The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14
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, (3×)
Christ the Lord.
God of God, light of light,
Lo, he abhors not the Virgin’s womb;
Very God, begotten, not created:
O come, let us adore Him, (3×)
Christ the Lord.
Sing, choirs of angels, sing in exultation,
Sing, all ye citizens of Heaven above!
Glory to God, glory in the highest:
O come, let us adore Him, (3×)
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, (3×)
Christ the Lord.
“Adeste Fideles” translated as “O Come, All Ye Faithful” is attributed to John Francis Wade (1711–1786) though others give credit to John Reading (1645–1692), King John IV of Portugal (1604–1656), and even anonymous Cistercian monks.
This edition comes to us from John Francis Wade and represents #7 of 8 ancient hymns. Scholars trace the Latin version of the words back as early as the 13th century. It’s an old one and a good one for sure.
Let’s lean into a phrase we have likely sung hundreds of times and cherish the generosity of it. “Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing!” This represents the greatest gift of all time.
God became flesh and dwelled among us. And we saw His glory, full of grace and truth. So, what’s my prayer today for all of us as we approach Christmas and desire to grow in generosity?
I pray that we give the gifts of grace and truth to everyone we touch this Christmas and every day. To do this, we must immerse ourselves in the Word of God. Do that and the Spirit will take care of the rest.