COME, O COME EMMANUEL!

COME,  O COME EMMANUEL!

 

It is the second week of December, and the weather has been very cold.  But the season is upon us, warming our hearts with song “Joy to the World, the Lord has come.”  Everywhere the lights are bright and shoppers are crowding the stores looking for their special treasures.  And we see the beautiful colors of Christmas in our lovely decorations and trees.  And we sing those lovely Christmas carols which speak of the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

We look at our nativity sets and see Mary and Joseph and sweet baby Jesus surrounded by shepherds and Wisemen and angels looking on.  And in our church we are celebrating the Advent season.  We light our candles each Sunday and ponder the meaning of each of five candles, three purple candles and one pink candle.  The last candle we will light will be the large white candle on Christmas Eve, the Christ Candle

 

On the first Sunday of Advent, we lit the candle of Hope. Hope is our assurance that God will finish all He has started. Hope is our confidence that He will do all He has promised. All the promises of God are fulfilled in Jesus Christ. He is our hope, today and forever! (2 Corinthians 1:20) Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! (2 Corinthians 9:15)

On the second Sunday of Advent, as we think about the coming of Jesus Christ, we light the candle of love.

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us! (1 John 3:1)

This is how God showed His love:
He sent His one and only Son into the world
that we might live through Him. (1 John 4:9)

A new command I give you: Love one another.
As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
All men will know that you are my disciples if you love one another. (John 13:34-35)

On The third Sunday of Advent, as we think about the coming of Jesus Christ, we light the candle of joy. When Christ comes into our lives, He brings the fullness of joy. He anoints our hearts with the oil of gladness. (Isaiah 61:3 When Jesus was born, the angels said that His coming was good news of great joy for all people. (Luke 2:10) Because Christ has come to us,
we can live every day in the joy of the Lord. Praise to His name!

On the fourth Sunday of Advent, as we think about the coming of Jesus Christ, we light the candle of peace. Jesus Christ is our peace. (Ephesians 2:14) He is the Prince of Peace,
and the fruit of His presence is peace. (Isaiah 9:6; Galatians 5:22) Christ comes to bring justice, wholeness, and harmony to every relationship throughout all creation. He wants to continually grant us peace in every situation. (2 Thessalonians 3:16) Jesus, we pray, guide our feet into the path of peace. (Luke 1:79)

 On Christmas Eve, As we celebrate the birth of Jesus and rejoice in His coming to us,
we light the Christ candle, the white candle. Jesus Christ is our hope. He is our peace. Jesus Christ is our joy. He is love-- pure, holy, undying love.

Whoever believes in Him will never perish
but have eternal life (John 3:16)

Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! (2 Corinthians 9:15)

The first candle we lit was the “Candle of Hope and Prophecy.”  As we celebrate Advent we are remembering His first Advent, His first coming and the amazing prophecies that foretold of the Messiah and His coming.  The people in the days when Jesus came, were looking for the deliverer, the One who would free them from the Romans and sit upon the Throne of David once again.  But Jesus came not to be an earthly king, but to bring the Kingdom of God to reign our hearts, a spiritual kingdom.  But the people did not see that and rejected Him and He went to the cross to die, to shed His precious blood for you, for me. 

 

And He came to bring hope to a lost world and to each of us.  In this world many have lost their hope, but there is hope in Jesus, my friends.  The cry of ours hearts and the cry of the hearts of those in His day was “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel!

 

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 come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free Thine own from Satan’s tyranny; from depths of hell Thy people save and give them victory o’er the grave.  Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

 

O come Thou Dayspring, come and cheer our spirits by Thine advent here; and drive away the shades of night, and pierce the clouds and bring us light! Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

 

O come, Thou Key of David come, and open wide our heavenly home; make safe the way that leads on high, and close the path of misery.  Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel. (Latin hymn from 12^th century)

 

In this wonderful old hymn we see the promise of His coming, and we see Emmanuel, God with us.  He would come and when He came He would bring salvation.  In the first verse we see captives in exile longing for Emmanuel to come.  And there are times when we feel that we are captives to our sin, and to pain and sorrow.  But Emmanuel will come and bring deliverance from our sin and that which enslaves us.

 

“There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots.  The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of Knowledge and the fear of the Lord” Isaiah 11:1-2.

 

We see this wonderful prophecy of our Wonderful Lord as He would come.  He would be a “Righteous Branch” which would grow out of Jesse, David’s father.  He would come with wisdom, understanding, counsel and might, knowledge and the fear of the Lord.  This was the Messiah they were waiting and watching for, our Precious Jesus, the Messiah!

 

“Through the tender mercy of our God, with which the Dayspring from on high has visited us; to give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace” Luke 1:78-79.

 

In God’s tender mercy, He was sending the Dayspring, the Messiah to visit us.  Those who sit in darkness, He came to bring light and life and to conquer death forever.  And He promises to guide us into a life of peace.  Oh, what a promise!  If you are feeling darkness closing in on your today, the Dayspring has come to light your path, to bring peace and joy and eternal life with Him forever.  Oh, what a precious promise!

 

As we celebrate Advent, we also are looking forward to His second advent.  And we look for our heavenly home.  And because of His death and resurrection, He has opened the way to eternal life.  And when He comes there will be no more sorrow, pain or tears.  And our hearts look toward the heavens and long for His coming at last!  O Come, O Come, Emmanuel!

 

In the Name of Jesus’

Pastor Sharon