Emmanuel is Coming

"Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign:  The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Emmanuel."  Isaiah 7:14 (NIV)

Here we are, the first Sunday in Advent.  This time of year not only provides such excitement of the holidays - the time with friends and family, the joy of buying gifts, and the worship on Christmas Eve.  During this Advent season, it is a time of preparation and anticipation.  Advent gives us the opportunity to slow down and really focus on the promise that came to reality over 2000 years ago.

"O Come, O Come Emmanuel" is a beautiful Christmas hymn that helps us to focus on that anticipation.  Based on the Bible verse above, we see in Isaiah that there was a promise the Dear Lord gave to those on earth at the time - that HE will give us a sign.  There, he laid out exactly what the promise was - a virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Emmanuel (God with us).  The promise God gave us helps us to realize that God, from Heaven, was going to walk with us.  That promise was the gift of his Son.

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.

O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death's dark shadows put to flight.

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

O come, Desire of nations, bind
All peoples in one heart and mind;
Bid envy, strife and discord cease,
Fill the whole earth with Heaven's peace.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
Throughout this beautiful hymn, we see the promise that God was giving to Israel.  Although this entire hymn brings hope, the verse that captures my heart every time is the binding of nations - ALL people in one heart and mind, filling earth with Heaven's peace.  Let's soak in those words for a moment.  With all that is happening around us, what joy is found in those words - strife ends and peace shall reign.  That peace is only found in the gift that was given to us - the gift of Jesus.

I know life can get busy during the holiday time.  I ask, as we explore beautiful Christmas hymns during the next few weeks, that you sit down and meditate on the words, starting with "O Come, O Come Emmanuel".  Through this hymn may we find darkness subside and the glow of hearts bound as one and peace shine.  Please sing out loud with me, "Rejoice, Rejoice Emmanuel. Shall come to thee, O Israel."

"Heavenly Father, thank you for the promise you gave us - promise that your Son would be born among us, to be with us, and provide for us all that we need.  This promise helps us to see one another as your sons and daughters and brings our hearts closer to each other and to you.  As we prepare for Jesus' coming, help us to reflect on all that is good and righteous.  In your name.  Amen!