December 2009
Prophecy: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14)
Fulfillment: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel (which means, God with us).” (Matthew 1:23)
If you were to look in our hymnal today, you would find this song found among the pages: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. What makes this song so unique in our evangelical hymnal is the fact that this song is actually a Plainsong/chant dating back to around the 13th century. This song which is a major part of our Advent preparations for the coming of Christmas has been sung by believers since the 1200’s! The text was originally written and sung in Latin (Veni Emmanuel) (“Come God With Us”).
This song brings with it the same sense of longing and hope that the prophets of the ancient Jewish people expressed for the coming of a Messiah. As we sing it, you can almost feel the same pull at the heart for the need for God to visit us, as He did wrapped in human flesh in the baby Jesus.
What is so marvelous about this very ancient song is that it is full of the many titles ascribed to the Messiah in the Hebrew Scriptures. We only have four verses found in our hymnal, but originally there were many more of these “verses” or “antiphons” that came before the last refrain. He is called Emmanuel (Isaiah 7:14), Lord of Might (Exodus 19:16), Rod of Jesse (Isaiah 11:1), Day Spring (Luke 1:78b – 79a), and Key of David (Isaiah 22:22, Isaiah 9:6).
There is so much hope in this ancient hymn, preparing us for Christ’s first coming and our celebration of Christmas – and His second coming – when He will return to reign and rule at His rightful place on David’s Throne.
May the Messiah of Christmas bring you hope as we wait for His return.
Pastor Leslie
Fulfillment: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel (which means, God with us).” (Matthew 1:23)
If you were to look in our hymnal today, you would find this song found among the pages: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. What makes this song so unique in our evangelical hymnal is the fact that this song is actually a Plainsong/chant dating back to around the 13th century. This song which is a major part of our Advent preparations for the coming of Christmas has been sung by believers since the 1200’s! The text was originally written and sung in Latin (Veni Emmanuel) (“Come God With Us”).
This song brings with it the same sense of longing and hope that the prophets of the ancient Jewish people expressed for the coming of a Messiah. As we sing it, you can almost feel the same pull at the heart for the need for God to visit us, as He did wrapped in human flesh in the baby Jesus.
What is so marvelous about this very ancient song is that it is full of the many titles ascribed to the Messiah in the Hebrew Scriptures. We only have four verses found in our hymnal, but originally there were many more of these “verses” or “antiphons” that came before the last refrain. He is called Emmanuel (Isaiah 7:14), Lord of Might (Exodus 19:16), Rod of Jesse (Isaiah 11:1), Day Spring (Luke 1:78b – 79a), and Key of David (Isaiah 22:22, Isaiah 9:6).
There is so much hope in this ancient hymn, preparing us for Christ’s first coming and our celebration of Christmas – and His second coming – when He will return to reign and rule at His rightful place on David’s Throne.
May the Messiah of Christmas bring you hope as we wait for His return.
Pastor Leslie
posted by Pastor Lew @ 8:14 PM
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