"Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." (Isaiah 7:14)
Advent season invites you to take your mind off the year's stresses. Even when things feel chaotic, we can find peace in Jesus. Advent is a chance to focus our thoughts on the gift God has given us in his son Jesus, who stepped down from heaven and took the form of a man so that we might believe.
In the same way, the Church, during Advent, looks back upon Christ’s coming in celebration while at the same time looks forward in eager anticipation to the coming of Christ’s kingdom when he returns for his people.
In this light, the Advent hymn, “O Come, O Come Emmanuel,” perfectly represents the church’s cry during the Advent season:
O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appears.
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
While Israel would have sung the song in expectation of Christ’s first coming, the Church now sings the song to commemorate the first coming and with the expectation of the second coming in the future.
The Church is in a similar situation to Israel at the end of the Old Testament: in exile, waiting and hoping in prayerful expectation for the coming of the Messiah. Israel looked back to God’s past gracious actions on their behalf in leading them out of Egypt in the Exodus, and on this basis, they called for God once again to act for them.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, You are the God who gives peace. Thank You for the fact that because of Jesus, we can experience a Christmas free from turmoil and chaos. Regardless of our circumstance or situation,You offer us peace that passes understanding. Thank You for always being with us.
“God with us” is eternity’s sonnet, is Heaven’s hallelujah, is the shout of the glorified, is the song of the redeemed, is the chorus of angels, is the everlasting oratorio of the great orchestra of the sky! “God with us.” – Charles Spurgeon