Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, 

One of my all-time favorite hymns to sing is “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.”  I came across a wonderful history of this hymn that dates back to the 12th century and I wanted to share the article with our congregation. It was written by Joe Holland on the Ligonier’s website[1].  I have also put the 7 verses to this classical hymn for reading and prayerful meditation this Advent and Christmas season.  It gave me a deeper understanding and appreciation for this centuries old hymn that the Church has been singing though generations. 

Joy filled Advent and Merry Christmas,

Pastor Ryan Honeycutt

LSB 357 O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

Vs. 1    O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.

Refrain:  Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel!

 

2          O come, Thou Wisdom from on high,
Who ord’rest all things mightily;
To us the path of knowledge show,
And teach us in her ways to go. Refrain

 

3          O come, O come, Thou Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes on Sinai’s height
In ancient times didst give the Law
In cloud and majesty and awe. Refrain

 

4          O come, Thou Branch of Jesse’s tree,
Free them from Satan’s tyranny
That trust Thy mighty pow’r to save,
And give them vict’ry o’er the grave. Refrain

 

5          O come, Thou 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. Refrain

 

6          O come, Thou Dayspring from on high,
And cheer us by Thy drawing nigh;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadows put to flight. Refrain

 

7          O come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind;
Bid Thou our sad divisions cease,
And be Thyself our King of Peace. Refrain

 

Text: Latin, c. 12th cent.; Psalteriolum Cantionum Catholicarum, 1710, Köln; tr. John Mason Neale, 1818–66, alt. Text: Public domain

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel Aside from being an old hymn that has been translated and modified through the years of church history, what does it have to teach us? This hymn teaches us to remain rooted in three critical moments in time.

This hymn helps root us in the Old Testament in a way that is richly biblical and centered on Jesus.

Rooted in the Old Testament

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel is, by design, full of references to Christ in the Old Testament. It is sometimes hard for Christians, especially new Christians, to make sense of the Old Testament. When we begin to see the Old Testament as God’s plan to prepare for the coming of Jesus (Eph. 1:10), a plan that even angels were excited to see unfold (1 Peter 1:10–12), then we start to see that the Old Testament is much more than a history of Israel’s place in the ancient Near East. The Old Testament becomes for us a way to see and savor the glory of Jesus Christ in the types, shadows, and promises that predicted His coming. The author of O Come, O Come, Emmanuel wants those who sing this hymn to grow in that knowledge. Consider the different messianic promises of the Old Testament that are alluded to in this hymn:

It is essential to learn and know the theology that describes how the Old Testament points to and prepares for the coming of Jesus. It is just as important to sing that theology. When we sing, we engage both our mind and our emotions in the worship of God. In this way, this hymn helps root us in the Old Testament in a way that is richly biblical and centered on Jesus.

Rooted in Church History

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel also roots us in the history of the New Testament church, a history that began with the Apostles and will culminate in the second coming of Jesus. Christians have a particular safety and camaraderie when they sing a hymn that has been sung by Christians for 1,200 years and counting. It is safe because multiple centuries of Christians have checked and affirmed this hymn’s orthodox theology. One of the difficulties of singing newer hymns and songs is not knowing how accurate they are theologically. There is also a fellowship in singing old hymns because we sing the same songs that our brothers and sisters have sung, brothers and sisters in Christ who have now gone home to their heavenly reward. We need to remember that our faith and our worship of our God unite us with Christians around the globe and with Christians who have lived through the centuries. Singing old hymns reminds us of this truth.

Rooted in the Return of Christ

When we sing O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, we offer our imperative prayer to God, longing for the return, the second coming of Jesus. The first two periods of time in which this hymn roots us are in the past. But this hymn is also expectant and forward-looking in its composition. It declares the first advent of Jesus even as it stokes our desire for the second coming of Jesus. We live in the inaugurated kingdom of God that is hurtling toward its great consummation at the end of all things, when Jesus will return to judge the living and the dead. That is why I argue that we should sing this hymn all year long. It is indeed set in the first coming of Jesus, but its real power is in the repeated emotive call “O come, o come . . .” that places on our lips the longing of our souls, a hope we share with the saints in the Old Testament, our expectant wish that Jesus will come quickly and wipe away every tear from every eye and make all things right.

So, Christian, this Christmas, sing this great hymn of the church, this great Christmas carol, with a recognition that, as you do, you stand in three distinct periods—in the Old Testament looking forward to Christ’s first coming, in the New Testament church rejoicing in the first coming of Christ, and with the expectancy of those who are waiting for the final advent of Christ at the end of all things. O come, O come, Lord Jesus. Come soon.[2][3]

 

[1] https://learn.ligonier.org/articles/o-come-o-come-emmanuel

[3] The Gospel in Hymns by Albert Bailey (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1950).