“Then Let Us All With One Accord Sing Praises To our Heavenly Lord”
Have you ever adopted a practice or a saying without stopping to think about what you’re adopting? Maybe it’s a phrase your parents used, some slang you picked up in high school, or a tradition that’s been in your family for years but you’ve never paused to ask why.
On the first Sunday of Advent (December 1st), as a congregation, we will be singing the song “The First Noel.” I have to admit—until I sat down to write this devotional, I never once stopped to ask, What does “Noel” mean, and why do we sing it?
From what I can tell, it’s not an especially deep word, nor does it have a particularly fascinating origin story. A website called Got Questions suggests that “Noel” may derive from the French word nouvelles, which means “news.” This explanation makes sense because, in most contexts, “Noel” is used to refer to a song about the birth of Christ.
The lyrics of “The First Noel” beautifully summarize the events surrounding Jesus’ birth—a star, shepherds, wise men, angels, and, of course, Jesus. It’s a song that declares the good news of Christ’s birth. But I want to draw attention to the final verse:
Then let us all with one accord
sing praises to our heavenly Lord,
that hath made heav’n and earth of naught,
and with His blood mankind hath bought.
I love how this verse places the focus squarely on what God accomplished through the baby born in a manger: The God, who made heaven and earth out of nothing, sent his son to redeem mankind from their sins.
Recently, I’ve been reflecting on a particular phrase from Mark 8:18b-21:
“And do you not remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” They said to him, “Twelve.” “And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” And they said to him, “Seven.” And he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?”
The phrase that keeps echoing in my mind is, “And do you not remember?”
This passage is part of a larger conversation where Jesus is trying to warn His disciples about how the sin and pride of the Pharisees and Herod could corrupt the message of the Gospel. Meanwhile, the disciples are distracted, worrying about their next meal because, as Mark 8:14 notes, they had forgotten to bring enough bread—they had only one loaf.
Jesus, likely discouraged yet still tender, asks them, “Do you not remember?” He then reminds them of two occasions where He provided abundantly for their needs.
I know this is an Advent devotional, but before we launch into the Christmas season, we have another big holiday to celebrate: Thanksgiving. (And yes, in case you were wondering, Christmas music before Thanksgiving is a sin! 😄)
At First Baptist Church, the first week of Advent focuses on the theme of hope. All our devotionals this week, as well as our service on Sunday, will center on the hope we have because of the birth of Christ.
I love that I get to write about hope during the week of Thanksgiving because I believe gratitude produces hope. When we find ourselves in hopeless moments, I feel like the words Jesus spoke to His disciples could be spoken directly to us:
“Do you not remember?”
- Do you not remember My provision for you in the past?
- Do you not remember My love for you as My son or daughter?
- Do you not remember that I set in motion the events you’re singing about this Sunday so that your sins could be forgiven and your relationship with Me restored?
As you gather this week with friends and family, take time to remember how God has shown up in your life over the past year—or even longer. If you’re struggling to see God’s at work, read Luke 2 or sing along to a recording of “The First Noel” to remind yourself that God loved you enough to send Son that would one day die a painful death on a cross, taking on the punishment we deserved so that we could have the privilege of being called sons and daughters of the King.
Then let us all with one accord
sing praises to our heavenly Lord,
that hath made heav’n and earth of naught,
and with His blood mankind hath bought.
Adam