Advent Carol Series #3: Isaiah 7:14 – O Come, O Come, Emmanuel [Ornament with manger]
“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Emmanuel.” Isaiah 7:14
Rejoice! Rejoice!
We hear a lot about rejoicing and being joyful during this Christmas season every year. So, what are we actually rejoicing about? This week we are going to focus on one of the reasons to rejoice as we approach Christmas Day: the joy of a promise kept.
O come, O come, Emmanuel,
and ransom captive Israel
that mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear.
Refrain:
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
shall come to you, O Israel.
Israel had been in and out of captivity and oppression for thousands of years. They held on to a promise from God that He would send a Deliverer. That He would send Emmanuel, which means God with us.
God’s chosen people were waiting and watching for the Son of God to appear. For God to come and dwell among them and deliver them. God kept His promise when He sent Jesus.
Wisdom in the Promise Kept
In October and November, we did a series called Wisdom in the Word. When God kept His promise in Jesus, He sent Wisdom to dwell among us. He gave us a pathway to godly wisdom and direction.
O come, O Wisdom from on high,
who ordered all things mightily;
to us the path of knowledge show
and teach us in its ways to go. Refrain
The Law and the Fulfillment of the Law
O come, O come, great Lord of might,
who to your tribes on Sinai’s height
in ancient times did give the law
in cloud and majesty and awe. Refrain
O come, O Branch of Jesse’s stem,
unto your own and rescue them!
From depths of hell your people save,
and give them victory o’er the grave. Refrain
In the Old Testament, we read about how God came down to meet with His people at Mt. Sinai, giving them the law to live by – the law that none of us would ever be able to keep in full. But Jesus brought the fulfillment of the Law and deliverance from the weight of our sin that came from our inability to keep every letter of the Law. Emmanuel, God with us, saves us from the “depths of hell.”
The Key to Heaven
In that redemption from sin, Jesus unlocks the door to heaven and eternity with God the Father for us. He is the only path to heaven.
Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6
O come, O Key of David, come
and open wide our heavenly home.
Make safe for us the heavenward road
and bar the way to death’s abode. Refrain
O come, O Bright and Morning Star,
and bring us comfort from afar!
Dispel the shadows of the night
and turn our darkness into light. Refrain
Access to heaven brings hope and light in midst of darkness and despair.
Bound Together
In our inability to live up to the law, we are all in the same boat. Color of skin, origin of country, economic status, denomination, all our divisions are made insignificant in the light of Jesus’ gift of salvation. We are bound together, serving one King, the King of Peace – Emmanuel, God with us!
O come, O King of nations, bind
in one the hearts of all mankind.
Bid all our sad divisions cease
and be yourself our King of Peace.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
shall come to you, O Israel.
ACTION STEP:
The promise of God fulfilled brought more than the Israelites ever imagined. They wanted temporary and immediate deliverance from human oppressors, but God had more thorough and eternal deliverance in mind. God saw what they needed more than they did. He saw what would save not just the Israelites but the whole world.
As we experience earthly sorrows, let us remember to rejoice because God has a plan that is beyond what we imagine we need. He is keeping His promises in a way that will bless us and others beyond what we could envision. That is reason to rejoice!
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PRAYER:
Dear God, we might be sad or struggling this Christmas. There are times of stress and overwhelm. We sometimes want immediate relief from those trials, but help us remember that You have a plan in mind that is greater than what we think or imagine. Help us to lean into you and rejoice. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Advent Carols Series Free Printables:
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