June is the month summer begins. These dreary rainy days we’ve been experiencing sure give us cause to long for the warmth and sunshine of summer. The wet, wet, wet May we experienced hopefully gives way to the sunshine of the month of June.
But I’ve been thinking about Christmas! What, you say? Christmas? Yes, the traditional Christmas carol “O, Come All Ye Faithful” has been on my mind of late. I have no idea why exactly. Maybe instead, I should have such songs as “In the Good Old Summertime” or “Summer in the City” on my mind. But instead, it’s “O, Come All Ye Faithful.” I think our good friend Kyle would agree with me that there is absolutely nothing wrong with thinking of, even singing, Christmas songs year-round.
Have you ever really thought about and listened to the words of “O, Come All Ye Faithful”? In particular, have you listened to the words of the second and third verses? Are those words describing us as we enter the sanctuary for worship service?
Obviously, we’re not angels, but we do sing together as a “choir” even though we’re not all gathered together in a choir setting. The second verse says “Sing, choirs of angels…sing in exaltation.” Do we sing when we gather to worship with “exaltation”? Do we really feel it down in our soul and spirit? “Glory to God…All glory in the highest!” Or do the words just come out kind of draggy and forced? Just a Sunday or two back, one of new attendees remarked as she was going out the door, “I sure do love the singing at Homestead!” That’s what I’m talking about. Let’s sing with exuberance! Le’s enjoy the worship through singing as much as our Lord enjoys hearing it.
Also, we should come to church on Sunday morning ready to worship! One of the most important ways we worship is with our singing. The Psalmist frequently used singing as a means of praising God and expressing joy in his presence. Singing is presented as a joyful expression of worship, a way to declare God’s glory, and a form of thanksgiving. Psalm 96:1 encourages singing to the Lord, while Psalm 100:1 calls for making a joyful noise to the Lord. The Psalms also mention singing as a response to God’s actions, such as in Psalm 40:3 where a new song is given after deliverance.
What about verse three? “Yea Lord, we greet thee.” Every day, including worship days, should begin by greeting our wonderful Savior. And to this wonderful savior, we say “to thee, be all glory given.”
O, Come let us adore Him! Yes, Lord, we adore thee! We adore thee in winter, at Christmas time. We adore thee in summer! We adore thee 365 days a year!
Revelation 4:11 says “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”
Our God is worthy of our adoration all the time!