United Church Podcast

You want to experience the all-encompassing divine presence of God. You do. So do I. How do I know? You could spend your Sunday morning in many other ways, but we are here together—both online and in the room—and experiencing His presence is the primary reason we are here. Yes, some of us thrive in the community of church. Some of us might be present out of some sense of duty. But underneath all of the other “why’s” is an embedded longing to experience something transcendent. That longing is woven into our souls. Even if you are a sceptic, I imagine you have wondered what lies beyond what we consider our “rational” world. And if you have ceased to live with wonder, is that any way to live at all?

We continue our series through the book of Acts. A few points from this weeks sermon: Prayer is our great power. God is forming a family from all peoples, for all peoples. God’s word is always fulfilled. Sin makes us run from God when we don’t know grace. God sees your needs and your motives. God makes His will known in unmistakable ways.

The Kingdom has not yet been fully manifested, and even for those of us who follow Jesus, the tension is real. We live in the tension of believing a better world has begun, but it is not fulfilled. War still rages. Poverty persists. Death is a reality for every living thing, and the wicked seem to keep rolling.  The problem is we feel the tension of experiencing the Kingdom of God in our lives and communities before it is fully realised in the entire universe. We still see or have unbelief. Sin and brokenness shout to us that God’s will has not found its full expression.  And how does that leave us feeling? The answer to that question could splinter in a thousand ways, but the word that surfaced for me is angst. It is an angst that makes us look to people, leaders, politics and systems to solve generations-old issues that will only dissolve when God’s Kingdom is fully realised.  It is an angst that cultivates doubt and fear. It is an angst that quietly cries out in our hearts, “God, if you were real, you would solve this…”

“Is it real?” That is the question that haunts our faith if we are followers of the way of Jesus. The question surfaces at night when we cannot sleep and stare through the darkness at the ceiling. It is the question that sometimes causes us to pull away, isolate ourselves, or take a hiatus from gathering with the spiritual family of the church. It is also the question we fear most being asked of us by anyone we know who does not practice the way of Jesus. You want it to be real. You want the story of Jesus and the unfolding narrative of God to be true, or there would be no reason for you to gather with a church. You want to believe and act on that belief.

We start every year with a list of resolutions, new goals, and a determination to make improvements in our lives. We run full speed ahead working to meet our goals and resolutions, only to see that after about 2.5 months, we’ve already slipped back into our old habits. It is evident that we easily grow weary of the amount of work it takes to just do better. And if we’re honest with ourselves, we know this is true! You can always see how full the gym is through January only to see the drop off mid February and March. Or if you’re like me, you’ve made a thorough plan to eat completely clean only to be lulled by the convenient and delicious temptation of wings and fries on a Friday night! And I’m sure the list could go on and on of the good things that we’ve set out to do, only to fall flat on our faces within a few weeks.

“It remains a mystery how this hymn became known as a Christmas carol. Inspired by Old Testament Scripture—with no words alluding to the birth of Jesus other than the phrase, “the Lord is come”—"Joy to the world" would seem to be a song for all seasons, something to be sung in July as much as December.” - Stories Behind the Best Loved Songs of Christmas.

“At a time when the church was literally at war [with itself], only someone who truly believed in the holiness of Christ could have written a carol that would bring all Christians together to the same place each Christmas—bowing before Christ the Lord!”  This is how the author of Stories Behind the Best Loved Songs of Christmas, Ace Collins, describes the character, passion and faith of the Catholic Cleric who is the author of what some critics call the “greatest carol ever written.”  How the Catholic Cleric, John Wade, came to write “O Come, All Ye Faithful” is a story filled with adventure! John Wade was a man of God, caught squarely in the middle of a Holy War in 1745. At the age of thirty-five, Wade’s life was quite literally on the line, as strife between the Catholic Church and the Church of England swelled to an all-time high. Many practicing Catholics were forced to take their faith underground. Many others, including priests, fled Britain all together to avoid prison or death—John Wade among them. Wade made his way to France, and while there he was given an important job.  Since many Catholic Church records were lost during the conflict with England, Wade was tasked with researching and identifying historical church music. He was instructed to carefully record it so that it would be preserved for future generations.  Little could he have realised at the time just how profound, long-reaching and valuable his work would be to those future generations. Wade was a calligrapher and a skilled musician. Through his work he not only saved historical church songs, he was able to organise and distribute them to Catholic churches throughout Europe. Through beautifully detailed drawings and manuscripts, the priest reintroduced many forgotten songs to the masses. As he reclaimed old pieces, he was inspired to create new ones. Around 1750 Wade put the finishing touches on a piece of music he entitled, “Adeste Fideles,” which in English is translated O Come, All Ye Faithful. A decade later, Wade completed and put lyrics to his melody. The song grew in popularity all over the world for over one hundred years, before finally landing in the U.S. It was adopted by many Christian churches before 1900, and it was at the centre of the caroling movement that swept the country at that time. It was first recorded in 1905 by the Peerless Quartet, at a time when radio had yet to introduce music to the masses. Thousands of copies of the carol were sold.  In a medium where very few Christian songs found universal favour, O Come, All Ye Faithful remained the most beloved holiday bop for years.

Advent is a time dedicated to spiritual preparation and commemorating Jesus' birth. It is a time set aside for repentance and soul-searching. Many Christians celebrate Advent by thanking God for Jesus' first coming to Earth as a baby and for his presence among us today through the Holy Spirit. I am so excited about our Advent Series this year. We love Christmas songs. Everyone loves Christmas songs, but do we grasp their full meaning, depth, and power? Join me for this journey over the next three weeks with an expectant and open heart as we unpack the worth, beauty and rich truth in each of these songs.  This week we dive deep into the rich history and meaning of The First Noel.

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