The moment the melody begins, the song is recognizable. The tune is known as Veni Emmanuel. The words were originally written in Latin in the 8th century and were chanted by Benedictine monks. The English translation was penned in 1851 by an Anglican priest and scholar named John Mason Neale. We know it simply as O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.
This beloved song is probably the oldest Christmas carol still sung today. And its words are timeless. Its lyrics convey the fervent prayers of millions of Christians throughout the ages. Prayers that look to the second coming of Christ, even as we celebrate his first coming. Prayers that anticipate the future glorious appearance of an eternal King, even as we remember his earlier appearance as a humble infant. Prayers that commemorate his first advent, even as we look forward to his second advent.
The song truly is an Advent prayer of the Church. A people who are living in exile. A people longing for home. A people looking for One who will return and make all things right. So, let’s look at four prayers we, the Church, pray each time this beautiful hymn is sung.
1. We are praying for hope in a world of despair.
“O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel, that mourns in lonely exile here, until the Son of God appear.”
At different times, the Israelites had been sent into exile. As a result of their sin, the people of God had been led away as captives into foreign lands. But God always left them with hope. And their ultimate hope was in the promised Messiah. The One who would redeem them and bring them out of their captivity.
And even as we live in this world that is not our home―a world of brokenness and sin and death and despair―we have Advent hope. As the Apostle Paul writes in Philippians 3:20, “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.”
So, we wait. But we wait with hope. Hope in the One who will return and wipe every tear from our eyes. Hope in the One who will return to make everything sad come untrue. Hope in the One who will return to finally bring us home.
2. We are praying for light in a world of darkness.
“O come, Thou Dayspring, come and cheer our spirits by Thine advent here; disperse the gloomy clouds of night, and death’s dark shadow put to flight.”
In the beautiful Messianic prophecy in Isaiah 9, the prophet writes, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.” (Is 9:2) And Jesus, the child who was born and the Son who was given, is that light. As it says in John 1:9, “The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.”
Today, as a people still living in a dark world―living in a world where people love darkness―we look for the appearance of the One who is light. We wait for him to return like a flash of lightning in the sky. But while we wait, we remember that we are called to be light ourselves. We are called to live in the light, and walk in the light, and bring that light into the darkness around us. As we wait, we are called to be the light of the world.
3. We are praying for truth in a world of deception.
“O come, Thou Wisdom from on high, and order all things far and nigh; to us the path of knowledge show, and cause us in her ways to go.”
As we wait for the One who is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6) to return, we as the Church need to be on guard against wandering from the truth. We live in a culture that says truth is relative. We live in a society where objective truth is scoffed at. In the years to come, holding on to truth may continue to be more and more difficult, which makes it all the more important.
As Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 4:1-4, “I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.”
So, as we wait, we seek truth. But, more importantly, we seek the One who is the Truth. And we seek to share that Truth with those around us, doing so in love, gentleness, and respect.
4. We are praying for peace in a world of division.
“O come, Desire of nations bind, in one the hearts of all mankind; bid Thou our sad divisions cease, and be Thyself our King of peace.”
We live in a world of division. And it seems that year after year the division is getting even more pronounced. But, the truth is, since the Fall of mankind, we have always lived in a divided world. And the greatest division we encounter is the division between sinful humanity and a holy God.
But in Christ, through his life and death and resurrection, that curtain that separated us has been torn. The dividing wall has been knocked down. And as the Church, as we wait for Christ’s return, we are called to bring this message of peace to our neighbors.
As it says in 2 Corinthians 5:18-20a, “All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us.”
So, as we journey through another Advent season, join the chorus of voices who have repeated the words of O Come, O Come Emmanuel through the years. And as you sing this beautiful prayer, live in hope. Live in light. Live in truth. And live in peace. Hope, light, truth, and peace that came through a little baby called Emmanuel.
Dale Hexum is the Lead Pastor at Good Shepherd Lutheran Brethren Church in Fergus Falls, MN.