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.
As we enter Advent this year, I find myself thinking about this song more than I usually do.
Now, more than ever, I feel like a member of captive Israel in exile, looking for the coming of Our Lord to free us. My spirit yearns for the community and the relationship with God I once had.
Captive Israel in Exile
I’ve talked for years about the exile of the Spirit from the Churches. She has been cast out to wander the world searching for any who will hear her cry.
The Wisdom of God has never been revered by the people, especially those with religious or political power. They forget that there is no power except for God. In absence of the Spirit of Truth, all people have is fear and threats.
O, how often religious and political leaders resort to fear and threats. How often we resort to threats and fear?
Developing the Wisdom of God is hard. It is easier to engender fear than to refine ourselves to develop the character and wisdom of God within us.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
As Advent opens this year, we light our candle and pray for Christ to be born in us.
Let us dedicate ourselves to:
◆ Living the Word of God
◆ Celebrating Creation as a Blessing
◆ Witnessing the Light of God shining on All People
◆ Being Mindful that it is God in whom we live, breath, and have our being
◆ Spending time in the Kingdom as the Royal Priests we are.
Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel
While many of the churches have cast our the Wisdom and Word of God, we need to remember that in sending her into exile they have really exiled themselves.
Remember, Jesus said, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them (Matt 18:20).”
He is with us always. We can reject him, be he is always waiting for us to come to him. Let us enter advent reverently, mindful that Emmanuel has come to us, and anytime two or more of us are together, he is with us.
Open our eyes, O Lord Jesus Christ, our teacher, so we may be filled with awe my the mighty works of the Lord.