“O Come to My Heart, Lord Jesus”
Advent – the anticipation of the celebration of the birth of Jesus.
As we celebrate Advent this month, we light five candles representing five key words: Hope, Love, Peace, Joy, Christ. These words lead us to reflect on various aspects of the Christmas story.
Advent Week One – HOPE.
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.
O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan’s tyranny;
From depths of hell Thy people save,
And give them victory over the grave.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, Thou Day-spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here;
And drive away the shades of night
And pierce the clouds and bring us light!
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, Thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, O come, Thou Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes on Sinai’s height
In ancient times once gave the law
In cloud, and majesty, and awe.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
shall come to thee, O Israel.
Each verse of this song calls out a different name of Jesus—Emmanuel, Rod of Jesse, Dayspring, Key of David, and Lord of Might—reminding us that every part of our need is answered in Jesus Christ.
Can you hear the cries and deep prayers of the Israelites, mourning in exile, longing for their promised Messiah? As decades and centuries go by, have they lost hope? Is the Messiah truly coming? They have waited in darkness so long for the promise to be fulfilled. Can you hear the echoes of aching for hope of a savior to ransom them from captivity?
As God spoke through the prophet Isaiah:
“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light.”
Isaiah 9:2
Where is the light? What hope do we have that this light is still coming?
Jesus, the Messiah is coming! He is coming to give us hope! He is coming to ransom our captive souls – held captive by sin and darkness. Jesus’ birth marks the end of that darkness and beginning of light, if you would but believe.
Jesus entered our world once, and He enters our lives again and again with His presence, His wisdom, and His peace.
Rejoice for the promise is fulfilled! He is coming! He is come! He will come again! Emmanuel, God with us.
Heather Hanton
Ministries and Media Specialist
The Salvation Army USA Central Territory
Women’s Ministries Department
