Advent Hymn Consideration: Look to Christ and Long for His Return
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel assists us in identifying with the pre-Incarnation faithful and expresses our shared longing with them for the arrival of the Messiah.
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.
Refrain:
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel.
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 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.
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.
Latin Hymn, trans. J.M. Neale
As I’ve often noted (and will continue to remind us) in reference to the Advent season: we live between the Advents. I think that’s why this is one of my favorite Advent Hymns. O Come, O Come, Emmanuel assists us in identifying with the pre-Incarnation faithful and expresses our shared longing with them for the arrival of the Messiah. They longed, as we do, for the arrival of the Messiah. They longed imperfectly with imperfect knowledge. We long imperfectly and with imperfect knowledge - no matter what our charts, systematics, or millennial view says. Yet, what we have is far greater revelation. We’re able to long with a greater distinction and clarity. Which means that our desire for the King of Peace ought actually to be intensified.
This escalating intensity is reflected in the structure of this hymn. Each stanza opens with a different title of the Lord Jesus Christ. The tone of expectation grows in every successive verse building a greater desire for Immanuel to arrive. These titles also accompany another aspect of the work of Christ that’s petitioned: “ransom captive Israel,” “come and cheer our spirits,” “open wide our heav’nly home,”. What will it be for these petitions to be fulfilled? The Lord Jesus will arrive, dispersing “the gloomy clouds of night,” closing “the path to misery”, and ultimately by being our “King of Peace.” The refrain offers praise in anticipation of these works accomplished. The certainty that Emmanuel will indeed come offers the opportunity to rejoice.
In its rising intensity and bold invitation to rejoice in the certainty of the coming King, it offers a sweet tone of expectation. Again, like Come Thou Long Expected, Jesus, we’re cast both to consider ourselves in the place of the Old Testament saints, but also looking to the future when the work begun in opening the way of salvation by Jesus’ first advent will be fully realized at His second.
Hymn History
Translated by JM Neale, this song was originally a Latin poem that was used in evening services around Advent as far back as the 700’s. The translation, one of many done by Neale was completed in the mid-1800’s. As one writer noted, “Christians have a particular…camaraderie when they sing a hymn that has been sung by Christians from 1,200 years and counting.”
Look and Increase Your Love and Longing
The various titles of the Lord Jesus that are employed ( “Emmanuel,” “Dayspring,” “Key of David”, and the “Desire of Nations.”) to heighten our hope in this One we’re calling to come soon. When we see Christ as He truly is our heart’s greatest desire is to see Him and be where He is. How do we increase our love and longing for Him? By seeing Him. How do we see Him? By looking to His self-revelation in the Word of God. We know Him by His Word. When we can supplement our affection for Him by hymns such as these that employ rich biblical language, allusions, quotations, and titles of the Lord, we are stoking the flame of our love for Christ. Knowing Christ, being reminded of His many titles in a song like this one, enlivens our hope to see Him and rejoice in Him.