Anyone who has sung the song "In Christ Alone" in their church over the past decade is most likely familiar with the modern hymn songwriting of Keith and Kristyn Getty. The Ireland-born couple has made it their mission to write songs filled with biblical truth in the style of the hymns of the faith, and they have blessed worshippers with their songs "The Power of the Cross," "By Faith," "Christ is Risen, He is Risen Indeed" and many others.

The beauty of their songwriting is that the words are all based on Truth, and every word has deep meaning and is filled with rich, living, active theology. Facing a Task Unfinished is the latest collection of hymns from modern hymn writers Keith & Kristyn Getty. I had the chance to speak with Keith Getty in-person at their Christmas concert at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, PA about "O Children Come."

Please tell me the personal story behind this song.

This song was nearly all from my wife Kristyn, as she came up with the idea just singing the song in the kitchen one day. Nearly every song she's come up with in the past six years has had children in it. I think it has something to do with where we are in life and having three girls. It is a song of incarnation at every point in life. It starts at Bethlehem, and all these lines in the song are about no matter what your need is, come to Christ as children come. It's a beautiful song. 

It began as a bluegrass song, and we originally performed it with Ricky Skaggs and premiered it at Carnegie Hall two years ago. It's been a children's song. It's been a choral song. Some places, it fits congregationally. When we were making our missions-focused album Facing a Task Unfinished, we wanted a song for people who were oppressed and needed mercy ministry, and this song fit perfectly with the lyrics: "Show the mercy shown to you, gifts of kindness to renew. Love from hearts sincere and true." We knew this was the perfect song for the project. 

There's a spiritual feeling to the song, and we were thrilled and privileged to have Ladysmith Black Mambazo record this new version of the song with us. There was a reunion of the original members of the band, and the ones who sang on Paul Simon's "Graceland" were there with us that day. It was a special recording and has given the song fresh breath. If you listen closely, you'll hear the children of some of our band members singing along.

Which Bible verses connect to the message of the song?

Matthew 11:28-30 (NKJV): "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

Matthew 19:14 (NKJV): But Jesus said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven."

Mark 9:37 (NKJV): "Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me."

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV): "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."

1 John 4:4 (NKJV): "You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world."

What is the takeaway message of the song and album?

Originally written as a Christmas carol, this invitation song challenges us both to follow Christ and to go with the good news of Christ in words and in deeds of mercy to a needy world. It's a funny thing that our natural disposition is to go to anyone but Christ when we need something. What Kristyn was basing the song on was "Let the little children come to Me" from what Jesus said, and everything it meant that Jesus became incarnate and became a child Himself. She meditated on that and thought about how Jesus was a refugee, and He suffered and lived in extreme poverty. People doubted Him and His legitimacy. People wanted to kill Him. What does all this mean? The song flows from that. 

Half of the Facing a Task Unfinished album is about getting out and doing missions work, and the other half of the songs are involved in what that means. Like "Living Waters," which is a meditation song, and this song calling the children to come, and "My Worth is Not in What I Own," which is about giving up our love for money in life to follow a greater call, to live for the Kingdom of God. "Consider the Stars" started as a lullaby song for our girls, and as a bonus track we also dedicated the song as we were invited to watch the launch of the spacecraft from Colonel Jeffrey Williams. We consider that song also from the perspective of someone who gets to look at the whole world from space and have that perspective of space mission control as part of our missions-focused album.

Lyrics:
Hear the cry from Bethlehem
O children come
Son of God now born to men
O children come --
Bring your troubles, bring your fears,
Bring the needs that draw you near,
Find the hope of all the years --
O children come!
O children come!

Peace on earth good will to men
O children come
Righteous rule that will not end
O children come --
Lay down all your bitterness,
Turn from sin's toil and distress,
Find His grace and perfect rest --
O children come!
O children come! 

Where the Father's grace has walked
O children come
Where you see the hurt and lost
O children come --
Show the mercy shown to you,
Gifts of kindness to renew,
Love from hearts sincere and true --
O children come!
O children come!

This album is a great collection of confessional and authentic expressions of faith. All of the songs are catchy, exciting, biblical and worshipful. This song's lyrics "bring your troubles, bring your fears, bring the needs that draw you near," are a reminder that we don't have the answers. Have faith and let God "work all things together for good." Spend time with God and let Him redeem and restore you. We are not at the end of our story, God's still writing our stories of redemption. This song is a great example of a biblical truth that all listeners can say amen to.

God loves you so much. Lean on Him and He'll give you strength. We all deal with some level of fear, worry and anxiety. God knows that about us, and after I read somewhere that He tells us to not have fear or worry in His Word 365 times, enough for one time each day, I have been attentive to that concept in my daily Bible study. I have found that by being washed by the water of the Word, I am strengthened with the Truth that God wants us to know that fear, worry and being anxious is not His plan for our lives.

By reading the Bible every day, God wants us to have a daily reminder not to be afraid. The Good News of the Gospel which this song perfectly portrays is that God accepts us no matter what we've done or what we are going through. This is a wonderful song of encouragement and prayer to ask God to break our pride, help us live redemption's story, and move closer to who we're meant to be in Christ. Allow God and His Holy Spirit to change you to be more like Jesus, and move closer to His glory. The lyrics of the song encompasses the takeaway message: "Lay down all your bitterness, turn from sin's toil and distress, find His grace and perfect rest --O children come!" Amen to that!

Watch the music video below.