O Come, Emmanuel

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

Isaiah 7:14

"The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" (which means "God with us").

Matthew 1:23

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 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

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.

This is my favorite Christmas song. A strange choice, is it not? Neither cheery nor upbeat, it definitely fits into the solemn category.

But every Christmas Eve, as I hold my lighted candle during a worship service, and sing this to God I feel it in my bones. This deep need put into words and notes and chords. A song that speaks of the lost who are longing to be found.

When Jesus came to earth as a newborn baby the people of Israel had not heard from God in over 400 years. Can you imagine? Remember this was a time before the Holy Spirit was gifted to believers. The veil was still in place in the temple to keep the presence of God apart from His people.

I know what it feels like to be in exile, to be lost and alone. I know what it is to mourn, to feel a loss so great that like a wave crashing over you no air can get to your lungs.

So maybe this is why I relate to this song so much. Israel is not the only one looking for Emmanuel - we all are. We all feel a little lost and alone and mourn with all our hearts to be saved, to be rescued.

But that's where the similarities with us end. We, who sing this song in the mindset of 2015, have a very different perspective from the people of Israel 2,000 years ago.

The difference? They were looking for Him, but we have found Him!

That's the thing about this song, as mournful as it may sound, it's message is of hope. And it will meet you wherever you are today:

I am filled with sorrow, but He has come!
I am angry, but He has come!
I have been betrayed, but He has come!
I carry shame and guilt, but He has come!

Emmanuel. Not only has He come, but He has stayed in hearts by way of the Holy Spirit. Emmanuel, God is with us.

Oh, beloved. Emmanuel came to earth. He died a sinner's death in my place. He arose from the dead, thereby conquering it. He lives in all of us who believe in Him.

So, this year, as I pack away Christmas ornaments and vacuum pine needles off of my floors, I will remember. There is no need to mourn, no need to feel lost. My circumstances may take my joy for awhile. Life may not be ideal today, but I remember the message of hope from the song that may sound the least hopeful -

I long for a Savior, One who is good and true and faithful. One who can vanquish sin and death. One who can right wrongs. One who can deliver me from evil.

But the wait is over! He has come.

Emmanuel is here.