Come Let Us Adore Him: Stories Behind the Most Cherished Christmas Hymns

Then Sings My Soul #4

by Robert J. Morgan

Rob Morgan's unmistakable talent for storytelling continues as he reacquaints people with the Christmas hymns that are so true to the tradition of Christmas. In Come Let Us Adore Him, Rob shares his historical findings about these great hymns, their writers and composers, and other nuggets that engage readers more deeply in the beloved music of the Christmas season. The book also will feature a 10-song CD collection of instrumental Christmas hymns.

Genres: Christmas, Nonfiction, History, Christian, Religion, Inspirational, Holiday

129 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 2, 2005

Reviews

[Sydney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found this book in one of my parents bookshelves. It was the perfect read since it is the Holiday Season and Christmas is less than a week away. It was really neat to learn about the history behind all the Christmas carols. I also loved all the bible verses and quotes in this book. This book really helped get me in the Christmas mood :D

[Angel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading through this little book this month. I found the histories and people behind the Christmas hymns fascinating and enlightening. There was so much here that I never knew and quite a few interesting connections between the people and the hymns. There was also the added bonus of Scripture and quotes to go along with each hymn. Some of the Christmas hymns I had never heard of but had a beautiful story behind them, or the words themselves were beautiful. It was also nice to actually take time to read through the hymns and just absorb what they were really saying as opposed to just singing them because they are the Christmas songs you sing during the season. A very worthwhile read for the month of December.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read a few books on the history of our hymns but I enjoyed this one for its simplicity. I liked that the story was told in 2 pages not 10. Love the carols. I also loved that their were a few carols I had never heard of before and look forward to playing them.

[Marcia DeHaan · Rating 3 out of 5]

My favorite thing about this book is that it provided all the verses for many familiar Christmas hymns. Some of the stories behind these songs were more interesting than others. I did learn a lot about the time line and church history related to these Christmas hymns.

[Kris Dersch · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really liked this one all the way to the end and then the end left me with a bad taste in my mouth.
Organized in chronological order, sort of, really it's chronological by when these hymns were translated into English or written down, this book is short essays on the history of famous and not-so-famous Christmas carols. It's religious in tone so it focuses on the Christmas hymns rather than more secular carols, which is fine. A lot of classics are here, including "Away in a Manger," "Joy to the World," and "Angels we Have Heard on High," and there are lesser known but lovely songs as well such as "From Heaven Above to Earth I Come," "Of the Father's Love Begotten," and "Come, Thou Redeemer of the Earth." Each is followed by a simple piano arrangement with verses so you can play the songs, but you will wish the trim size of the book was bigger when you do because it does not sit open on the piano well.
So I was all set to give this book three stars, dinging it a little for sometimes referring to other composers and hymns in other essays without a page reference, usually it does but it skips it occasionally, annoying when you are dipping in and this is a book that loves to be dipped into. And a ding for occasional preachiness and an assumption of an understanding of church history that I don't have, but I can forgive all of that.
And then I get to the last essay. This author goes on a tirade about the secularization of Christmas, comparing modern day America to Hitler's Germany in its secularization of holidays and going all war on Christmas before introducing a Christmas song that he...wait for it...wrote himself in 2005. As in wrote the words for, using an old melody, which is certainly his right to do, but I always wondered why that new song with the old tune bugged me so much. Thanks for a pretty rotten end to my last Christmas read of the season, Mr. Morgan. That was disappointing.
Featured on the No Extra Words podcast Special #24.

[Joy Gerbode · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some of these stories are about my favorite carols, and I learned a lot of trivia tidbits that I had not formerly known. Very enjoyable, and a great book to keep for future reference.

A second reading saw me caught in some of the shorter quotes that are sprinkled throughout the book! It was great!

Another reading began 2024, with reminders of the Christmas songs we love so much, and let me carry that season a little into the new year!

[Marguerite Harrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never had read this when I brought this many years ago. I found this sometime this year and save this for Advent reading and singing the song. Today is the first day of Advent (December 1, 2013). Looking forward to read this and enjoy some music by Steve Green on CD.

[Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book, with its scripture references pertaining to each song, along with quotes and an interesting brief history for each hymn. There were quite a few hymns I never heard of and so I enjoyed looking each one of those up on the internet to listen to the hymn sung. There were a few new-age sounding quotes that I didn't like but besides that, it was a pleasure to read.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[HatGirl8]

12/23/2018

[Lexie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book to read every December. The histories can be read coupled with daily devotional time, listening to the carols via YouTube.

[Krystie Herndon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely book, with lots of wonderful devotional material. I wrote down a few quotes, for future Christmas card inserts (a family tradition).

[Frans Kempe · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book that tells parts of the background story of some of the famous Christmas songs. Many good stories and some unknown songs that i had to listen to.

[Wanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the ebook version which didn't include a digital file of the music, but a few minutes of searching on YouTube satisfied my curiosity about the Christmas hymns I didn't recognize by name. My only complaint is that the author's intro to his own hymn at the end of the book drew parallels of our current culture, including a Supreme Court decision, to Hitler. I don't know if these comparisons were accurate or just politically motivated but I do know they had no place in a compilation of songs of worship.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent overview of the origin of several Christmas hymns. Like other reviewers, I found the final entry unnecessary and jarring, even though I largely agreed with its sentiment; just too out of place with the theme of the book.

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the stories behind such beloved hymns! And this one introduced me to so many new Christmas hymns I had never heard before, and love the meanings behind. Here's to next Christmas season having more and more Christmas hymns to sing!

[Marlene]

This is a great book to read at Christmas time. It comes with a CD that includes most all of the songs whose stories are told in the book. I read it every Christmas.(:>)

[Cheryl Willams · Rating 4 out of 5]

liked it wish I could see the hymns clearer and possilbly listen to them . learned a lot

[Christy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not quite as interesting as some of the other books I've read about the history of Hymns. I read a little each night before bed; and for that it was nice.