Oh, Come, Oh, Come Emmanuel

This is one of my very favorite songs during the Advent season. Since Christmas is almost here, I thought I'd share it with you today.

"Oh, Come, Oh, Come Emmanuel"

Oh, come, oh, come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

Oh, come, our Wisdom from on high,
Who ordered all things mightily;
To us the path of knowledge show,
and teach us in her ways to go.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

Oh, come, oh, come, our Lord of might,
Who to your tribes on Sinai's height
In ancient times gave holy law,
In cloud and majesty and awe.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

Oh, come O Rod of Jesse's stem,
From ev'ry foe deliver them
That trust your mighty pow'r to save;
Bring them in vict'ry through the grave.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

Oh, come, O Key of David, come,
And open wide our heav'nly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

Oh, come, our Dayspring from on high,
And cheer us by your drawing nigh,
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death's dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

Oh, come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind;
Oh, bid our sad divisions cease,
And be yourself our King of Peace.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

Translated: John Neal, 1818-66
Author: French Processional
Tune: Veni Emmanuel
1st Published in: 1854

Advent - Day 1

Oh, come, oh, come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

(Oh, Come, Oh, Come, Emmanuel ~ Verse One
Translated: John Neal, 1818-66)

Welcome to the 1st day of the Advent season! Last year I posted a different scripture reading for each day of December. I'm going to include the title of each reading this year, and if you click on the Bible reference, it will take you to last year's writing. I'll also be including a verse from one of my favorite hymns of the season, "Oh, Come, Oh, Come, Emmanuel".

God's Promise to David - 2 Samuel 7:1-17

In one of my favorite Christmas books, 52 Simple Ways to Make Christmas Special (by Jan Dargatz, 1991) it suggests keeping an Advent Diary. Here are the author's suggestions:

~ You may want to keep the diary active from year to year, making only a few entries each season.

~ You may want to have a diary for just one year. You can add entries for Christmastide and Epiphany to encompass the full scope of the holiday season.

~ You may want to create a family Advent diary, inviting each member of your family to make entries.

~ You may want to illustrate your diary with cutouts from favorite Christmas cards.

~ You may want to invite each of your children to keep a Christmas diary. Encourage your child to record her favorite memories, her Christmas prayer list, perhaps even a letter to the baby Jesus.

~ You may want to include mementos of the holiday season in your Advent diary ~ a sprig of pressed holly, a program from a special event, a photograph or sketch of a winter scene.

Keep your diary personal. Let this be a place where you express yourself in a private, intimate way. Use your diary as a means of recording:

~ your insights into the Christmas story and the Advent season;
~ your spiritual longings and desires;
~ your hopes and expectations for what Christ will accomplish in and through your life; and
~ your reflections on the symbols of the season.

It Came Upon the Midnight Clear

"It came upon the midnight clear,
that glorious song of old,
From angels bending near the earth,
to touch their harps of gold.
Peace on the earth, good will to men,
from heav'n's all gracious king,
The world in solemn stillness lay
to hear the angels sing."

~ Edmund Sears, 1850