There is a great deal of insightful and revealing doctrine in hymns, including Christmas hymns. Here's one to meditate on:
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, 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!
How many of us have sung the 3rd verse of Silent Night - "Son of God, Loves pure light" (you do sing all the verses right?) -- but actually it's "Son of God, love's pure light". That little apostrophe makes a world of difference.
Wrote about my duh moment of discovery in my blog - http://thecinc.blogspot.com/2007/12/duh-moment.html.
Posted by: Harold Henderson | December 16, 2009 at 05:19 AM
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel is my absolute favorite Advent hymn. The longing for redemption expressed, not only in the words but in the music is powerful.
Posted by: Ryan | December 17, 2009 at 08:49 AM