My early life
favourite was “Oh Come All Ye Faithful”- it is the first Christmas carol
I remember hearing. --- Carolyn
In the
church I attended as a child, Trinity Anglican in Saint John, N.B., Adeste Fideles
was always the processional into the lovely old church on Christmas morning,
with the clergy and junior and senior choirs entering the church and singing
that triumphant hymn along with the congregation.
I
associate it with the joy and warmth of Christmas morning amid the cold of
winter and the problems of the world around us. ---- Claire
Yesterday’s
carol, O Come, O Come Emmanuel, reflected that that carol is a prayer
inviting God to come to us. Today’s carol reverses the action; we come to God
to give praise and glory. We come, not to ask for anything, we come to adore
him.
*When
and how do you offer praise and glory to God?
*Do
you ‘adore’ God? What does that look and feel like?
For those who are animal lovers, consider the feeling you get in the “awwwwwww he/she is so cute” moment when you meet a fluffy puppy or an adorable kitten; when the creature looks into your eyes and your heart melts. If you are a baby person, that moment when you hold a cooing newborn in your arms, and all seems right with the world. These experiences touch on the feelings included in adoration: thankfulness, love, respect, awe, wholeness, reverence.
O
Come All Ye Faithful is
a carol that takes the human emotions of adoration and amplifies them through the
power of song. The repeated words of the chorus draw the singer into a swelling
of music, that has the effect of agency within the heart; bringing about a joyful
expression of adoration towards God. And in the singing, hearts are changed;
for a moment all feels right in the world.
*Does
the singing of Christmas carols affect your heart?
*Do
you experience a greater capacity (at this time of year) to give and love?
*Would
the practice of singing the chorus of this carol, over and over, fill you with joy?
How would you share this joy?
One of the key messages – it is repeated twice- is the line, now in flesh appearing. God chose to enter human life, to be incarnate. To live, to love, to die. The thought, let alone the reality, of the Incarnation is beyond comprehension. There are no words or actions large enough to express gratitude or respect or awe. But, maybe, just maybe, in the singing of this carol, our gift of adoration comes close.
When
I am running, I know it is a good run when I find myself singing O Come All
Ye Faithful in Latin -not out loud but in my head, with great gusto and
crescendo- Venite adoremus, venite adoremus, venite adoremus Dominum! It
is the experience of a runner’s high: a moment of breathing perfection, effortless
strides, freedom from all constraints; and a feeling of being at peace, balanced,
joy-filled; at one with all and in all.
God,
now in flesh appearing,
We come and adore you. We ask for nothing. We come to say thank-you, and in song we offer praise, and give you glory. As we are being filled with joy, we say, Amen and amen.
A link to the carol: https://youtu.be/SCnXtih9AJA
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