O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

My favorite part of the holiday season is, without a doubt, the music. When I hear the carols, to me, the holiday season has begun. 

My next favorite thing about the holiday season? 

The lights. I love soft, warm, cozy lights. White lights are my favorite. A couple weeks ago, I purchased a few strings of white lights on white wire to drape across some windows - one in my sewing room and two in my bedroom. I'm amazed what a simple string of white lights can do! They are so cozy and inviting. Because of that, I plan to leave my white lights up all winter long. Candles give the same effect. They bring light and warmth in the darkness. To me, lights and candles are an enjoyable winter thing, not just a holiday thing. 

Admittedly, I also enjoy the treats and gifts of the holiday season. This year, I enjoyed giving gifts to those in my family. Giving gifts brings me just as much joy as receiving gifts. I don't have a lot of money, but for a cheap price, I was able to make something special and practical for each of my six siblings - rice pillows to heat in the microwave. (there are so many uses for them!) I made my parents each one last year, and they loved them. 

I know many Christians who do not celebrate Christmas at all, and I can understand why. Sadly, there are some pagan things mixed in with Christmas. I don't want anything to do with those things either. But I do enjoy the opportunity to remember the birth of our Messiah, a glorious event that is recorded in the pages of Scripture. The birth of Christ was announced by the angels of heaven - a thought that struck me anew as my Dad read the story from the Bible earlier today. 

The carols of Christmas, specifically, the ones that give honor and glory to God for sending us His Son, also remind me of God's wondrous gift. The birth of God's Son is indeed part of that wondrous "old, old story". The story never gets old. 

The carols never get old to me either, and to me, they are the best part of the holiday season. Even as I type this, Christmas carols are playing in our home. In many ways, carols are just beautiful hymns about the birth of Christ, many of them proclaiming the glorious reason of Christ's birth.  

A carol that I love says it this way:

"Flocks were sleeping, shepherds keeping, 

Vigil till the morning new. 
Saw the glory, heard the story,
Tidings of the gospel true.
Thus rejoicing, free from sorrow,
Praises voicing, greet the morrow:
Christ the babe was born for you;
Christ the babe was born for you."

(From the carol - "Infant Holy, Infant Lowly")

Christ was born for me. Christ was born for you. 

Such a powerful thought! 

My favorite is "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel". I know this carol is a favorite with many. Its gorgeous melody (being in a minor key) makes it a delight for me to play on the harp, even when it is not Christmas. There are many carols that sound particularly beautiful on the harp! I enjoyed playing a few carols on my small harp at a nursing home earlier this month, "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" being one of them.

I remember loving this carol, even as a 12 year old girl learning to play the piano. I was always happy when this carol was sung in church or while caroling with friends. 

I also love the words to this carol, a hymn that dates as far back as possibly the 12th century! This old hymn was translated into English years later. There are many verses to this carol. The verses shared below are some I am most familiar with.  

O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here,
Until the Son of God appears.

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan's tyranny;
From depths of hell Thy people save,
And give them victory o'er the grave.

O come, Thou Dayspring, come and cheer, 
Our spirits by thine advent here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death's dark shadows put to flight.

O come, Thou Key of David, come
And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.

Refrain: 

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

This carol seems to be, in essence, a plea for God to come and be with His people. 

Emmanuel means: God with us

I love the refrain which says:

"Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel." 

Israel is a reference to God's people.

Over the years, I've often wondered. Why does the refrain say: 

"Shall come to thee..." 

Why doesn't it say: 

"Has come to Thee..." 

That would make more sense. Christ has come, has He not? Indeed, one of the verses references His advent, His first coming as a baby. 

Recently, as I looked into the history of this beloved carol, I was surprised and shocked to realize that this carol is not only about Christ's first coming. It is also about His second coming! Wow!  

It no wonder why the author wrote the refrain that way. We are indeed waiting, yearning, longing for Emmanuel to come be with us once again. 

The last verse I shared above makes this clear: 

 O come, Thou Key of David, come

And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.

Discovering this has made my most beloved Christmas carol even more special to me. It's okay to cry, to yearn for Christ to come back. We can rejoice though because, just as the refrain to the old carol says, "Emmanuel shall come to thee."

 

The fulfillment of Messiah’s first coming is, in many ways, a guarantee of His second coming. He will come again to literally dwell with His people when He sets up His Kingdom here on earth. 

Earlier this month, I came down with some virus that included a severe headache along with fatigue and other achiness. I found myself in bed one Friday evening, not only feeling very sick, but also, very depressed. This virus affected me, not only physically, but also, mentally and emotionally. 

I lit a candle on my dresser, and as I laid back down, I noticed the appearance of a heart shape on a wall in my room. It was clearly coming from the glow of my candle, and likely, reflecting off the lamp on my dresser in some way. It was something I don't ever remember seeing before. For me, in that moment, it was a visual reminder of God's love and God's presence, even in my sickness and sadness. 

I had to take a picture of the "heart shadow"
that appeared in a corner of my room. 

In the Old Testament, God's people looked forward to the Messiah coming which He did when He was born of a virgin. Now, God's people look back and remember that He came. And we eagerly await His second coming!

In our every day lives though, during the wait, during the sorrow, during the sadness, during all the hard things we deal with on a day to day basis, God still comes to us, sometimes in very personal ways. 

He comes to remind us that He is still Emmanuel - God with us.