"O Come, O Come, Emmanuel"

I love reading the book of the prophet Isaiah, often recognized as the greatest prophet. The book of Isaiah is the first of the Prophets in the Bible. The first half of his book includes a scathing call to repentance of Judah, Israel and other nations nearby. But the second half of the book of Isaiah is a beautiful narrative of hope and prophecy of God's blessings that came true through the birth and life of the Messiah and will come again when Jesus returns.

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

The Christmas carol, "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" dates back to the 12th century. The lyrics were translated from Latin, but the author and composer is unknown. It is one of the first carols to be sung during the Advent season. As we read the words, consider the hope that is promised to Israel and to us.

"O come, O come Emmanuel And ransom captive Israel That mourns in lonely exile here Until the Son of God appear (Refrain) Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel. (verse 2) O come, O come, Thou Lord of might Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai's height In ancient times didst give the law In cloud, and majesty and awe (Refrain) (verse 3) 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 (Refrain) (verse 4) 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 (Refrain) (verse 5) 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) (verse 6) O come, Thou Wisdom from on high And order all things, far and nigh To us the path of knowledge show And cause us in her ways to go (Refrain) (verse 7) O come, desire of nations, bind In one the hearts of all mankind Bid Thou our sad divisions cease And be Thyself our King of peace Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel."

If you have time this Christmas, begin reading Isaiah 40 through Isaiah 66:24. Isaiah describes the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and his life and death with incredible detail, possibly written about 650 years before Christ was born!

O Gracious God: We thank You for the blessings You have given us as we celebrate the birth of Your Son, sent to Earth to save us.  Our hearts are full as we read about Your plan of salvation so many years before Jesus was born. Help us to grasp the wonder of Christmas and the coming of baby Jesus to a virgin mother. Comfort us in our misery and bring us our King of Peace. Amen.