O Come O Come Emanuel
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.
We are natural born seekers. Curiosity leads to questions and questions lead us to finding the answers. The song begins with the Israelites living in captivity and destined to exile. But what do we know of the Israelites who spent forty years wandering in the desert seeking something better. God was in every twist and turn, but many times they were too stubborn to recognize it was Him. Then there are the shepherds who found the newborn king in a stable? They also were seekers, who let their hearts lead them to Jesus. Are we seeking as the Israelites and not finding or are we aligning ourselves with the shepherds, who sought and found?
Advent is a time for seeking. Our hearts are preparing for a season of joy and the beginnings of grace. As we prepare we can make the choice to seek and find.
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To see all the words for O Come O Come Emanuel, click here.
The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
a light has dawned.
3 You have enlarged the nation
and increased their joy;
they rejoice before you
as people rejoice at the harvest,
as warriors rejoice
when dividing the plunder. Isaiah 9:2-3
Let us walk through Advent as the people who have seen the great light. Let us rejoice that the birth of one baby opened the doors for our own stories of grace and redemption.
Please join me each Sunday in Advent for a chance to look at scripture and a song to guide us in preparation for the the greatest birth and the unfolding of grace.
In grace and peace,
Mary
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Hi Mary,
This is my favorite song of the Advent season. I grew up singing this melody throughout the sacred season. As I got older, the crush of the holidays pressed in on me, although somewhere I tried to maintain the reason for the season.
When Jesus found me, that first Christmas was full of joy unknown. When we married and had children, the Advent wreath tradition continued. Unfortunately, my kids never took to the wreath of greens I had known growing up so we have a different kind of square wreath with candles.
After reading your article I ran upstairs and pulled it out of the closet. Thank you for your inspiration to begin again focusing on the reason for the season.
Blessings, Janis
I grew up with an Advent wreath also but feel I didn’t always understand all the whys when I was a child. I am thankful that God is still teaching me how to invite Him into my life and draw closer to Him in this season of Advent. Thank you for being here today, Janis! I am blessed you stopped by.
I’m so glad you’re doing this series, Mary! I love the idea of using the songs of Christmas to enlighten our hearts as we seek Him!
Thank you June! I am using songs on Sunday, but writing other things during the week revolving around story. I am loving the chance to soak in this season while going deeper. Hope you’ll stop back.
“Let us rejoice that the birth of one baby opened the doors for our own stories of grace and redemption.” This is just so incomprehensible, isn’t it? Such wondrous love! I love your message and the song, Mary. Thank you.
Thank you Trudy! This is one of my favorite songs and it really speaks so well about story and our desire for Emanuel to come. Thank you for joining me! I love having you here.
This is just a beautiful offering on this sabbath evening … a lovely warm welcome back to blogging, connecting online, after a bit of a breather.
Come quickly, Lord Jesus …
Welcome back and warm greetings to you as we begin Advent. I love this intentional time of reflection and looking to what is really important in this season rather than letting it rush by so quick that we miss it. Good to see you!!
Mary,
I love the hauntingly beautiful “O Come O Come Emanuel”. Emanuel – God with us. May I still myself to invite Him to come be with me in my heart this Advent season. Thank you for setting the tone..
Blessings,
Bev xx
O Come O come Emanuel is one of my favorite songs for this season. For the past two years I was involved in a Christmas show that used that song and it has given me a deeper meaning by singing that song over and over. Inviting God into our hearts on any day is such a blessing to Him. Praying our hearts remain open to the gift of this season.
Thanks for this reminder, Mary. We all need to stop and recognize the great gift God gave us in the coming of His Son. I don’t want to get so sidetracked by all that must be done in this season and forget to focus on and praise my Savior and Lord. Very convicting, my friend!
Thank you sweet Beth! I feel very blessed to have extra time in my day to truly focus on God and what is important. I am also trying to be intentional with using my time wisely. It is a discipline that needs to be practiced. I am praying that you and everyone else learns how to slow down as Christmas quickly approaches. Have a wonderful week!
Love love this song! And your words are a beautiful addition to remind us to look and wait expectantly.
I would say that O Come O Come Emanuel is one of my top five songs for the holidays. The words tell such a beautiful story. Praying we all hear God in our hearts as our story collides with His this Advent season. Love you!
Love love this! Yes, may we be more like the shepherds and seek him.