I love Christmas music. So much so that I composed a whole Christmas album entitled Let There Be Light:A Contemporary Christmas Carol which we recorded and released last December. While all of the songs are original, several include portions of Christmas classics and one is a reimagining of the popular Christmas carol We Three Kings entitled Chasin’ Down the Light.
I can tell you from first-hand experience, it is somewhat nerve wracking to write a song that is inspired by or includes another song that is well-known and well-loved. The desire is not to disrespect or displace the classic, but to bring new light and life to important and encouraging truths. Such was the case for me when I was composing, and I’m guessing it was true for Bob Kauflin and Lisa Clow of Sovereign Grace Music when they penned their Christmas song, O Come, All You Unfaithful.
O Come, All You Unfaithful is an obvious adaptation of the classic Christmas carol, O Come, All Ye Faithful. Let’s look at the first verse and chorus of both song and see how they align.
O Come, All Ye Faithful
O come, all ye faithful,
Joyful and triumphant;
O come ye, o come ye to Bethlehem!
Come, and behold Him,
Born the King of angels!
O come, let us adore Him;
O come, let us adore Him;
O come, let us adore Him, Christ, the Lord!
O Come, All You Unfaithful
O come, all you unfaithful,
Come, weak and unstable;
Come, know you are not alone.
O come, barren and waiting ones,
Weary and praying ones;
See what your God has done.
Christ is born,
Christ is born;
Christ is born for you.
The songs are mirror images of each other. The structure of the songs is reversed, but the overarching message is the same. Both songs issue the same invitation: COME! While one song invites us to come in faithfulness and celebration, the other invites us to come in failure and struggle. Both are ultimately songs of hope. They remind us that whatever our circumstances might be, Christ, the King of Creation and God made flesh, has made Himself available to us.
Wherever you find yourself as you enter this Christmas season, whichever song your soul is more likely to sing, may it draw your attention and affection to the hope it heralds. As the angel announced in Luke 2:10, there is “good news of great joy… for all people.” It’s an old message, the gospel truth, and we benefit from hearing and singing it as many ways as possible. Christ is born for you! Come, let us adore Him, Christ, the Lord! COME, ALL!
