Welcome to the Christmas Carol series!  As we celebrate the birth of Jesus, each post this month features the title of a familiar Christmas carol.  I’m praying each post provides you with a Christ-centered focus for the season and of course, plenty of hope for the heart and joy to the soul.

The third featured title is “O Come All Ye Faithful.”

I admit it is one of my favorites. The invitation creates enthusiasm in my wannabe faithful heart.  But it also creates some uneasiness when I consider what faithfulness means. What does it mean to you?  Loyalty, consistency and dependability immediately come to my mind.

But the opening lyrics to this week’s song also grab my attention:

“O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant, come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem.  Come and behold Him, born the King of angels.  O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord!”

I love the repetitive use of the word “come.” It welcomes us again and again and it shows there is a pattern to faithfulness.  It is consistency.  And yet, despite our best efforts to show devotion to the Lord or others, eventually, we all fail.  The results can be disastrous and our hearts can become discouraged.

However, to become “joyful and triumphant” I must embrace the consistency of coming to Christ as Lord.  I can come to Him for forgiveness, mercy, truth and anything required to do His will.  And as I do, I experience the grace to grow in my faithfulness towards Him.

But faithfulness has another layer.  This week’s carol also tells us to, “Come and behold Him, born the King of angels.  O come, let us adore Him.”  It is a privilege to witness His Majesty and to worship the Christ.  It reminds us there is a point to faithfulness. It expresses loyalty and enables trust.  Without faithfulness, credibility crumbles and integrity fades. Luke 16:10 puts it this way,

 ^“If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities.”

Living by faith in Christ enables me to stay committed to what He entrusts me to do. And whether the task seems like a little or a lot, the privilege is mine but the glory is His. 

I’m glad the title of this carol is not “O Come All Ye Perfect.”  I’d never make the list.  But faithful, I can do faithful.  You can too. We can faithfully confess our sins, faithfully seek His will, and faithfully get back up when we fall.

Whether being faithful is our reality or seems out of reach, here’s some good news: God never fails. (1 Peter 4:19)  His faithfulness stands alone. We can become “joyful and triumphant” as we realize there is only one person who is named Faithful and True and He is Christ the Lord. (see Revelations 19:10-13).  O come, let us adore Him.  O come let us persistently pursue His ways and His heart. It is the way of the faithful and it brings hope for the heart and joy to the soul.

“But be sure to fear the Lord and faithfully serve him. Think of all the wonderful things he has done for you.” – 1 Samuel 12:24 NLT