“O come, O Come, Emmanuel” by Bryan Duncan (translated by John Mason Neale – 1861)
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.
O come, Thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, O come, Thou Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai’s height,
In ancient times did’st give the Law,
In cloud, and majesty and awe.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
Dear God, as I get ready to go on vacation, I thought I would look at journaling through some Christmas songs/hymns. This is another one from Our Christmas, a various artists collection from Word Records in 1990. I’ve always liked it.
The first verse simply reminds me that I don’t know what it means to suffer. Sure, I’ve had heartaches, but I am a very privileged man. I live a middle class life in a country that offers me a lot of freedom. I cannot relate to the feelings that captive Israelites felt. I don’t even necessarily long for Jesus’s return now. But there are people who do suffer. There are people who are captive. There are people who long for your justice and return. I am sorry I am not more sensitive to them and their longings. I’m sorry I am numb to them. Sure, I do things in my daily life that help others (some of it is part of my vocation), but I draw lines and I try to not be too inconvenienced. It’s easier to just look away.
Now this second verse is one to which I can relate more. Satan is always after us, and I can feel it in my own family, both in my immediate and extended families. Thank you for the gift of ultimate victory over Satan. He might win many, many battles here on earth, but the war is lost for him. Thank you for this gift.
Father, sometimes songs like this are great because the communicate a great longing. Longing for something beyond what we can really understand. Longing for peace and rest. I’ll confess that I’m not sure what to expect or what I even need from this vacation. Help me to use this week productively. I certainly don’t feel like I should be staying here. I just don’t know what I’m supposed to do while I’m there. Help me to not waste a moment, but give both my wife and me exactly what we need–as a couple and as individuals–so that our lives might be part of your kingdom coming and your will being done on earth as it is in heaven.
In Jesus’s name I pray,
Amen
Emails to God 