Christmas Devotion (December 2) - O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him ‘Emmanuel’, which means ‘God with us.’ Matthew1:23

O come, O come, Emmanuel

And ransom captive Israel

That mourns in lonely exile here

Until the Son of God appears

Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel

The season of Advent is often a whirl of buying gifts, decorating the tree and a non-stop succession of programs and parties. It was, however, not that way for the Monks of the Middle Ages. In the monastery, Advent was a time of meditation on serious subjects: death, judgment, heaven and hell. And the month in which we think of Christ’s first coming was used by monks to reflect on His second coming. In the same way, this should be true for Christians today. We glance backward to Bethlehem, but we look forward to eternity with God.

Our hymn, one of the oldest to be found in any Christian hymnal, has its origin in seven Latin sentences which were sung during medieval monastic vespers leading up to Christmas. Its usage dates all the way back to the 9th century. Each stanza (originally, the stanzas were short sentences) salutes the returning Messiah by one of the many titles ascribed to Him in Scripture.

The carol includes seven Old Testament references to the coming Messiah, including:

Emmanuel (God with us) Isa. 7:14 

Lord of Might Ex. 19:16 

Rod (Branch) of Jesse Isa. 11:1, Isa. 11:10 

Dayspring (Morning Star) Num. 24:17 

Key of David Isa. 22:22

Wisdom Isa. 28:29 

Desire of nation Hag. 2:7

The chorus echoes the desire of Zechariah 9:9, "See, your king comes to you" and Revelation 22:20, "Amen, Come Lord Jesus." We echo the glorious last plea of the New Testament as we meditate on the names and person of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The ancient hymnwriter refers to Jesus as "Emmanuel" and "God with us". He implores Jesus to come and end the Christian’s separation from God. While we can experience reconciliation and friendship with God right now, the hymn longs for that perfect, completed fellowship which will be enjoyed in eternity.

Jesus is also referred to as the "Dayspring" (or the "Rising Sun"—see Luke 1:78) and is asked to remove the gloom of spiritual night and the shadows of death. Whether writing in the 9th or 21st century, these words still address the yearning of Christians everywhere for Christ’s return.

Another name for Jesus is the "Rod of Jesse" (see Isaiah 11:1). It is a term found in the King James Version of the Bible and signifies Christ’s fight to free His people from Satan, hell and the grave. It hearkens back to the time when a rod, the club used by shepherds to fight wild animals, played a significant role in defending the sheep.

O Come, O Come Emmanuel is a vital reminder for today’s Christian, who with the seeming obsession for this present world, must be reminded to prepare for the world that is to come.

"And He shall come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead" and He will announce "the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come."

Nicene Creed, 325 AD

Here is a link to the song with lyrics https://youtu.be/OMnKcftuauU

Here is a link to the song with video from The Nativity Story  Song with video

Here is a beautiful instrumental by The Piano Guys https://youtu.be/iO7ySn-Swwc