Picture together with me sparkling lights on a green Christmas tree, the scent of cinnamon and spices within the air with carols playing softly within the background. As the nostalgic classic sounds of the season fill our minds and hearts, the song “O Come All Ye Faithful” will likely have its moment.
Nearly every Christmas church service throughout the season includes the well-loved carol. Its lines are so familiar that a lot of us know the words by memory. The lovely melody and lyrics embrace the meaning and atmosphere of the vacation.
Who Wrote “O Come All Ye Faithful?”
Although disputed, authorship and composition generally settle around John Francis Wade. The oldest manuscript of the hymn, circa 1743, bears his signature. Originally written in Latin, with the familiar title, “Adeste Fidelis,” the song later was translated into English, as “O Come All Ye Faithful.”
Born in England in 1711, Wade died in Douay, France in 1786. John Francis Wade’s father was probably John Wade, a cloth merchant and convert to Catholicism from Protestantism. John Wade was an lively member of the Roman Catholic Church and his son John Francis Wade was a layman within the Church.
Despite the song still being a favourite today, surprisingly little is understood about John Francis Wade. Perhaps that’s because relatively than insignificant, Wade’s life story took on an unusual but significant turn when he fled from England to France.
As the British throne and the schism between Protestantism and Catholicism collided, it created not only an uproar within the hierarchy but rocked the politics of the nation from its highest powers to its lowest peasant.
While England sought an uncomfortable alliance between the 2 religious factions, intrigue and power swayed and toppled partnerships. Its ripple effect reached far beyond England’s boundaries and onto Europe’s mainland.
What Context Inspired “O Come All Ye Faithful?”
The twists and turns of non secular fervor and political rule of the day affected every aspect of John Francis Wade’s life. Roman Catholics faced discrimination as political tides turned against them in eighteenth century England. “O Come All Ye Faithful,” called out to the unity of religion in Christ during this time of unrest.
After the Jacobite insurrection of 1745, persecution drove many Roman Catholics to search out safety elsewhere. Both religious and political, the Jacobite movement attempted but did not restore a Catholic, Charles Edward Stuart, to the throne.
John Francis Wade was amongst the numerous who left England to search out refuge in Douay, France. There he lived in an English community with other exiles. He made his living by teaching music at an English college formed to combat what was considered errors of the Reformation.
Wade hand-copied music and sold it for Catholic liturgy, private chapels, and wealthy families. The painstaking work brought him recognition for his revival of plainchant, a medieval type of church music using chant or song without instruments.
Wade can have created a few of his liturgical pieces to encourage exiled English to return to their home country. Some consider “O Come All Ye Faithful” as one among those songs. Exiled English left France and returned to England with “Adeste Fidelis” accompaning them.
A replica reached the Portuguese chapel in London where the song became often known as the “Portuguese Hymn.” The music soon circled the globe.
An Anglican priest, Frederick Oakeley, translated the unique 4 stanzas of “Adeste Fidelis” into English in 1841. The English translation perpetuated an excellent greater audience and recognition. Oakeley, lively within the Oxford Movement, worked to revive liturgical and traditional customs into the Anglican church. Eventually, he also converted to Catholicism.
Hundreds of years after Wade composed “O Come All Ye Faithful,” it remains to be sung in Christian churches, each Protestant and Catholic. The Latin rendition, “Adeste Fidelis,” continues to be the standard final hymn for St. Peter’s Midnight Mass on the Basilica in Rome.
The carol remains to be a favourite with contemporary musicians of all genres. Known around the globe, it represents the Christmas season so well it has often been Hollywood’s selection for background music in lots of movies. Listen for it in “It’s A Wonderful Life,” “Elf,” “Polar Express,” and “Miracle on 34th Street.”
What are the Lyrics of “O Come All Ye Faithful?”
The lyrics of “O Come All Ye Faithful” bring the singer to the events of Christ’s birth, engaging a spirit of adoration with a call to worship.
1. 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, allow us to adore Him;
O come, allow us to adore Him;
O come, allow us to adore Him, Christ, the Lord!2. God of God, Light of Light,
Lo, He abhors not the virgin’s womb;
very God, begotten not created; [Refrain]3. Sing, choirs of angels; sing in exultation;
Sing, all ye residents of heav’n above!
Glory to God, all glory in the best! [Refrain]4. Yea, Lord, we greet Thee, born this pleased morning;
Jesus, to Thee be all glory giv’n!
Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing! [Refrain]
Inspiring and epic version of O Come All Ye Faithful! – Chris Rupp from Chris Rupp on GodTube.
What Scripture is “O Come All Ye Faithful” Based On?
“O Come All Ye Faithful” draws heavily from the account of Jesus’ birth in Luke 2. The first two stanzas deal with the Biblical story from Luke 2:4-7.
The first stanza calls us with an invite to participate within the journey to Bethlehem. The next stanza affirms the divinity of Christ with the doctrine of Christ’s virgin birth. In the third stanza, the angelic chorus draws us into their declaration of “Glory to God within the Highest” (Luke 2:14). The fourth verse attests to the miracle of incarnation, as John 1:14 clearly teaches.
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt amongst us, and we now have seen his glory, glory as of the one Son from the Father, stuffed with grace and truth.” (John 1:14 ESV)
Wade’s Christmas call to worship includes such powerful descriptions as, King of Angels, Christ the Lord, God of God, Very God, Light of Light, Word of the Father, Virgin Born Son, Triumphant, Begotten, Incarnate God (in flesh) and Glory.
Each line of “O Come All Ye Faithful” is stuffed with joy and triumph and culminates with the decision to worship Jesus in its refrain.
O come, allow us to adore Him;
O come, allow us to adore Him;
O come, allow us to adore Him, Christ, the Lord!
How Does “O Come All Ye Faithful” Inspire Christians Today?
Although the Christmas story from the Bible is a straightforward one, it’s also unfathomably complex. John Francis Wade captured each its simplicity and complexity within the joyful carol, “O Come All Ye Faithful.”
In it, Wade calls us to humbly recognize the greatness of Jesus as Christ our King. He invites us to share, through a journey of praise, in that miraculous Bethlehem night. He also encourages our worshipful response as we remember Christ’s own journey to earth.
So much is expressed on this beloved Christmas carol. Well-known truths written a whole bunch of years ago still speak to us today if we, the faithful, stop to listen.
As we follow the verses of this song, we discover our hearts in adoration of greater than just a toddler in a manger. We view an even bigger picture. We see God Himself, the writer of our salvation made flesh who died on the cross and rose again. We bow before the fantastic presence of Immanuel, God with us.
In the hustle and bustle of the Christmas holidays, it’s easy for all of us to overlook the very core of Christmas. Even as we appreciate the sweet story from the Bible, its deep truths need pause and consideration. The lyrics of this centuries-old song bring us many times to the fuller, joyous triumph of our celebration. O Come! Let us adore Him!
Photo credit: ©GettyImages/RamilF
Her love for pasta and all things Italian stems from years of ministry abroad. She’d like to inform you about it over a steaming cup of cappuccino. Connect with Sylvia on her blog, When the House is Quiet, her Facebook page, or Twitter.
