O Come All Ye Faithful

Musing on the line from the old carol… 114 days to Christmas…

Josh and Becca have been planning their wedding for ages. They’ve had the rehearsal. Tomorrow’s the real thing. They will publicly declare their love for each other and will promise ‘to be faithful to each other as long as they both shall live.’

Those of us who’ve known them for a long time, those witnessing the marriage, will be delighted for them. We shall endorse the principle and institution of marriage – that exclusive, loving, faithful relationship of husband and wife.

O come all ye faithful – Josh and Becca are already there, but tomorrow it will be publicly promised.

Yesterday I read of Leonardo DiCaprio’s girlfriends over the last 25 years… there were pictures of him with 8… faithfulness didn’t seem to be important

There’s news about the royal family in the paper… the 25^th anniversary of Diana’s death, Prince Harry and Meghan, Prince Andrew’s future, the Queen’s health. There’s issues of faithfulness – in marriage, in relationships, to the monarchy, to the nation…

I’m reading the Bible story of the prophet Hosea. He’s a single man; God says he should marry Gomer – a beautiful woman, but a prostitute. Gomer abandons her husband, Hosea, to go after other lovers…

O come all ye faithful?

We use ‘faithful’ in all sorts of contexts… faithful relationships and marriages… being faithful to a political party or football club… a film that’s faithful to the book… a dog that’s faithful to its owner. People faithful to their God, or God faithful to his people… the faithful and the faith-full.

Faithful implies constancy, commitment, dedication, devotion, exclusivity, a steadfast, loyalty that endures trouble – in sickness and in health. In relationships it binds two people together – till death us do part.

‘O come all ye faithful’ is an invitation, a celebration… calling us to be faithful… joining all others who are faithful… recognising that faithfulness is a good place to be, and good place to stay.