O COME ALL YE FAITHFUL
speaker: Steve Froehlich; date: December 13, 2015
text: Psalm 96; series: Advent 2015
Oh sing to the Lord a new song.
Sing to the Lord, all the earth!
2
Sing to the Lord, bless his name.
Tell of his salvation from day to day.
3
Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!
4
For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised.
He is to be feared above all gods.
5
For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the Lord made the heavens.
6
Splendor and majesty are before him.
Strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.
7
Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength!
8
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name.
Bring an offering, and come into his courts!
9
Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.
Tremble before him, all the earth!
10
Say among the nations, "The Lord reigns! Yes, the world is established; it shall never
be moved. He will judge the peoples with equity."
11
Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice.
Let the sea roar, and all that fills it.
12
Let the field exult, and everything in it!
Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy 13before the Lord, for he comes, for he
comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in
his faithfulness.
Psalm 96
“O, Come, All Ye Faithful”
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)
God of God, Light of Light; Lo, he abhors not the virgin’s womb
Very God begotten, not created. (refrain)
Sing, choirs of angels, sing in exultation; Sing, all ye citizens of heaven above!
Glory to God in the highest; (refrain)
Yea, Lord, we greet Thee, born this happy morning; Jesus, to Thee be all glory given;
Word of the Father, late in flesh appearing. (refrain)
Refrain: O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,Christ the Lord.
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The Advent hymn that we are considering today comes to us originally from the pen of
John Frances Wade, a French Christian, a music teacher and music transcriber who
lived through the French Revolution. He is also very probably the composer of the tune
to which his lyrics are set. The older name of the hymn, originally composed in Latin, is
Adeste Fidelis, but we know it as O Come All Ye Faithful. The 4 verses we find in our
hymnbooks today were translated in the mid-19th century by Frederick Oakeley.
The text is an invitation... a warm, vigorous, and urgent summons, Come. 20 times we
will sing out the invitation. Come... Come... Come...
First, Come and see... come behold, come and believe that this One we see is God
of God, light of light, in flesh, in history.
The first invitation is to come and be a witness of the incarnation, and believe
what you see.
Then, Come and sing... come adore.
The second invitation is to respond to what we have seen: come and worship.
I want to pause briefly on the 1st invitation, Come and see.
But we’ll spend most of our time on the 2nd invitation, Come and sing. We’ll consider
Psalm 96, David’s song of adoration
I. COME AND SEE.
First, Come and see.
There really is something to see... there really is something for us to behold... and
know... and experience.
When it comes to Jesus, born this happy morning, Word of the Father, late in flesh
appearing, many would have us believe Officer Barbrady, the incompetent constable in
South Park: “Move along, nothing to see here”
Oh but there is. A child, born of Mary, born in a manger, witnessed by the shepherd
and wise men from the East. There is most certainly something to see. The one
person who is the fulcrum of history – everything rises or falls on him. We mark our
time by him, and civilizations over the past 2000 years have based their life and
existence on all that he said and did.
But what is there to see of him today? If we believe what the Gospel writers have
told us, he is risen from the dead and ascended to rejoin the Father in the glory of
heaven. What’s left to see? That is the work of his Spirit who makes his presence real
for us. When we see Jesus in the pages of God’s Word we look with eyes made wide
by the Spirit of Christ bringing us the conviction that what we read is true. And the Spirit
of Christ, just like the glory of God in the temple of Solomon... the gold gleaming and the
smoke rising to declare to all who see, God is here, God is present among his people...
in that same way the Spirit of Christ inhabits the new temple, made of living stones, the
Body of Christ... so that Christ is seen in us... Christ is visible as his Spirit animates us
with his life. Where 2 or 3 are gathered, Jesus said, he is there. When we lay hold of
the Eucharist, we announce, “Immanuel, Christ is here.” So we dare to say to all who
would know him... Come and see... Come and see God among us... healing, renewing,
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forgiving, transforming... come to the bread and the wine, the body and blood of our
God present among us, nourishing and giving life to his people. Come and see the
gospel, come and see the kingdom of God – Jesus, our Saviour, who died that we might
live, who lives that we might be given a second birth, a new way of life that begins and
ends in him. In him we live and move and have our being.
Now, if you are here this morning, and you have not yet entrusted your life to Christ,
what do you see of Jesus in the way we live. Do we give you a reason to believe by the
way we live? I hope so. Do you see in us men and women who practice forgiveness
and mercy, who live with joy and hope, who are humble, unselfish, charitable? Do we
make Jesus known to you? We are motivated not just by humanitarian kindness. We
live the way we do because all of life is worship – all of life is from God, through the
Spirit, and for Christ. In all we do, we want you to see the beauty of God’s character
and the presence of his shalom, his kingdom present with us.
Come and see. There really is something to see.
Come and see. There really is something to believe.
Do we believe what we see? What we read when we come to God’s Word?
The poet begins the hymn, “O come all ye faithful.”
The Christian life is all about faith... about belief... belief in the gospel: Who Jesus is
and what he has accomplished.
Now faith is not a wish-upon-a-star kind of hope. Faith is not belief in what we can’t
reason, understand, or make sense of. Faith is reasoned and deliberate. Faith is not
the putty that plugs the space between the blocks of common sense. Faith points to
evidence and reasons to believe. That doesn’t mean we understand everything
comprehensively. We get along just fine in life knowing very little about the everyday
things we trust. But Jesus stands before us, and he asks, Do you believe that I have
the power to forgive your sins? Do you believe that I have the love to make you my
brothers and sisters in the family of God? Do you believe that I have risen from the
dead as the downpayment of my promise to return and make the world new?
Now at that moment... I want you to be clear about something essential to what it
means to believe... to be a person of faith. Or in the words of our hymn, to come and
see in faith.
The point of faith is the object of our faith – faith is all about what... or who we
believe in. The amount of faith has nothing to do with the genuineness of faith. The
quantity or quality of your faith has nothing to do with the actual trustworthiness of of
this building to support the cars parked directly over our heads right now. Remember
Jesus’ analogy... faith the size of a mustard seed... faith the size of a flea... a grain of
sand... faith that is fixed on me, Jesus said will result in the unimaginable... something
as impossibly unimaginable as a mountain being uprooted and hurled into the sea. Do
you believe that something even greater is possible? God will be reconciled. He will
put down his weapons of war against us and declare peace... a peace that has been
won by the death of his Son. Do you believe in me, Jesus asks every day, for as long
as it is still today.
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Or as Jesus asked Peter, Do you love me? The man who promised to die for Jesus,
but was humiliated by the servant girl in the courtyard – Die for him? Ha! I don’t even
know him. I’ll disavow him 3 times to convince you. Yes, that Peter. Peter, do you love
me? Peter do you love me? Peter do you love me? We’re not talking about the size or
the quality or perfection of your love... we’re talking about me, Jesus said. Do you love
me? Yes, Lord... you know all things. You know that I love you.
O Come all ye faithful.
We like to believe that we come to Jesus brimming and overflowing with a full and
perfect faith. But we don’t – our faith is far from perfect. None of us here brings
anything close to a full and perfect faith. And as Jesus restored and refocused Peter’s
life, he says to you...
Your relationship with me is not based on your having great faith or enough faith...
do you believe in me?
Your relationship with me is not based on your having enough goodness or
rightousness... do you believe that I am your righteousness?
Your relationship with me is not based on your having sacrificed enough or purified
yourself enough... Your relationship with me is not based on whether or not you get your
act together – I’ve got bad news for you... you never will. But do you believe the good
news? Do you believe that I am your sacrifice, that only I have done enough, that I am
the only who has lived an acceptable life for the Father, and who has sacrified fully for
you.
As Jesus says at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount... It is the poor who
know the blessing of God, the poor in spirit who come improverished, empty-handed,
trusting only in God’s mercy and Jesus power to hold us secure.
Come... all you who believe... who believe in Jesus... who are new in faith and mature in
faith, who are seasoned in faith and struggling in faith, who have known victory over sin
and who still bear the scars of the wounds upon your mind, and body, your heart and
soul... Some of you are believing in Jesus for the first time... some of you are believing
for the 100th... or millionth time... all of you... Come, come in faith, not in yourself, and
not in your belief... but come believing in Jesus. As the old gospel hymn says, If you
tarry till you’re better, you will never come at all.
II. COME AND SING
Some and see.
Second, Come and sing.
Now we turn to David’s song of adoration, his song inviting us to come and worship
O Come let us adore him. O come let us worship him.
David reaches deep into his orchestral bag of images to summon all of Creation to give
honor to our God
Sing, Sing, Sing
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Tell of his salvation
Declare his glory
Ascribe, Ascribe, Ascribe to him glory and strength
Bring an offering
Enter his courts
We could insert Psalm 100 here:
Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth! Serve the LORD with
gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Know that the LORD, he is
God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep
of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the LORD is good; his steadfast love
endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.
Worship the Lord in splendor, the majesty and splendor of holiness
Tremble before him
Say... no, shout, “The Lord reigns!”
All the earth, all the nations, all the peoples... Great is the Lord.
Splendor and majesty are before him
Strength and beauty are his dwelling place
Worship him... adore him. Let your mind linger long on his excellent virtues, his
immensity, his beauty – as you dwell on him, your mind and soul will be stretched and
enlarged and every new inch will also be filled with the grandeur of God
All the earth... let the heavens be glad,
let the earth rejoice,
let the seas roar and all that fills it
let the field exult, and everything in it – wheat, corn, bugs and beetles, daisies and
grapes, farmers and foxes
let the trees and the forests sing for joy
The Lord is great and glorious forever
The Lord reigns today
The Lord is coming to judge the whole of creation – the world, the people, and
everything that fills it. He’s coming to judge the world in righteousness and
faithfulness. Let everything in all creation rejoice!
The sound of the Psalmist’s song fades away. It seems as though his celebration has
gone unheeded. The noise of the world rumbles along, seeming to drown out the joyful
shout of worship. We could stand in the middle of Times Square and shout the glory of
God, “The Lord reigns!” only to be yelled at by an irate cab driver... or we crumble
broken-hearted in the face of death... or weariness at the struggle and disorder of life...
and we whimper through our tears, “the Lord reigns”...
When in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes
I all alone beweep my outcast state,
And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries,
And look upon myself, and curse my fate,
Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,
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Featured like him, like him with friends possessed,
Desiring this man's art, and that man's scope,
With what I most enjoy contented least;
Yet in these thoughts my self almost despising,
Haply I think on thee, and then my state,
Like to the lark at break of day arising
From sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven's gate;
For thy sweet love remembered such wealth brings
That then I scorn to change my state with kings.
What Shakespeare writes of earthly love is true because we have been loved by Love
Himself. No mere sentimental affection, but a deep binding love that will not be
conquered even by death... a love that has the power to make us mere mortals holy,
glorious, and eternal. And a love that has the power to bring all its enemies to an
eternal end.
David writes in the aftermath of some great victory. He is the king, but he is the king
that is the servant of the One true King who is the author of the righteousness and
peace that are the fruit of victory over evil. But his song is our song as we look back on
what Great David’s greater son has done, his victory, his triumph over sin and death,
and his victory yet to come, his promise to make that triumph complete so that nothing
in his kingdom will rival his peace, his glory, his truth, his love, his goodness, his
righteousness.
Come and see Jesus born
Come and see Jesus live
Come and see Jesus die
Come and see Jesus rise from death
Come and see Jesus, the first fruits of the world made new
Come and see Jesus, gathered into glory, seated upon the throne of the heavens
Come and see Jesus, poured out upon the nations, his Spirit flooding the earth with
his presence and with the promise of the gospel.
Come and see... Come and believe... Come and sing. Come and worship. Come
adore.
A. What will we sing?
Sing a new song, the music of adoration and worship
A new song? What’s new about the gospel? What’s to be added to what God has
already accomplished in Christ?
Look at what David writes in vs 3: tell of his salvation from day to day.
The newness of our song is not anything that we can add to what Christ has
done for us. But the newness is how his grace unfolds in our lives today. We are part
of a great story and each of us have our lines to speak. His grace is a present salvation
being worked out in our lives in deeper ways, changing our desires and our thoughts
and our choices... the kingdom of God being made visible in new ways as the character
of Christ is seen in all the circumstances and situations of life.
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When you play on the playground tomorrow... when you help change your
baby brother’s diaper... when you help your mom bake a pie... when you help your dad
take a nap...
When you write your paper, practice your instrument, have conversation with
a worried friend, pray with a fearful brother, encourage a worried sister... when you work
with a customer, when you explain a concept to your students, when you bring your sick
husband a cup of soup, when you hug your discouraged husband...
These are all new moments... they are all the fresh pages of today waiting to be
written. What will you write? What will you sing? How will the love of Christ be seen in
what you say and do? How will your words and actions make just a little bit clearer the
truth that God is with us, Immanuel, that Christ reigns and holds all things in his hands,
and that there is reason to hope that all will be well. For the wrong committed against
you today, the words of forgivness have yet to be spoken. For tedious inconvenience
imposed on your by your friend that just won’t stop talking and annoying you... the
patience of Christ has yet to be revealed in that moment.
Sing day by day of God’s grace alive and at work in our lives. Sing giving thanks for his
character made real and clear to you in the moments of life. Sing your hopes as you
wait for him to send light, or healing, or comfort, or provision. All of these are the songs
waiting to be written and waiting to be sung. Will you sing them? Will you adore Jesus
alive and at work among us?
B. Where will we sing?
What will we sing? A new song. Today’s song of grace and hope.
Where will we sing?
In every corner of creation. In every part of the world Christ has said, “this is mine.”
What God the Creator charged us to do in the beginning, we continue to do: Fill the
earth with his glory. Exercise dominion – not domination, but royal service that causes
all Creation to flourish... We know why God has created all things... and we know why
God has crowned men and women with his honor, made in his image... He has made
us for himself... So, the work of creation continues even as the whole of creation longs
for redemption. In every part of culture, in every part of the world we are bearers of the
good news... we declare that the kingdom has come. We show the kingdom in the way
we live, and we sing, Come and see... come and believe... come adore the King... come
and join the song of all creation. The Lord reigns. He is a very sure and present hope.
We sing in every part of creation, in every corner of culture. We sing among the
nations, among all the peoples of the earth. As Bruce and Kathy Cain do with Wycliffe
in SE Asia, we must learn new languages in which to express the glory and goodness of
God, the grace of the gospel. So, too, in every area of culture, we sing in the language
of the people... in the dialect of dance, with the accent of athletics, with the jargon of
engineering, with the lingo of law, with the slang of science, with the vocabulary of
viticulture...
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Do you know the language of your neighbor? How can you make the kingdom of
God visible to him... the character of God delicious to her... the message of the gospel
clear in the situations of your friendship today.
Do you know the language of your vocation? How does your labor push back
against the fallenness and brokenness of the world? How does your work make the
kingdom and character of God known? How does your work declare the gospel? How
do your co-workers experience the faithfulness and love of God?
Do you know the language of your family? There is that shocking moment when
parents welcome their second child into the world: Oh, no... we thought we had
parenting completely figured out, but... this second creature is nothing like the first
creature that we finally managed to tame. We’re doomed. What language do your
children speak? Does your husband or wife speak? How will they see the splendor and
majesty of God, the strength and beauty of living in his sanctuary? All this in the midst
of messiness and imperfection and sin... How will they hear the good news, the hope
that our God reigns and will make all things new. Will they hear and see Christ – his
forgiveness, his mercy, his truth, his kindness, his patience, his acceptance, his love.
C. How will we sing?
What will we sing? A new song. Today’s song of grace and hope.
Where will we sing? In every corner of creation, in the language of the people we
welcome into our lives.
Finally, How will we sing?
Happily, this is not a musical question. Some of us can only muster a joyful noise
when it comes to singing.
David calls us to come and sing with hope and with joy. Why?
Because the Lord is coming. Yaaaaaaaaaaa!
Because the Lord is coming to judge the earth. Oh... and... why should I be happy
about that?
Note that David says that everything in creation is shouting for our King to return... for
him to reign on earth – for his will to be done on earth even as it is in his heavenly
presence. Heaven and earth.. the sea... the fish... the whales... the anemonies... jelly
fish... The fields... the crops and flowers, ants and worms... the Forests and trees, and
racoons and squirrels and butterflies... the whole of creation... and that should include
our voices... the whole of creation sings for joy because the Lord is coming to judge the
earth. And... why is that a reason for such wild and happy celebration and anticipation?
Because when David uses the word judge, he doesn’t mean the robed person in a
courtroom that has to deliver an as yet undetermined verdict. In fact, we’d demand that
the judge be removed from the bench if she entered the courtroom with her mind
already made up. In our courtrooms, the outcome is uncertain... and the outcome can
be blatantly unjust... or at best, mixed. No one in human courts is every fully satisfied.
It’s like Count Rugan pleading with Inigo Montoya in the Princess Bride, “I’ll give you
anything, anything.” As Inigo skewers him, he says, “I want my father back.” We cheer
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that justice is served and the bad guy punished. But... earthly justice can’t make things
right again. The court cannot raise Inigo’s father from the dead. The court can’t take
back the slander uttered against you. The court can’t heal your broken heart. The court
can’t give you peace.
But we join our voices with the whole of creation to sing with hope and joy:
The Lord is coming to judge the earth
We rejoice because this judge has already tried the case. This judge has already
heard the evidence and pronounced the verdict. The outcome is certain, sure, sealed
guaranteed in blood and with an oath.
This judge has found Jesus to be the spotless lamb of God, without sin or any
kind of blemish. He is the one man in all of human history who has lived up the
standard of God’s perfect holiness. And the judge has pronounced him righteous.
Rejoice!
This judge has found all of us guilty... everyone one of us. But for all who have
turned to Jesus and said, Please be my righteousness. Please stand in my place. To
everyone who makes that request and entrusts his/her life to Christ, Jesus says, ‘with all
my heart, I will.”
And in standing in our place, the judge heaps upon him the curse that our sin and
rebellion deserve. Jesus dies that we might live... and as he gives up his life on the
Cross he says, “it is finished.” The sacrifice has been paid. I have drunk the cup of
judgment to the full, and there remains now no condemnation for all who trust in him.
The judge announces that the court of heaven is satisfied. But there is more.
The sacrificed lamb, Jesus our atoning substitute, conquers death for us – he is
alive, still one of us, yet clothed immortal. He is the flesh and blood promise that he will
finish what he began in us his people – he will return and vindicate us as our champion.
He will show... so that all the world and all of history will see that we have not hoped in
him in vain. Our faith was not misplaced. He will reward our trust in him and our
faithfulness to him in this life – that outcome is already been made certain. The judge
has already ruled... and we wait for the Lord the judge to come... and we rejoice.
We rejoice not only because he will vindicate us for our love and trust. But he will
also bring to an end all that troubles his creation... all that remains allied with sin will be
banished, cast away forever from his presence. While this is cause for great joy to all
who hope in the Lord, it must be also a sober warning to all who refuse God’s grace.
When the king comes to judge the earth, all that does not love his appearing will be cast
away... not just from the garden, but from his presence forever. It will be hell... the
absence of God and goodness and love and righteousness and peace and hope and
joy. It will be an unimaginable void... but it will be the undying love of those who have
chosen it over Christ.
Come all ye faithful... all of you, the tall and the small of faith
Come and see the glory of the new born king
Come and believe that he is God of God, light of light, begotten not created
Come and sing... with hope, with joy, with all creation... for he comes to judge the
earth
O come let us adore him, Christ, the Lord
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