered the house. And the word used for child usually doesn’t mean a baby. And Herod killed all the male children 2 years and younger. It was probably a year and a half to two years after the birth of Jesus.
But, they adored Jesus so much they made the journey.
Have you taken a long journey to see someone or something that was important to you?
What is the longest journey you have taken?
How far could you go in a year?
O Come, let us adore Him.
O Come, let us adore Him.
O Come, let us adore Him,
Christ, the Lord.
I read this somewhere. I would give credit, but I don’t remember where it came from. Read these descriptions and discuss how much Jesus deserves adoration.
From cover to cover, the Bible describes God in all His magnificence:
In the Old Testament:
– In Genesis, He is the Creator God.
– In Exodus, He is the Redeemer.
– In Leviticus, He is your sanctification.
– In Numbers, He is your guide.
– In Deuteronomy, He is your teacher.
– In Joshua, He is the mighty conqueror.
– In Judges, He gives victory over enemies.
– In Ruth, He is your kinsman redeemer.
– In I Samuel, He is the root of Jesse.
– In 2 Samuel, He is the Son of David.
– In 1 Kings and 2 Kings, He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
– In 1st and 2nd Chronicles, He is your intercessor and High Priest.
– In Ezra, He is your temple, your house of worship.
– In Nehemiah, He is your mighty wall, protecting you from your enemies.
– In Esther, He stands in the gap to deliver you from your enemies.
– In Job, He is the arbitrator who not only understands your struggles, but has the power to do something about them.
– In Psalms, He is your song–and your reason to sing.
– In Proverbs, He is your wisdom, helping you make sense of life and live it successfully.
– In Ecclesiastes, He is your purpose, delivering you from vanity.
– In the Song of Solomon, He is your Rose of Sharon.
– In Isaiah, He is the mighty counselor, the prince of peace, the everlasting father, and more. He’s everything you need.
– In Jeremiah, He is your balm of Gilead, the soothing salve for your sin-sick soul.
– In Lamentations, He is the ever-faithful one upon whom you can depend.
– In Ezekiel, He is your wheel in the middle of a wheel–the one who assures that dry, dead bones will come alive again.
– In Daniel, He is the ancient of days, the ever- lasting God who never runs out of time.
– In Hosea, He is faithful, always beckoning you come back–even when you’ve abandoned Him.
– In Joel, He is your refuge, keeping you safe in times of trouble.
– In Amos, He is the husbandman, the one you can depend on to stay by your side.
– In Obadiah, He is Lord of the Kingdom.
– In Jonah, He is your salvation, bringing you back within His will.
– In Micah, He is judge of the nation.
– In Nahum, He is the jealous God.
– In Habakkuk, He is the Holy One.
– In Zephaniah, He is the witness.
– In Haggai, He overthrows the enemies.
– In Zechariah, He is Lord of Hosts.
– In Malachi, He is the messenger of the covenant.
In the New Testament:
– In Matthew, He is king of the Jews.
– In Mark, He is the servant.
– In Luke, He is the Son of Man, feeling what you feel.
– In John, He is the Son of God.
– In Acts, He is Savior of the world.
– In Romans, He is the righteousness of God.
– In I Corinthians, He is the rock that followed Israel.
– In II Corinthians, He is the triumphant one, giving victory.
– In Galatians, He is your liberty; He sets you free.
– In Ephesians, He is head of the Church.
– In Philippians, He is your joy.
– In Colossians, He is your completeness.
– In I Thessalonians, He is your hope.
– In II Thessalonians, He is your glory.
– In I Timothy, He is your faith.
– In II Timothy, He is your stability.
– In Titus He is your reason for serving.
– In Philemon, He is your benefactor.
– In Hebrews, He is your perfection.
– In James, He is the power behind your faith.
– In I Peter, He is your example.
– In II Peter, He is your purity.
– In I John, He is your life.
– In II John, He is your pattern.
– In III John, He is your motivation.
– In Jude, He is the foundation of your faith.
– In Revelation, He is your coming King.
That is the God we adore.
O Come, let us adore Him.
O Come, let us adore Him.
O Come, let us adore Him,
Christ, the Lord.
Perhaps, that will give you something to think about the next time you sing this song.