23rd December

Written by Alex Walker

O Come, All Ye Faithful

“Who would not love thee, loving us so dearly?”

I find it captures something profoundly moving about the season and something more in my role as the church organist. This line reminds us of the warmth and intimacy that Christmas brings to our church. It's a moment in the song that reaches straight to the heart—an invitation to respond to a love so selfless that it's almost impossible not to feel moved by it.

Playing this line on the organ feels like carrying forward that message of love to everyone listening. The music rises through the church, and it feels like it’s creating a space where people can feel and reflect on that divine love. The phrase "Who would not love thee?" isn’t just a rhetorical question; it’s an invitation, a call to respond. It prompts us all, especially in the Christmas season, to consider the love we’re shown and how we might reflect that back in our lives.

From my seat at the organ, I watch faces soften, hear voices join together, and see a community respond to this invitation. Music has a way of touching the soul where words can’t always reach, and playing these familiar, cherished carols feels like offering a gift—a way for each person to feel the nearness of God’s love. It’s humbling to be part of this, to play a role in bringing a carol that has carried this question of love through the ages to life in our own church. In a season so full of busy preparations and gatherings, this line reminds us that, at its heart, Christmas is about that pure, overflowing love.