O Come All Ye Faithful

 

Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. (Psalm 95:1-5 ESV).

 

There are often various celebrations when we invite others to join us. Whether they are birthdays, anniversaries, or other special occasions the guest list is determined, and the invitations are sent out. Those who receive the invitation then have a choice, will they attend? Are they able?

 

I was thinking about this dynamic as I looked over the lyrics of the last of the carols we will use this year for our devotionals. It is a beloved favorite of many, “O Come All Ye Faithful.” This song recounts the birthday of Jesus Christ. At His birth, a “party” broke out near the manger. Of course, Mary and Joseph were there, but soon others began to make their way to the gathering. God the Father went out of His way to invite a two very different and unlikely groups to attend the party - shepherds and Magi (cf. Luke 2:8-20, and Matthew 2:1-12). The shepherds represented common Jewish people - a class of citizens that would normally never have been invited to a religious ceremony or royal birth. The Magi were Gentiles from a faraway land who would have had no expectation of inclusion in the plans of the God of Israel. Yet, at Jesus’ birth, God sends an angelic invite to the shepherds and a starry message to the Magi inviting them to come.

 

When the invitation is issued, the shepherds and Magi have a choice. Both groups move toward the manger. Both groups decide that they cannot miss the opportunity to be included in this special moment. As a result, both are incredibly blessed. They were not able on their own, but by God’s grace, they find their stories find meaning in Christ. Now, I want you to think about your own life for a moment. By virtue of you reading this devotional, knowing these songs, reading the Christmas story, you have received an invitation from your Heavenly Father. An invite to come to Jesus and find your hope in Him.

 

This invitation from God is not based on our performance but on His grace. It is sinful

people like you and me, like the shepherds and wise men, who get the invite to come to Jesus and find our hope and forgiveness and life in Him. God desires that we open this invitation by faith and trust in Jesus as the Son of God who takes away the penalty of our sins through His death on the cross. Have you placed your faith in Jesus? If not, hear the words of today’s song as an invite from God to come and adore Him and place your faith in Jesus.