December 13, 2021 - Matthew 1:22-23; Luke 1:32-33

The advent is about the two arrivals of Jesus Christ! The first is what we have been anticipating as we draw near to December 25th to celebrate the birth of the Messiah, our Savior. The second is when Jesus will return to earth to establish His kingdom and He will rule and reign forever as Sovereign Lord!

Over the next two weeks I desire to look at some of the older hymns that celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. We will look at a different hymn each day and I will seek to tie in the message that the author is sharing with the Christmas story. My desire is to capture the history of some of the older Christmas Carols we sing.

We begin today with a hymn that has its origins in the medieval church. During the medieval time (approximately 800 - 1300's), the church had a series of Latin hymns that were sung each day from December 17th to 23rd. Each of these hymns began with the letter "O" and were called the "Great" or "O" antiphons. These were short musical statements that were sung for church services leading up to Christmas Eve. These statements were discovered in the mid 1800's by an English minister named John Mason Neale who formulated these Vesper selections and produced the first draft of this song.

Neale desired for the message of the song to be a greeting for the anticipated Messiah using the titles ascribed to Him throughout the Old Testament such as Emmanuel, The Lord of Might, Rod of Jesse, Dayspring, and Key of David. With each stanza the anticipation, longing, and expectation of this Deliverer, the Messiah, would come and "ransom captive Israel".

In case you have not figured out the song yet, it is "O Come, O Come Emmanuel"! The words and melody may be ancient, but it continues to speak to hearts and the cries that echoed from Israel still can be heard today as people in many places around the world desire to have Jesus Christ return and establish His rule and reign forever. We may rejoice and celebrate His first coming, but we also earnestly anticipate His return. Christ came as Emmanuel - "God with us" but now as believers in Christ, He is God in us! As you listen to O Come, O Come Emmanuel this Christmas season, may that expectation of His coming grip you anew! Even so, come, Lord Jesus (Revelation 22:20)!