O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

To start things off, I apologize for the delay between the last post and this one.  I have had a very busy last month and a half, with a lot of traveling.  However, I hope to post at least the next four weeks for Advent.

Today is the first Sunday of Advent, the day the candle of Hope is lit in many churches.  This morning, as I reflected on the theme of "hope," I thought about the object of my hope.  As a general rule, there are two ways to hope: we hope "for," and we hope "in."  We hope "for" the things we want: a good job, a nice Christmas, peace on earth.  We hope "in" whatever we think will accomplish those things.  Our culture actually hopes "for" many of the same things that Christians do, and at Christmastime, particularly this year, none is more immediately apparent than peace on earth.  As Christians, of course, our hope is for things far greater than that, but let's pause here for a moment.

If we hope "for" the same things, then what sets us apart from the world?  What sets us apart is what he hope  "in."  As a culture, we hope "in" many things: wealth, political or military power, fame, justice, the "brotherhood of man."  Look at the current rhetoric on all sides in the media about the North Korea nuclear program.  You hear arguments from one side that diplomatic pressure, patience, and an appeal to reason will bring about peace in that situation.  You hear from their opponents that military force will be the only way to bring about peace on the Korean peninsula.  And then there is a small and largely ignored voice that proclaims the truth: there is no peace apart from Christ.  There may be temporary peace, but the true need in every crisis situation on earth is the love of Christ.  There will never be peace on earth until Christ returns to reign.

For Christians, that is the beauty of hope.  Our hope is not "in" mankind.  Our hope is not "for" something as small as a temporary peace on earth. Our hope is "in" and "for" the same thing:  the promised return and reign of the King of kings and the Lord of lords, Jesus Christ of Nazareth, who came to earth as a baby two thousand years ago, lived among us, died on a cross for our sins, rose on the third day to declare that the power of sin and death have been broken, was seen by witnesses, ascended to heave, sits at the right hand of God the Father, and is coming again to reign over all the earth and to judge the living and the dead.  What a glorious hope we have. 

If I would reflect on that single sentence every morning, how it would change my outlook every day.  That is the reality that we live in.  That is the hope that we as Christians are privileged to cling to.  1 Peter 1:3-5 calls us to rejoice and bless God for causing us  "to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead."  Our hope is not dead hope.  We are not, as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15, "of all men most to be pitied," because Christ did in fact rise from the dead, and He is coming again.

I'm not going to write them out on here, because this post is already far too long, but if you want to reflect on the passages that I did as I wrote this, they are: Isaiah 6:1-7, 7:10-14, 9:1-7; 1 Corinthians 15, and 1 Peter 1.  Not that there aren't dozens of other passages that could have formed the backbone for these thoughts, but those were the ones that shaped this post.

"Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel." -Is 7:14 (NASB)

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, as a hymn, first appeared in Latin in a Catholic psalter in the 18th century.  It was a paraphrase of the "O Antiphons," which date back at least to the 9th century, and which were traditionally used in the seven days before Christmas.  It was translated into English by John Neale in 1851, though it has been modified over the years from that initial translation.  The verses address Christ by the various names and titles that He is given in Scripture, but they all have one common theme: "Come, Lord Jesus."  Let that be our prayer as we enter this season of Advent.  Come, Lord Jesus, come.

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

O come, O come, Emmanuel,

And ransom captive Israel,

That  mourns in lonely exile here

Until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice!

Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Wisdom from on high,

Who orderest all things far and nigh;

To us the path of knowledge show,

And teach us in her ways to go.

O come, O come, great Lord of might,

Who to Thy tribes on Sinai's height,

In ancient times once  gave the law

In cloud and majesty and awe.

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 Key of David, come,

And open wide our heavenly home;

Make safe the path that leads on high;

That we no more have cause to sigh.

O come, Thou Dayspring, come and cheer

Our spirits by Thine advent here;

Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,

And deaths dark shadows put to flight.

O come, Thou Root of Jesse's tree,

An ensign of Thy people be;

Before Thee rulers silent fall;

All peoples on Thy mercy call.

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.

(public domain)