“Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel!”
My favorite Advent hymn is O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. Written in the 12th century as a Latin chant, it was translated in 1851 by John Mason Neal, a renowned hymn writer, who also translated All Glory, Laud, and Honour, Of the Father’s Love Begotten, and Good King Wenceslas, among others. Originally, O Come, O Come Emmanuel had seven verses with the same refrain, “Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel!”. Notice the address used in each verse and you will see different names for GOD.
The sixth verse is my favorite because it calls for “Thou Dayspring, come and cheer our spirits… disperse the gloomy clouds of night, and death’s dark shadows put to flight.” The Light of Jesus comes to fill our darkness with the pure, brilliant light of hope, joy and love.
Most people rush through Advent to get to Christmas. Not my husband, Jeff. He loved Advent. Preparing the way again and again each year brought him so much joy and anticipation. For the past nine years, Advent has lain heavily on my heart. Jeff died on that first Sunday evening of Advent in 2015. However, he did not miss the preparation to meet Jesus. He was ready for his “WOW!” moment. I now have the cheer my spirit needs to heal, and dispel gloom and night’s darkness because I rejoice, for I know Emmanuel will come for me, too.
Prayer: Spirit of GOD, fill those who sorrow with the surety of Jesus’ coming. Amen.
Maggie Bost