"O Come O Come Emmanuel"

“O come, Thou Dayspring, come and cheer

Our spirits by Thine advent here

Disperse the gloomy clouds of night

And death's dark shadows put to flight”

Mom knew how to tell a good story. How to draw in her audience. How to connect with their hearts. She used this gift, along with her intense study of the Old Testament, to teach that half of the Bible in a way that made the prophets and kings of ancient Israel come alive. Her explanation of the tabernacle and how it foreshadowed Christ’s work on Calvary was revolutionary in its time. Perhaps it’s due to her influence that the sacred song “O Come O Come Emmanuel” has long been one of my favorites.

 The hymn’s focus on Israel’s long wait for the Messiah pierces my heart as it underscores the truth of Advent: it is a season of waiting. The uplifting refrain encourages me to rejoice in the assurance that He will indeed return. It is one song that instantly makes me think of Jesus’s impending second advent for which all believers anxiously await. The hymn’s last stanza captures the longing we experience and the hope we have

“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”