The Life-Altering Message of 'Oh Come All Ye Faithful'

all the world awaits the promise of his birth open up the gates Heaven come to earth a hor of Angels sing Our Savior here to Dell the king of every King our uel hosan hosana hosana in the highest hosana to our God all the ser of man the in a m you L Worthy is the Lamb he has come to save to take away your sin he freely gave his life for that we may live in him never die god H the heaven B Prince of Peace H the sun of rightousness light and Light to all he brings glory to the new born King H the heaven born Prince of rightousness light and light to all he brings glory to the new born King hosana in the the hosan in the god wow hello good evening good evening Merry Christmas Happy Christmas Eve welcome to crowd online Church uh I'm with SF my name is Matt and we're back to this sort of two separate Studio thing going on setaf mainly because you couldn't be bothered to get involved in the Christmas traffic yeah pretty much yeah sorry about that I sent set up a message saying should we do this in the studio uh CU if you're new to Crowd by the way we have a little Studio where we we do this together H and said of like yeah no I'm not getting caught up in the traffic I went out on the road earlier and it there was no cars okay I mean it was super quiet so I don't know what's happened to all the Christmas traffic maybe they came out after I left I don't know anyway anyway I don't know I wasn't going to go find out there just no way which is fair enough so yeah welcome to Crow Welcome to our Christmas live stream it's going to be a little bit different today I say a little bit I mean when it is a little we're going to have some music we don't normally do music in the live stream we're going to have some Christmas carols oh yes uh the first one bought to you by uh Dan and Greg and Zoya uh that was fantastic I just I love that song it's really pretty song and those guys did a great job with that so but we've also got some more coming up we've got what carols have we got coming up I don't know why I'm asking you cuz you don't actually know because I've keed them up I know one of them uh what's the one that you know oh c are you Faithful maybe are you sure maybe we'll find out is O Come All You faithful part of uh the talk uh part of the service today so well one would hope so because it's in the title in the the live stream title isn't it uh so what's it called today Beyond The Christmas Carol the life altering message oh yes AO come all you Faithful uh so we've got that coming up after that uh talk we're going to have another Christmas Carol uh then s i be back for conversation streets get busy in the comments um Jenny apparently is rocking her Christmas jumper I put in the comments uh I hope you're all wearing your Christmas jumpers and Jenny's like yes I am totally wearing my Christmas jumper where's yours SF um I didn't wear mine but check out my earrings oh yeah look at those penguin earrings other way yes Christmas ones there we go very special just for this just for this yeah I left my earrings off today I hav got my Christmas earrings in maybe I should go put them up I don't know I don't know uh but yes Merry Christmas has you Christmas Eve been good so far it has been so so good so far yeah so good so far no good good now you've got um seta you've got a couple of young kids haven't you uh and I mean my kids are a little bit older so they're probably going to sleep in as long as possible tomorrow but are you going to have that thing where your kids wake you up at like I don't know 4 in the morning 5 in the morning do they do that I don't know um so Lincoln woke me up this morning at like 6 to tell me it was Christmas Eve yeah told them to go back to bed because it was still dark outside but last couple last year remember they didn't wake up and we were like do we wake them do we leave them what do we do um so I don't know I don't know we'll find out we'll find out we'll find out yeah yeah I always used to I don't know if you did this but on Christmas Eve I would go to bed early because I thought I'd get you know I super excited and all that sort of stuff and then I would just I would wake up super I wouldn't it was never good never good I still I still struggle to sleep CU I'm always excited on Christmas Eve so got my melatonin oh well so yes but that's me what about you anyway write in the comments if you're watching the live stream if you're joining us great to see you great that you're with us here on Christmas Eve we thought we'd do a live stream rather than the non-live live stream just because it' be a bit more fun really bit more bit more christmy uh but we appreciate for many of you going to be traveling all over the place listening your cars and doing all those good things make sure you're safe if you are tuning into the show that's all I'm saying before you comment uh but let's jump into the talk where we're going to talk about the himym Oh Come All Ye Faithful um and then setaf and I'll be back for conversation Street don't go anywhere and get your Christmas jumpers on oh yes how did Oh Come All Ye Faithful A Hymn with enigmatic Origins become a beloved and Timeless Christmas Carol well today we're going to look at its Journey from an 18th century manuscript to a melody that resonates across Generations we're going to see that Oh Come All Ye Faithful isn't merely just a Melody we hum along to as we Deck the Halls no no no it's a narrative rich with history mystery and actually some profound meaning so we're going to unwrap the life altering message hidden within this Carol and see that it's not just about the birth of Christ but it's a call an invitation that is echoed Through the Ages resonating with Millions all over the world what is this message and why does it continue to stir the souls of those who hear it well we're going to get into that and then we're going to investigate its Origins like I say it's quite enigmatic Origins as they are as intriguing as their hym itself who typed it penned it or even quilled this iconic Carol and how has it journeyed through time to reaches in the form we know know and love today all great questions aren't they but before we get started in the comments write down the name of your favorite Christmas Carol I would love to hear it is it this one Oh Come All Ye Faithful uh this is well come all you Faithful is definitely one of mine otherwise I would not be doing this talk about it uh but another favorite of mine is Oh Holy Knight but what's yours write it in the comments cuz we all have favorites don't we and there's no doubt about it that this particular him Oh Come All Ye Faithful has definitely transcended uh its humble beginnings and has become a bit of a Timeless Christmas classic hasn't it but what makes it not just enduring but endearing why does it stand out in a sea of carols to become a staple of Christmas tradition a bit like the Christmas jumpers uh and what's made it become our most viewed video we're going to get into that that's right it's our most viewed video on the crowd YouTube channel it's actually a version that John farington recorded for is a few years ago but what is it about it because it's had almost 200,000 views resonating so profoundly with folks all over the world and folks just like you is it the melody that tugs up the heartstrings cuz it does doesn't it it's quite an emotional song all the words that kind of speak directly into our soul or perhaps it's a way the Carol encapsulates the essence of Christmas in a few simple verses what if I told you that within Oh Come All Ye Faithful as a secret to understanding life's greater purpose and to understand it I want to rewind time I want to get in a DeLorean Travel 88 mil an hour and go to the pivotal moment in the Christmas story as I think it's the same moment that inspired the author to write this Carol it is a Serene night under the vast Starlet Sky near Bethlehem the sky is clear and the stars are numerous and brightly shining the night air is cool and still broken only by the occasional bleep of sheep grazing on the rolling fields that stretch out into the Horizon there's a group of shepherds their figures are silhouetted against the soft glow of the Moon Guardians who are keeping watch over their flocks By Night the Shepherds I feel are happy in the fields content even just going about their work because well as well as the open space and the beauty of the night sky to look at they are away from people and this is important because in ancient times Shepherds were seen as the lowest in society often considered untrustworthy and unclean due to their work so they lived on the fringes both literally and figuratively always quite an interesting fact that uh yet the most amazing thing is about to happen as it was these outcasts these untrustworthy and unclean Shepherds that the first announcement of Christ's birth was made so into this ordinary night bursts the extraordinary and an angel appears and the glory of the Lord shines around this sounds amazing doesn't it so what is going on here well let's look at what the Bible tells us happened from the Gospel of Luke and in the same region there were shepherds out in the field keeping watch over their flock by night and an angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord Shone around them and they were filled with great fear and the angel said to them fear not for behold I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people for unto you is Born This Day in the city of David a savior who is Christ the lord and this will be a sign for you you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a Manger a well-known part of the Christmas story but imagine being one of the shepherds in the field you're kind of out there minding your own business and then boom all of a sudden the supernatural invades the sky I don't know it'd kind of feel a mixture of awe and fear wouldn't you what wouldn't you I don't know write it in the comments how do you think you'd respond if you were one of the Shepherds would you get excited or would you maybe poop yourself a little bit write in the comments me I think I'd probably do both i' and I'd probably try and take out my iPhone once i' got up off the floor and try and take take a selfie with the angels or something like that which is probably why God didn't put me there uh in the place of those Shepherds I just thought now the beauty of this Divine visitation is that it is a clear message in the eyes of God that no one is too insignificant you see today we might not have Angels lighting up our skies but if you are earnestly seeking Jesus don't be surprised if this Christmas time the extraordinary Finds Its way into your life I don't know have you ever felt a moment like that in your life where the ordinary turned into the extraordinary write it in the comments if you did it might not be Angels turning up for you it might be a whole lot simpler but share with us in the comments about a moment in your life that seemed ordinary but turned out to be extraordinary thanks to the work of our good Lord now for me one key moment was actually Christmas time about 30 years ago when I was 18 I know I don't like it I don't I just know now my life at the time was good I was having fun like I should like an 18yar old guy should most of it though was utterly ordinary Faith wise I believed in God but it was more of a kind of a distant acknowledgement than a close relationship and that Christmas something shifted like the Shepherds I heard an invitation it was an extraordinary and holy moment for me kind of a call to come just as I was no pretense no need to be anything other than myself it was simple yet profound and in accepting that invitation I find a I sort of found a path not just to belief but also to belonging and I think the author was thinking of this moment for the Shepherds Shepherds Shepherds uh when an ordinary Sky became extraordinary when the Angels invaded the sky to announce the most incredible news to Outcast it was this awesome scene that was in his mind I think as he wrote Oh Come All Ye Faithful joyful and triumphant Oh Come Ye Oh Come Ye to Bethlehem come and Behold Him born the king of angels you can see it in there can't you the Shepherds the first to hear the news of Christ's birth are called to witness the miracle they are called to come and just like the Shepherds the Carol invites us to come to our Bethlehem to start our own journey and come and discover Jesus for ourself it doesn't matter what our social status is it doesn't matter who you are or who you aren't this is about the Journey of Life a pilgrimage of seeking Christ in our every day and when you seek Him He will guide you he'll tell you where to go to where Bethlehem is because that's where he is now in the story of the Shepherds we see acceptance God announces the birth of Jesus in the most glorious way to those deemed as outcasts this isn't just a story of the miraculous which it is and it's pretty awesome if I'm honest with you but it's also a story of inclusivity and acceptance you see the gospel the essence of Christmas is good news for all of us because it Embraces everyone just as they are Shepherds in a field me in a house that's why it's life altering it is life altering for all of us but as you would expect there is much more in this Christmas Carol and to discover it I want to die dive into its Origins how did a Carol rooted in such a powerful and inclusive narrative Oh Come Ye begin its Journey Through the annals of History well its Origins are in fact enshrouded in kind of a veil of mystery making its past well intriguing to say the least so who could have typed penned or quilled such a Timeless piece and what are deeper meanings can we learn so let's get back into our DeLorean hits 88 at miles out and I appreciate you have to be a certain age maybe to understand that uh pop culture reference but we're going to hit 88 miles hour and journey back through the corridors of time the hym as we know it can trace its roots back to the 18th century possibly even as early as the 16th century making it older than me oh yes now among the names linked to its creation are King John IV of Portugal and John Francis Wade an English musician others have speculated that the melody might have even been the work of renowned composers like handle or GL the most probable author however is John Francis Wade who's from the mid 18th century his connection to the hymn is kind of strengthened by the discovery of the Latin text adest Fidelis which is forgive my very poor pronunciation uh Latin for O Come All Ye Faithful and in the 18th century manuscript at the College of duai in northern France which is where it was discovered then in 1841 an English Catholic priest called Frederick Oakley translated the hymn into the English version that we know today it all happened a fair few years ago so let's assume that it was in fact John Francis way that wrote it and imagine his world in the 18th century what was that like what would have that what would that have been like now obviously it's going to be different to ours I don't think like me he wore a Star Wars Christmas jumper I just don't uh I think he had a much simpler life perhaps a rhythm of life that was set to the Cadence of Nature and his quill in these times creating a Carol I don't think it it wasn't just something that you just did was it wasn't just an artic artistic Endeavor but it was a profound Act of Faith for him an expression if you think about it it wasn't actually that easy just to grab a piece of paper and a pen every word written had to count the composers of the era were not just musicians they were storytellers and theologians and philosophers kind of weaving their understanding of the Divine into the lyrics and music pretty cool really but as I mentioned when Wade wrote the first verse I think he was thinking about the Shepherds and the invitation of the Angel but in the second verse the Carol draws upon something called the nyine Creed which is a Cornerstone of Christian faith formulated in the fourth Century which is well let's face it it's another ancient document that has stood to the test of time because this Creed was more than just a statement of belief it was a declaration of the Divinity of Jesus affirming his nature as true God and true man something we've all been trying to get our heads around for centuries and so he writes in the hymn true God of true God light from light Eternal humbly he entered the virgin's womb son of the father begotten not created amazing lyrics the hymn sort of sings These profound theological truths that he is in fact true God of true God that he is light from light Eternal just love love love the language uh that's written here and kind of the invitation for us to reflect on the mystery and the Majesty of the Incarnation God of gods it's another life altering truth because if he is still with us and if as the Bible says he doesn't leave us nor forsake us that means we get to live with this truth we get to understand and know that Jesus is Emmanuel which means literally God With Us he is with us still and this truth totally and utterly Alters your outlook on life especially it seems for Wade when he wrote this verse and he goes on to write then in verse three following this sing choirs of Angels sing in exaltation sing All Ye citizens of Heaven above glory to God glory in the highest it's amazing isn't it's a verse of Joy it's a verse of Triumph and it celebrates the Revelation that in the manger lay not just a child but God himself and it kind of captures the truth that the birth of Jesus is a moment of divine intersection with humanity and that those who come to Bethlehem and discover Emmanuel Jesus are citizens of heaven we get to call ourselves citizens of heaven so no wonder everyone including the Angels at the time in the sky sing glory to God glory in the highest because honestly it is entirely the right response to that news so imagine John Francis W R trying to write this on a scarce piece of paper by candl light in a dimly lit chamber trying to convey somehow in the lyrics the awe and wonder of that first Christmas so let's get back into the DeLorean let's hit 88 mil hour again and come back to the future and we see when we do it still continues to resonate today doesn't it we're still talking about it we're still singing it it's Melodies fill everything from Grand concert Halls like Carnegie Hall to the humblest of church CH choirs and even dare I say it our very own YouTube feed amazing really so how did this hymn right emerging from the quills of the past love that phrase evolve into a cherished Christmas classic well for me as we've talked about it captures the essence of the Christmas story The Carol presents us with a choice which is mirrored in the Christmas Nativity we can respond to that choice like the Shepherds and the wise men and head to our Bethlehem and search for and embrace Jesus with Open Hearts or we can close ourselves off a bit like Herod who's the villain of the Christmas story he feared changed and perceived Christ as a threat but the good news as Oh Come All Ye Faithful tells us is that we are invited to join the former group to greet Jesus with joy and openness and he goes on yay Lord we greet thee born this happy morning Jesus to thee be all glory given word of the father now in flesh appearing love the language I just love it these words are a declaration of our response to the Christmas invitation and it's a call to recognize the Incarnation that moment when God Divinity himself embraced Humanity in the form of Jesus and this is the story which is vividly told in the pages of the Gospel of Luke and he carries on Luke carries on he says and suddenly suddenly bam out of nowhere there was with the angel a multitude of heavenly hosts praising God and saying glory to God in the highest and on Earth peace among those with whom he is well pleased that's amazing is it I mean just trying to picture that scene in my head I mean the Angels couldn't contain their Joy their adoration they burst forth into the sky just picture it and try and see it in your mind A Sky Full of angels praising God and proclaiming peace it's exciting it's powerful it is utterly utterly awesome and no wonder Wade ends each verse with the refrain oh come let us adore him which are the words that Echoes the Angel's Joy isn't it and as I sing those words as I sing the hymn I feel like I'm kind of transported to that field feeling what the Shepherds felt witnessing the sky blazing with Angelic beings and joining in with them singing a Heavenly chorus Luke in his gospel goes on to write this when the angels went away from them into heaven the shepherd said to one another let's go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us and they went with haste no kidding and found Mary and Joseph and the baby lying in a manger and when they saw it they made known the saying that had been told to them concerning this child and all who heard it wondered at what the Shepherds told them but Mary treasured up all these things pondering them in her heart and the Shepherds returned glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen as it had been told them amazing right the shepherd story is that their ordinary lives were interrupted by an extraordinary God they accepted the invitation to come and in so doing discovered God With Us the Christ this Jesus their story like ours is one of Discovery Revelation and ultimately as the song sings adoration so as you sing this Christmas Oh Come All Ye Faithful We join with Millennia old tradition of seeking finding and adoring Jesus this Christmas let the Carol guide you to ReDiscover The Wonder of the Incarnation the joy of the angels and the Simplicity of the shepherd's Faith now if this talk has stirred something in you if you felt that call to adoration and wonder then I invite you to take a step further join our crowd church family where you're not just another viewer but a valued member of a growing Community together we explore question and celebrate our faith and you can find out more information on our website at www crowd. Church come join us be part of something bigger we would love to see you in it now if you're eager to know more about the Christmas story and dig into its details a little bit further and unwrap unwrap more of its rich and transformative message transformative transformative transformative I don't know uh transformative message then check out our video what does the Bible say about Christmas and also some of our other the past Christmas live streams check them out uh they're quite good fun actually and so as you would expect after a talk like this we are now going to sing Oh Come All Ye Faithful so Sing It Loud wherever you are just like the millions of others that have sung it through the centuries let your space be filled with adoration and joy and celebration and finally from me to you Merry Christmas glory to God in the highest and peace on Earth my prayer for you is that you come into a deeper understanding of Emmanuel God With Us through Jesus and find more joy and peace that only comes from adoration and the recognition of the true essence of Christmas Faithful joyful and Triant Oh Come Ye Oh Come Ye to Bly come and Behold Him born the king of angels oh come let us adore him oh come let us adore him oh come let us adore him Christ the Lord sing CHS of Angels sing in exultation sing All Ye citizens of heav Glory to God glory in the highest oh come let us adore him oh come let us adore him oh come let us lord yay Lord we greet thee for this happy morning Jesus to the Be Your Glory give word of the appearing oh come let us adore Come Oh Come let us adore lord so welcome back Oh Come All You I love that song you know that John farington did that sort of version of it uh I have it playing usually in the car quite loudly uh because why would you not why would why would you not um it's very trans what was it I said transformative transform yeah I think got transformative I know what I meant to say and I know what I actually said were two very different things and so um I love it when they leave the bloopers in T's like oh that one will stay in yes we won't take that out no no we'll we'll leave that one alone Matthew thank you for that transformative I think is what I said transform anyway yes yes anyway let me ask you a question what's your favorite Christmas Carol um so this season it's U Mary Did You Know have you seen that I might mentioned it to you there's that uh thing on Instagram Church pastors put it on there and he's gone he's put some kind of note on there saying I'm a church pastor I I I went to Seminary and just in response to the song Mary Did You Know here are the answers yes no no no yes yes yes no no I haven't seen it I crying brilliant very good very good so that's the pentatonics version I'm assuming yes every Christmas pentatonics yeah yeah pentatonics the Christmas sound that pentatonics and Michael B uh I feel and I'm a big fan have you heard the Chris Tomlin um Lauren deagel Noel come and see what God has done oh dear Lord that's such a great song uh if you've not heard it oh Dan put in the comments Oh Holy Night I do love Oh Holy Night um I genuinely love that Carol every year uh I'm with you Dan I think he definitely number one for me but try listening to Lauren dagel and Chris Tomlin Noel it is just okay so amazing uh it's the one song that I we have a piano in our house that Zoe plays a lot and occasionally I'll play it usually around Christmas time and I'll play along to that song we'll play it and uh we'll play Noel so some great great carols out there some great carols oh yes so Oh Come All You faithful I I feel like I've talked enough about that said what what do you want to add cuz it was your idea that we did that talk that you did that talk yes yeah um well one of the things actually that you were talking about um turning the ordinary into extraordinary thinking about my for myself what would that be and I was thinking actually you know when you're reading scripture and you're so used to reading the same stuff over and over again and then it just kind of come second nature almost but then the Holy Spirit really makes it come alive to you it reveals what yeah it's those moments for me that that are cool but listening through your talk and coming to the end of it I thought actually this um Carol too was a bit like that for me because again it's one of those where you just sing it every Christmas you know in so many different places and spaces and you kind of just get to the end of it without really thinking too deep about it yeah so um yeah this was one of those it was really valuable yeah I agree with you I think it's um it was great doing the talk because you do get to think about well I wonder why he wrote that um and I was I was intrigued by the history of it because it is one of the oldest Christmas Cs and so I was definitely intrigued by the history of it but just the lyrics of it when you get when you when you really look at them you're kind of like oh these are that's where you get this and this is where you get that and that that's what makes this incredibly powerful I think as a composition um so so since you looked at the history of it how has it changed your perspective of the Carol like before and after um there's a really interesting version of the old Latin Carol by Andrea pelli is that right and the what are you doing to your microphone oh your microphone's being funny what's going on there I'm just just take that why you figure out what you what your microphone's doing you crazy woman I don't know um let me test it oh and you're back there you go I don't know what you did but you're normal now normal Christmas Eve technology that might be the first and only time I ever say you're normal again now and it's on video yeah yeah you can play but and it's being recorded yeah you said it m i take that sound clip oh brilliant brilliant What was a question sorry I got lost there how um has it changed or has it changed your perspective of the Carol yeah it has I think cuz I spent it's funny when you do a talk uh a church talk um you normally spend between 8 and 16 hours I think prepping a a talk for for church um and usually the shorter The Talk The more time you spend prepping right because it's all about what you leave out so I Must Have Spent I guess between eight and I don't actually keep a track but I Must Have Spent between 8 and 16 hours just looking at that that Christmas Carol and I just I found the whole story of it fascinating but it was just the lyrics of it and and and the phrase that to that that stood out to me is um at the beginning Oh Come All Ye Faithful Oh Come Ye to Bethlehem and it's it's this invitation for like a personal Journey isn't it it's like come find Jesus for yourself uh and I I I love that and I love the fact that he refers to the the Angels because I think I mean with the exception of you know Jesus actually being born um the my favorite part of the story is the is the is when the Angels just invade the sky in front of the Shepherds and I I just hope that when I get to heaven you know they have those do you ever hope that like God's got everything recorded you know and you can just watch certain events like I want to watch the part in of the Red Sea I'd love to have seen what that looked like um but I would love to have seen what an angel invasion of the Skies where all the angels are like totally stoked because Jesus is born and they're all so excited that they can't help but sort of invade the sky I wonder what that would have looked like you know um and so yeah it was just getting drawn into that whole thing again uh so I think it sort of you you look at it and you and it and you're right when you think about it it just gives you I think A Renewed uh enjoyment I suppose a new joy for the for the song yeah and also in towards the end you were talking about the choice that we have either to go to Bethlehem or to harden our hearts um and I think like I think you drew it out earlier on where you talked about how going to Bethlehem Is our commitment to follow Jesus and um I think what's difficult or there's that tension between like okay so you're singing it in the Christmas season and you know yes I want to go to Bethlehem but then how do you carry that forward to the everyday how do you not just celebrate Christmas or not just celebrate it at Christmas but yeah you going forward because I think that sense of reverence yeah that we car with us when we sing these Christmas carols or sit in Christmas services kind of feels lost in the everyday life and especially the farther you move away from Christmas I think we lose that reverence um for his for his birth and what he's come what he came to do and accomplished yeah it's an interesting one isn't it because in one of the key figures of the Christmas story of the wise men um uh the assumption that says three but the Bible never talks about three is one of those you know sort of Bible facts but in the involved in the Christmas story are for the sake of argument let's say there are three wise men we know they're not but you know it's Christmas tradition that three wise men sort of turned up at the birth of Jesus with their gold frankincense and M the thing about that story is they didn't actually turn up to the birth of Christ it took him a good few years to find him after his birth so they actually turn up to see a quite a young young Jesus a little toddler sort of running around creating all kinds of chaos I have no doubt um but it was it was one of those things where involved in the Christmas story are wise men who bring gifts but it's a quest it's a pilgrimage it's um it's not just like I'm there today I'm I've forgotten about it tomorrow I mean they were properly intentional in what was going on and so what fascinates me uh about that is I think the way we tell the story you know the Christmas story with the wise men being there is we lose that sense of Journey we lose that sense of seeking we lose that sense of um you've you've got to constantly seek Jesus out and I think you're right I think we lose sometimes a reverence of Christmas throughout the year um and and it is good at Christmas sort of rebalance that um and and sort of and sort of rethink it through and actually get realize that we are on a pilgrimage every day it's a it's a journey it's a I like the word Quest better than I'm on a quest because it sounds you know very Hollywood um I'm on a quest uh and so um so yeah I think it's an interesting one I think you make a really valid point and I how do you do it every day I don't I don't know if I have the right answer other than to realize that I'm actually on a quest um and that what's that phrase wise men seek Jesus and they they still do I've not heard it before but I like it have you know yeah yeah that wise men seek Jesus and they still do and I think it's actually there's a lot of wisdom in in that sort of that seeking him out that Journey that understanding it's actually a journey it's not it's not a destination yeah actually speaking of the wise men something else you drew out earlier on was that he it was the Shepherds that he took the me you know the that took the message to that Jesus was coming or was going to be born and it's the Shepherds it's the humility of Jesus's birth too that is really um comes out in this in this carol because it really flies in the face of um you know our world's um pull to um Power and greatness it's so it there's such a disconnect isn't there yeah which I thought was quite cool to to bring out yeah there is there is you totally right it's um I just I find it fascina well there's different people people groups obviously involved we we there are the wise men they take a little bit longer the wise men aren't shy of a Bobba to you know they're they're quite wealthy um so it's not like God just totally went oh I just can't stand anyone that's got money um but it was what happened with the Shepherds uh is just because when you realize who the Shepherds were you know the sort of the outcasts of society they had to um they were the lowest of the low kind of a thing and and you didn't really want to deal with them and it's these guys that bring the news to Mary and it says that Mary treasured these things in her heart and she's a young kid when she's given birth to Jesus she's what 14 15 years old something like that we would estimate um so God's Eternal plan and the whole announcing of it is left in the hands of teenagers and people that soci doesn't really like and I love that I love the inclusive the inclusivity of the Gospel in that whole area you know mhm yeah for sure yeah it's just it's just awesome just awesome so oh come on you Faithful we what what what Carol should we do next year what should we look at next year o um I don't know there's so so many I the one that you and Dan both just mentioned a holy night that would be cool oh yeah Oh Holy Night well if I if I don't if if I do the talk next Christmas I have any don't have any ideas remind me of this conversation I will okay uh uh Ashton has put in the comments is sadf that's an interesting question is sadada from a Muslim background uh has she done her testimony anywhere I'm curious because I'm a convert myself um all right so who was that Ashton hi Ashton um I'm not and I grew up in Pakistan so um I grew up in that kind of environment but I was um born in a Christian home and my testimony is on the what's the story U page of the crowd Church website so head over there and check it out check it out it is definitely on there I know I was in I was I was involved in that conversation so I know it's definitely there and actually scoop should can we do a scoop hang on where's my sound effects thing here uh I don't have a I don't have a a scoop sound I could do this maybe um don't have a scoop sound but B yeah we we actually have your brother coming on to what's the story I'm recording an interview with him in January so that will be coming on to the podcast soon and I really hope he spills the dirt man I just I can't I'm just we're just going to prod it'll be the longest podcast ever I'm going to make him talk for like five hours until he actually spills the beans but yes uh Ashton you can find S story uh on what's the story very powerful as well actually even if I do say so myself you you span a good yarn there uh but do go check it out what's the story if you want to know more about it you can find out more information on the website at crowd. church which is www. crow. in it's full effect uh actually if you type in what's Theory podcast.com it will take you straight to the podcast page as well so you can listen to um you can listen to that which is uh which is obviously you're more than welcome to let us know what you think Ashton but a great question uh do you get asked that question often SF um not that often no occasionally very good uh so yes uh what we're going to do now um is we are going to spend the last 10 minutes of the service we're just going to play some Christmas carols so uh by all means uh join in and sing along be great uh to do so we've got I'm asking you what cars we've got and I know you don't know so I'm just going to look down my little list so we've got Joy to the World followed by in oblique midwinter which is quite it's actually quite a funky version of it that John farington and Josh my Josh Josh Edmonson did uh so we've got those which we'll close with um probably all that's left for me to say is next week we have John Harding doing the talk John is a founding pastor of Frontline Church which crowd is connected to um and it's sad it's both at we we've done this week and we're doing we're doing next week we have we're hosting in fact we've pre-recorded it because it's a non live live stream uh which basically means it's a live stream where uh we pretend to be live but we're not really live we're not good at pretending yeah we're not that good we call it the non-live live stream so we don't respond to your comments oh Ashton don't worry about it he's putting the comments M here sorry I didn't mean to ask that based on your name some might view that wrongly not at all not at all a um and it's great uh to hear that you are a convert yourself which is you're welcome to the family it's always good to have people in so um yeah so next week is the non-live live stream uh with myself and sadf chatting away you're going to find out this is where sadf invites herself around for you know true story true story you'll hear all about that next week uh what was fascinating was I um uh yesterday uh was footy uh so you know at the time of we're putting this out yesterday Liverpool played Arsenal it was a one all draw it was a great game we should have won I'm a Liverpool fan we should have won looking at the game uh and sadaf's husband Jeff was around watching the football uh and I just I said to Jeff I said Jeff SF told you what's going on he went what' you mean I said oh you coming around new year he went oh yeah she's talk that she invited friend and all the lads are looking at him going you what very very funny so um so SF and I will see you on New Year's Eve uh with an on live live stream don't miss it actually because it's a great talk by John we really enjoyed it didn't we it was good very good very good conversation um All About thinking about 2024 and what that looks like um so do join us for that it will be going out live it's just that we won't be responding to comments live on a like we have tonight um and then live stream normal live streams will resume again the following week uh I who's doing that one do you remember is it Pete farington it isly I I should know the answer to this question because you set the schedule right uh Ashton's gonna be there next week awesome well done Ashton come join in the live stream be good to see you man so I think that's it from me I think that's it from SF I think we just probably want to say Merry Christmas don't we yeah Merry Christmas have a very Merry Christmas have a fantastic New Year we'll see you next week with an on live live stream uh and we will also see you uh the week after back for the live streams but do stay connected with us for the next five minutes or so as we close with some Christmas Carol so from s from myself a very Merry Christmas and a very happy happy new year God bless you bye for now Joy to the World the Lord is come let Earth receive her King let every heart prepare in room and heaven and nature sing and heaven and nature sing and and and nature S turn to the world Joy to the World the Savior Reigns let man the songs inlo while fields and floods Rock seals and pl repeat the sound joy sound Joy the sound joy joy repeat the sound in Joy the world he rules the world with truth and Grace and makes the Nations prove the glories of his rightousness and wonders of his love and wonders of his love asers wonderers of his love world In The Bleak mid wi Frosty wind made moan Earth heart is iron water like a stone snow had fallen snow on snow snow on snow in the ble mid long AG go I God Heaven cannot hold him nor or Earth sustain Heaven and Earth shall flee away when he comes to rain in The Bleak mid WI a stable place of fight the Lord God Alm Mighty Jesus Christ Angels and Archangels may have gaed there cherim and S him dra the air but only his mother in in her maen BL worship the be love it we the [Laughter] king [Applause] what can I give him for as I am if I were a sheer I would bring Al l If I Were A wise man I would do my part yes what I can I give him give my heart he