Hope (O Come O Come Immanuel)
Notes
Transcript
Introduction: The following information comes from an on-line source called hymnary.org.
This ancient advent hymn originated in part from the “Great ‘O’ Antiphons,” part of the medieval Roman Catholic Advent liturgy. On each day of the week leading up to Christmas, one responsive verse would be chanted, each including a different Old Testament name for the coming Messiah. When we sing each verse of this hymn, we acknowledge Christ as the fulfillment of these Old Testament prophesies. We sing this hymn in an already-but not yet-kingdom of God. Christ's first coming gives us a reason to rejoice again and again, yet we know that all is not well with the world. So along with our rejoicing, we plead using the words of this hymn that Christ would come again to perfectly fulfill the promise that all darkness will be turned to light. The original text created a reverse acrostic: “ero cras,” which means, “I shall be with you tomorrow.” That is the promise we hold to as we sing this beautiful hymn.
Here’s information about the Text:
Each verse of this hymn refers to Christ by various Old Testament titles, thus exemplifying Christ as the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. In addition to its anticipation of Christ’s birth, the hymn can also be interpreted to refer to the Second Coming. Van Trapp’s alternate text expounds on this theme:
“O Come, Messiah, come again And rid the world of death and sin. Return Thou risen Savior and King, That heav’n and earth at last may sing.” (Hymnal for Worship and Celebration: Word Music, 1986).
Fifteen hundred years gives a lot of time to make changes to the text, and it turns out there aren’t many hymnals that have exactly the same words. Like the original Latin poem, J.M Neale’s translation from 1851 contained seven stanzas; today many modern hymnals contain only five. You probably won't come across any big disputes over which text you use; most of the changes have occurred gradually and the versions we now use have simply been passed along in our various traditions. A refrain was also added to the original text that is familiar and oft-sung today: “Rejoice, rejoice, Immanuel shall come to you, O Israel.”
Here’s some information about the Tune:
“O Come, O Come, Immanuel” is set to the tune VENI EMMANUEL, adapted by Thomas Helmore. This haunting and pleading tune beautifully supports the words of longing found in the text, with the hopeful change into the refrain. When arranging, be sure to highlight the juxtaposition between the verses and the refrain that is powerfully moving – the verses should evoke a sense of deep, deep longing, and the refrain then acts as a response of assurance to that plea. This could be expressed by singing the stanzas in unison and the refrain in harmony, or using lighter instrumentation on the verses and get louder on the refrain, as well changing from minor accompaniment to major.
Despite being an old hymn, “O Come, O Come, Immanuel” is easily adaptable for a worship team. The hymn lends itself to various interpretations, but is perhaps most effective with soft, cascading piano accompaniment in the upper registers and soft acoustic guitar. Auxiliary instruments such as violins and flutes can also be used effectively; music director David Schaap recommends intermittently ringing hand bells throughout the piece to affect an ethereal feel (Schaap, David. "Hymn of the Month," Reformed Worship). The plainchant is also quite effective when simply sung a cappella, especially if led by a skilled choir. You can find many examples of contemporary interpretations to inspire your own arrangements. Here are just a few:
Here’s the When, Why and How of it :
In Hymnal for Worship and Celebration, “O Come, O Come, Immanuel” is part of a brief worship sequence for an Advent service that begins with a responsive reading and connects the hymns “O Come, O Come, Immanuel,” “Come Thou Long-Expected Jesus” and “Joy to the World!” with musical segues. Additionally, the hymn may be sung antiphonally, with a choir or soloist introducing the opening refrain (possibly in the original Latin) and the congregation joining in on the first stanza. David Schaap recommends singing each verse separately followed by a reading of the corresponding Old Testament prophesy (perhaps over ambient piano or organ transitions). While the ‘O’ Antiphons would have been sung each day during the week before Christmas, it is also possible to sing two stanzas each week of Advent, a tradition some Catholic churches hold: stanzas 1 & 2 on the first Sunday, 3 & 4 on the second Sunday, 5 & 6 on the third Sunday, and 1 & 7 on the fourth Sunday.
Now let’s sing the Carol together: Congregation will sing it.
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.
O come, thou Dayspring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death's dark shadows put to flight.
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.
O come, Desire of nations, bind
All peoples in one heart and mind;
Bid envy, strife and quarrels cease,
Fill all the world with heaven’s peace.
Transitional Sentence: So what theology is hidden in this hymn?
Let’s begin with the Refrain:
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
Line 1 says: Rejoice! Rejoice!
To rejoice is to show great joy or delight in something. In this particular case it is to show great joy that Emmanuel is coming. He is going to dwell with His people Israel.
Line 2 says: Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
14 “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.
This prophecy points to the coming of the Lord to dwell with His people. This refrain is reminding us to rejoice and show great joy that the Lord Himself will come and dwell with His people.
Verse 1
O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.
Line 1 says: O come, O come, Emmanuel,
Emmanuel means “God with us.” It means that God is going to come and tabernacle with His people. He’s going to set up a tent and live in our midst. In the days of Moses God in the Spirit actually dwelled with His people in a tabernacle, in the ark of the covenant. But this time He would come in the flesh.
23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.”
This is Matthew quoting Isaiah 7:14 to show that this is the one they have been waiting for.
But verse 1 begins by pleading for the Lord to come and dwell amongst us. The people of Israel spent about 700 years pleading for Him to come. That’s about how long it was from the time Isaiah said the virgin would bear a son to the time she actually did.
The Apostle John put it this way:
14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
That’s what happened at the first advent, the first coming. But what’s happening now? We are still pleading. We are pleading for Him to return and finish setting this mess straight. Except now it’s been almost 2,000 years. O come, O come Emmanuel.
Line 2 says: And ransom captive Israel,
To Ransom someone is to Buy them back.
Ransom is a term applied to the death of Jesus Christ which derived from the Greek custom of being able to buy the freedom of a slave. The term suggests that Jesus’ death bought humanity its freedom from enslavement to sin.
Which leads us to captive Israel. Israel as well as all humanity is held captive to the tyranny of sin and death. Our sin requires payment. There is only one payment and that is a life. My life for my sin. Your life for your sin. Here’s a story to illustrate it. I don’t know who wrote it.
One day, a man went to visit a church. He got there early, parked his car, and got out. Another car pulled up near and the driver got out and said, “I always park there! You took my place!”
The visitor went inside for Sunday School, found an empty seat and sat down. A young lady from the church approached him and stated, “That’s my seat! You took my place!”
The visitor was somewhat distressed by this rude welcome, but said nothing.
After Sunday School, the visitor went into the sanctuary and sat down. Another member walked up to him and said, “That’s where I always sit! You took my place!” The visitor was even more troubled by this treatment, but still He said nothing.
Later as the congregation was praying for Christ to dwell among them, the visitor stood up, and his appearance began to change. Horrible scars became visible on his hands and on his sandaled feet.
Someone from the congregation noticed him and called out, “What happened to you?”
The visitor replied, as his hat became a crown of thorns, and a tear fell from his eye, “I took your place.”
Jesus took our place on the cross. He paid that ransom price with His life. His blood shed on the cross paid the price for all those who would call upon His name.
Line 3 says: That mourns in lonely exile here
Captive Israel mourns. To mourn is to show great sorrow. Israel is mourning. Israel is calling out for redemption. O come, O come Emmanuel
Captive Israel is in lonely exile here. To be in Exile is: To be barred from one’s native country, typically for political or punitive reasons. Captive Israel is in exile here, Captive Israel is looking for a better place. Man was exiled from the garden of Eden after the fall. Man was exiled from God’s presence after the fall. And now man is mourning for that broken relationship. Captive Israel is looking to have that relationship repaired. Captive Israel is looking for that because what they have at the time of the first advent isn’t home. Home is in community and fellowship with God. Home is where God dwells. They were calling out for a better place.
And now! Now we, captive Israel are still looking for a better place. Hebrews 11:14
14 For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own.
That country of our own is heaven. It is the new heaven and the new earth. It is the country where we can once again dwell in the presence of God. A country where there will be no more tears, no more pain and no more blood shed. We will be God’s people and He will be our God. O come, O come, Emmanuel.
Line 4 says: Until the Son of God appear…
He came. Luke 2:6-7
6 While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth.
7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
Many missed it. They were looking for a Messiah of a different kind. A Messiah to save them from the Romans, not a Messiah that would save them from themselves and their sin. Many are still missing it?
But He is coming again. Will they miss it again? Will you miss it? The first time He came as a baby in a manger in a small town in the middle of nowhere. However when He comes again it won’t look the same as last time. He will come in an entirely different way. He will come on clouds with power.
27 “Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
That should get the attention of all those who continue to deny Him.
Verse 2
O come, thou Dayspring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death's dark shadows put to flight.
Line 1 goes: O come, thou Dayspring, come and cheer
Dayspring: another name for Christ Jesus, it is an archaic term for dawn or the first light of day, symbolizing a new beginning and light overcoming darkness.
2 The people who walk in darkness Will see a great light; Those who live in a dark land, The light will shine on them.
Jesus is the light. He is the Dayspring, He is the bright and morning star. He overcame darkness.
I say Bright and morning Star because that is how Dayspring is rendered in other versions. It primarily refers to Jesus Christ as a symbol of hope and the coming of a new day. It emphasizes Jesus’ divine light, glory, and role as the bringer of salvation. The title highlights Jesus’ eternal reign and victory over darkness, and His role in ushering in a new era of hope and redemption.
come and cheer - the pleading continues because when He comes He will bring cheer and great joy.
Line 2 says: Our spirits by Thine advent here
Advent - the arrival of a notable person, thing or event. His advent, His coming. His first coming brought cheer to the hearts of those who recognized Him as the Messiah and called upon His name.
But what about His second coming? Will that bring cheer to everyone's spirit? NO. There will be those who will hide away because they refused to bend their knee to Him. They will mourn because they did not receive Him as Lord and Savior.
Line 3 says: Disperse the gloomy clouds of night.
The night is darkness, the night is fear and the night is death. Fear and death loom over the night like so many gloomy clouds. It’s like having weeks of unending clouds in the winter, the sun never shines but the snow never falls. Just gloomy clouds hanging over the earth. His coming as the Dayspring, the Bright and Morning Star dispersed, the darkness, it dispersed the fear and death.
Line 4 says: And death's dark shadows put to flight.
Death has shadows. Shadows create suspicion and fear. But fear of death is put to flight by the presence of the Light. Those who call upon the name of the Lord have no reason to fear death anymore. The power of sin and death was broken by Jesus. It no longer has power over those who call upon His name.
Verse 3
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.
Line 1 says: O come, Thou Wisdom from on high.
Once again pleading for the Lord to come. Pleading for Him to be present in our lives as the Wisdom from on High.
The wisdom of God is a perfect, divine insight into all things, distinct from worldly wisdom, and is ultimately embodied in Jesus Christ. He is the Wisdom from on high. He is the one that will make all things right.
Line 2 says: And order all things, far and nigh;
The pleading is for Jesus Christ to bring order out of the chaos. Only Jesus Christ will bring order from the chaos caused by the fall, sin and death. The chaos is looming over all of creation. We may bring a bit of order to a piece of it here or there but we will never bring order to all things. It’s too big of a mess and we can’t do it. O come, O come, Emmanuel.
Line 3 says: To us the path of knowledge show,
Knowledge is a path. The path of knowledge begins with the fear of the Lord and with the acceptance that we are broken and flawed people who need a savior, Christ the Lord. And the path ends with the knowledge and understanding of who the Holy One is.
10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
Line 4 says: And cause us in her ways to go.
Make us walk her path. Wisdom is portrayed as a woman in the book of Proverbs. Here we are pleading for God to make us walk in the path of wisdom. To walk in her path. Proverbs 2:6 says:
6 For the Lord gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.
This verse actually says that God gives wisdom. It comes from His mouth. It comes to us through the still small voice of the Holy Spirit dwelling within us. It’s up to us to ask for it and it’s up to us to follow it. Wisdom comes directly from the mouth of God.
Verse 4
O come, Desire of nations, bind
All peoples in one heart and mind;
Bid envy, strife and quarrels cease,
Fill all the world with heaven’s peace.
Line 1 says: O come, Desire of nations, bind
Verse 4 as the others begins with the pleading, O come.
It is a pleading for the coming of the Desire of nations. The desire of nations is Jesus Christ, who is seen as the fulfillment of humanity’s spiritual desires and longings for salvation and redemption. His advent, His coming brought salvation to all those who call upon His name. Through His death on the cross He paid the ransom and provides salvation for all those who call upon His name. So call upon His name and be saved.
Line 2 says: All peoples in one heart and mind;
Bind all people one heart one mind. We are bound together. We are united in the church through the Holy Spirit.
12 For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ.
We are all a part of the same body. United here but also united with all the other believers world wide.
Line 3 says: Bid envy, strife and quarrels cease,
His presence should cause this. His presence drives away the envy, strife and quarrels. Of course as long as the world doesn’t know Jesus it won’t know peace. Romans 12:18
18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.
According to this verse we should do all we can to keep peace with others and even to be a peacemaker between people who are quarrelling. That’s what we should do. But the desire of Nations will bring peace. He will rid the world of envy, strife and quarrels. He will bring Shalom, wholeness to our lives and allow us to live in community with others without conflict. But until that time comes we must do what we can to bid envy, strife and quarrels to cease. We must be the peace the world is looking for until He returns.
Line 4 says: Fill all the world with heaven’s peace.
Heaven’s peace is Peace with God!! Malachi 2:6
6 “True instruction was in his mouth and unrighteousness was not found on his lips; he walked with Me in peace and uprightness, and he turned many back from iniquity.
Peace with God comes through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, turning our backs on iniquity and walking uprightly before our God.
The possibility of Heaven’s peace on earth began when Jesus Christ was born. Heaven’s peace finds a home on earth every time someone gives their life to Jesus Christ.
Exit: According to the:
Hope is a biblical term referring to the expectation of the believer that God will fulfill promises made in the past. Biblical hope is more than a simple wish; it entails certainty based on God’s demonstration of faithfulness to people in the history of salvation as recorded in the Scriptures and as experienced by the church. Ultimately the Christian’s future hope lies in the promise of Christ’s return and the anticipation of resurrection from the dead.
O come, O come, Emmanuel is a Christmas Carole with two messages. One message points to the past and Christ’s advent at His birth from the point of the people of Israel calling out for the Messiah to come and dwell with them. The second message points to the future and the hope of Christ’s advent when He comes on the clouds with great power and glory.
We can both celebrate His the advent at His birth but also to hope and believe in the promises that say He will come again.
There are a lot of things we can hope for but none of them are guaranteed except for those which are based on the promises of God. And one of the most important is John 3:16
16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
Believe on the Lord Jesus and be saved, for His is the power and the glory for ever and ever.
Pray:
