Do You Hear What I Hear? The Songs of Christmas
December 4: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (9th Century Latin)
Theme: Longing for God’s Promised Messiah
The lyrics of the song O Come, O Come, Emmanuel are a rhyming, metrical paraphrase of the “O Antiphons”, which date back to at least the 500’s. Each one is a title for the Messiah connected to a scriptural prophecy/promise from Isaiah. The coming of Jesus the Christ fulfills the hopes and promises of the Old Testament as well as those we long for today. O come, O come, O come…
Below you will find the verses with its corresponding O Antiphon in italics after it. I pray their power and beauty bring you deep devotion this holy season. – Lisa <><
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
O Emmanuel, God with us, our King and Lawgiver, the Expected of the nations and their Savior: Come and save us, O Lord, our God.
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.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
O Wisdom, who came forth from the mouth of the Most High, reaching from end to end and ordering all things mightily and sweetly, Come, and teach us the way of prudence.
O come, O come, great Lord of might, who to thy tribes on Sinai’s height
In ancient times did give the law in cloud and majesty and awe
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
O Adonai and Leader of the house of Israel, who appeared to Moses in the flames of the burning bush and gave him the law on Sinai: Come. and with your outstretched arm redeem us.
O come, thou Root of Jesse’s tree, an ensign of thy people be
Before thee, rulers silent fall all peoples on thy mercy call
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
O Root of Jesse, who stands for an ensign of the people, before whom kings shall keep silence and to whom the Gentiles shall make their supplication: Come to deliver us, and tarry not.
O come, thou Key of David, come and open wide our heavenly home.
The captives from their prison free and conquer death’s deep misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
O Key of David and Scepter of the House of Israel, who opens and no one shuts, who shuts and no man opens: Come and bring forth from prison the captive who sits in darkness and in the shadow of death.
O come, thou Dayspring, come and cheer our spirits by thy justice here
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night and death’s dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
O Dayspring, Brightness of the light eternal and Sun of justice: Come and enlighten those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.
O come, Desire of nations, bind all peoples in one the heart and mind
From dust, Thou brought us forth to life, deliver us from earthly strife
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
O King of the Gentiles and their Desired One, Cornerstone that makes both one: Come, and deliver us whom You formed out the dust of the earth.
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CLICK HERE for a pdf of the Christmas Song Devotional Readings.
The Christmas Story is full of singing. Mary sings. Zechariah sings. Simeon sings. The angels sing. Over the centuries we’ve continued to celebrate with songs of our own, songs born from the joy of Christ’s coming.
This holy season, to prepare our hearts again for the coming of Christ, we’ll reflect on the poetry of these meaningful songs. Some will be old friends. Others will be new. My prayer is that their beauty and power draw us closer to Jesus, the babe of Bethlehem, the Risen King. And that the grace of drawing near fulfills in us Christ’s power of new life.
Suggestions for Reflection on Each Song Lyric in the Christmas Devotion:
- Find a quiet place to sit. Take a couple of deep breaths.
- Read the song lyrics several times slowly, savoring the words.
- Ask yourself:
- What is the big idea?
- Why is it important?
- How does this truth connect with my life?
- Have a conversation with God about this truth.
- Invite God to use this truth to birth something new in you this holy season.
Additional Ideas:
- Journal your reflections
- Draw, paint, or create some other kind of art based on your reflections
- Find a scripture or two which inspired the song or where brought to mind by the lyrics
- Sing or listen to the song
- Share the song or just the lyrics on social media or face to face
I look forward to hearing your comments. – Lisa <
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O Come O Come Emmanuel reflections © 2018 Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia
Leave a comment for information and permission to publish this work in any form.
Psalm 95:10-13
Matthew 4:12-17, 23-25
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