Picture along with me sparkling lights on a green Christmas tree, the scent of cinnamon and spices in the air with carols playing softly in 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 during the season includes the well-loved carol. Its lines are so familiar that many of us know the words by memory. The lovely melody and lyrics embrace the meaning and atmosphere of the holiday.
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 active member of the Roman Catholic Church and his son John Francis Wade was a layman in the Church.
Despite the song still being a favorite today, surprisingly little is known about John Francis Wade. Perhaps that is because rather 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 in 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 two religious factions, intrigue and power swayed and toppled partnerships. Its ripple effect reached far beyond England’s boundaries and onto Europe’s mainland.
The twists and turns of religious 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 faith in Christ during this time of unrest.
After the Jacobite rebellion of 1745, persecution drove many Roman Catholics to find safety elsewhere. Both religious and political, the Jacobite movement attempted but failed to restore a Catholic, Charles Edward Stuart, to the throne.
John Francis Wade was among the many who left England to find 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 form of church music using chant or song without instruments.
Wade may have created some of his liturgical pieces to encourage exiled English to return to their home country. Some consider “O Come All Ye Faithful” as one of those songs. Exiled English left France and returned to England with “Adeste Fidelis” accompaning them.
A copy reached the Portuguese chapel in London where the song became known as the “Portuguese Hymn.” The music soon circled the globe.
An Anglican priest, Frederick Oakeley, translated the original four stanzas of “Adeste Fidelis” into English in 1841. The English translation perpetuated an even greater audience and popularity. Oakeley, active in the Oxford Movement, worked to restore 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 is still sung in Christian churches, both Protestant and Catholic. The Latin rendition, “Adeste Fidelis,” continues to be the traditional final hymn for St. Peter’s Midnight Mass at the Basilica in Rome.
The carol is still a favorite with contemporary musicians of all genres. Known around the world, it represents the Christmas season so well it has often been Hollywood’s choice for background music in many movies. Listen for it in “It’s A Wonderful Life,” “Elf,” “Polar Express,” and “Miracle on 34th Street.”
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, let us adore Him;
O come, let us adore Him;
O come, let us 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 citizens of heav'n above!
Glory to God, all glory in the highest! [Refrain]4. Yea, Lord, we greet Thee, born this happy 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.
“O Come All Ye Faithful” draws heavily from the account of Jesus’ birth in Luke 2. The first two stanzas focus on the Biblical story from Luke 2:4-7.
The first stanza calls us with an invitation to participate in 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 in 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 among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of 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 full of joy and triumph and culminates with the call to worship Jesus in its refrain.
O come, let us adore Him;
O come, let us adore Him;
O come, let us adore Him, Christ, the Lord!
Although the Christmas story from the Bible is a simple one, it is also unfathomably complex. John Francis Wade captured both its simplicity and complexity in 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 in this beloved Christmas carol. Well-known truths written hundreds of years ago still speak to us today if we, the faithful, stop to listen.
As we follow the verses of this song, we find our hearts in adoration of more than just a child in a manger. We view a bigger picture. We see God Himself, the author of our salvation made flesh who died on the cross and rose again. We bow before the glorious 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 again and again 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 love to tell 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.