A Christmas Devotional By Darlene ZschechExemplo

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

This is one of the great, quite melancholy Christmas hymns or carols, and is certainly one that I LOVE to sing as it describes some of the biblical names for Christ in each stanza. Where some carols talk of presents, snow, Santa, heartache, mistletoe, etc., this song moves me to contemplation and increases my understanding.

An amazingly talented “nameless” monk wrote this song sometime before 800 A.D. This was a time in history we often call “the Dark Ages,” where civilization had broken down and mankind was sliding backwards into more chaos, ignorance, and unending warfare. But someone, somewhere in a monastery in Europe, penned a song that would reach across the ages, and here we are this Christmas season, singing it again.

Much of the power of a song is found in the lyric but think on this: during those “Dark Ages,” the Bible was inaccessible for most people. But the monk who composed this song had a full and rich knowledge of Scripture. So, for the people who did not have a Bible to read, this was a teaching tool, expressing the hope and truth of Christmas, the fulfilment of ancient prophecies of the birth of Christ. 

I love thinking about the purposes of God and the way HE can use anyone at any time to communicate HIS love for humanity. I love that this song, written by an unnamed monk over 1,200 years ago, was paired with a melody that went with the text from a 15th century French Franciscan convent of nuns ministering in Portugal. So now we have the lyric being given a tune by nuns in an out of the way convent. It was then rediscovered by Rev. Neale, who came across this hymn in Latin while he was on mission off the coast of Africa, and here we find ourselves singing this song today.

If God wants something to happen, to be communicated, to be released across the earth, He will use anyone who says “YES.”

Oh, Come, Oh, Come Emmanuel

Translated: John Neal, 1818-66

Oh, come, oh, come, Emmanuel,

And ransom captive Israel,

That mourns in lonely exile here

Until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to you, O Israel!

Oh, come, our Wisdom from on high,

Who ordered all things mightily;

To us the path of knowledge show,

and teach us in her ways to go.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to you, O Israel!

Oh, come, oh, come, our Lord of might,

Who to your tribes on Sinai's height

In ancient times gave holy law,

In cloud and majesty and awe.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to you, O Israel!

Oh, come O Rod of Jesse's stem,

From ev'ry foe deliver them

That trust your mighty pow'r to save;

Bring them in vict'ry through the grave.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to you, O Israel!

Oh, come, O Key of David, come,

And open wide our heav'nly home;

Make safe the way that leads on high,

And close the path to misery.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to you, O Israel!

Oh, come, our Dayspring from on high,

And cheer us by your drawing nigh,

Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,

And death's dark shadows put to flight.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to you, O Israel!

Oh, come, Desire of nations, bind

In one the hearts of all mankind;

Oh, bid our sad divisions cease,

And be yourself our King of Peace.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to you, O Israel!

Our Emmanuel, our wisdom from on high, our Lord of might, Oh rod of Jesse, key of David, Dayspring from on high, and my favorite, Desire of Nations. Let us come and behold Jesus, and worship with all that we are this Christmas, and forever more…