One of the most striking things about Advent is the way that it seeks to combine longing for future deliverance with present joy in the midst of waiting. One of the oldest and most beloved advent songs, “O Come O Come Emmanuel,” written in the early eighteenth century but containing elements that reach all the way back to the eighth, beautifully combines these seemingly contradictory emotions.
O Come O Come Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.
Note the longing and sadness: Israel is captive, mourning in lonely exile. The cry is for God to come. But then note the chorus:
Rejoice, Rejoice, Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
Yes, there is mourning and longing in the midst of captivity and oppression. But nevertheless, the poet calls us to rejoice, because the Son of God will come. God has promised deliverance, and his word is sure.
O Come Thou Dayspring Come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine Advent here.
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death’s dark shadow put to flight.
Again, note the pain: we are in sadness and in need of cheering. Night’s gloomy clouds hang all about us. Death’s dark shadow suffocates us. And again the chorus rings out:
Rejoice, Rejoice, Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
The pattern continues in the remaining verses. And this pattern is meant to instruct us. We are waiting in a land of deep darkness. We are burdened with a heavy yoke; we are bruised by the rod of the oppressor. Pain and Death are everywhere: Pain of broken relationships. Death from cancer. Families and communities wracked by accusation, bitterness, and confusion. Global turmoil. Envy, strife, and sorrow abound on every side. And so we mourn, we grieve, we ache. We cry out, “Come Emmanuel!”
But we do so in hope. We do so with joy. In the midst of the oppression, in the midst of the sorrow, in the midst of the captivity, we rejoice. Or at least, we’re called to. It’s never easy, and we stumble in many ways. But God’s word remains sure.
Joe Rigney – December 10, 2023
