O Come Let Us Adore Him

by the Revd Hannah Cartwright

I wonder, if you had to pick one favourite Christmas carol, which one you would choose and why? I’d find it really difficult to choose between many of them but ‘O Come All Ye Faithful’ would certainly make my short-list. There is the sense of expectation which builds through the refrain, a range of stunning descants, and ‘that’ chord culminating the long-awaited final verse after midnight on Christmas Day. But, for all its loud and joyful splendour, it is actually calling us to do something far more simple and silent: to adore a tiny child at the heart of God’s great salvation plan.

Babies are rarely quiet for long but, when they are first born, it is almost impossible for a parent to keep their eyes off them even when they sleep. This is partly a survival mechanism but it is also simply because, when we are confronted with the miraculous wonder of new life, we are utterly absorbed by it. And such new life draws others from far and wide to gather and celebrate together too; to wonder and marvel and adore a tiny new person and to treasure the gift that they are to the world.

To adore is no light thing; it is to revere, respect and deeply love and, in the case of Jesus, it is not only to venerate, but to worship. To adore the Christ-child is to allow ourselves to sit a while in the presence of One who is both ordinary and Divine. To sit with the mystery, the mess and the captivating fragility and beauty of a child; of a God who chose vulnerability and limitedness to show us his boundless love.

There are as many ways to adore Jesus as there are people on earth. Whether you choose to adore him by sitting in prayer before the Sacrament, in quiet contemplation at home, or in the company of others singing out ‘Adeste Fideles!’ with gusto and calling others to join the celebration, take a moment to also quietly look into the crib and allow yourself to be drawn in this coming Christmas season.

Come, let us adore him: Christ the Lord.