December 23, 2025
O come, O come, Emmanuel,
and ransom captive Israel
that mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear.
Two days before Christmas, in this Advent season of waiting and longing, the seventh, and final, name for the Christ (or Light, or Love, or Universe, if you prefer) proclaimed in the ancient prayer-song of the O Antiphons is found in Isaiah 7:14: “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign. Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son and his name shall be called Emmanuel.“
Emmanuel: “God with us.”
Of the four stories of the Christ, the good news of the gospels, Matthew and Luke are the two evangelists that include the birth story, and their narratives are quite different from each other. In Matthew’s rendition, “God with us” comes in the midst of a Roman occupation with an unwanted male infant that King Herod tries to kill. “God with us” occurs in dreams that lead Joseph to take his family to Egypt and astrologers to disobey Herod’s orders and “go another way.” Jesus, the Christ, becomes “God with us,” not as an abuser, arrogant king but as the new Moses who will lead God’s people not out of Egypt but out of themselves and into the Light. O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.
For Luke, “God with us” appears to the least likely—to an old woman, Elizabeth, and a teenaged girl, Mary, second class citizens, and to shepherds, third class citizens, made unclean by Jewish standards because of their care of dirty animals. “God with us” becomes the one who walks among the least of us, the poor and powerless, and surprises the faithful and long-waiting, old Simeon and Anna. O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.
“God with us” meets us exactly where we, you and I, are, as we are, with love and compassion, mercy and longing. “God with us,” the great “I AM,” crosses over space, history, form, and time to be present here and now in whatever darkness we may find ourselves. As the concentration camp survivor Corrie Ten Boom penned, “There is no pit so deep that GOD is not deeper still.” God. Is. With. Us.
“God with us” means we are never again alone. Rejoice, Rejoice!
O Emmanuel, you are the one whom the peoples await and their Savior. O come and save us, Lord, our God. Save us from the darkness of evil and save us from ourselves. Whenever we see a candle burn, a light on a tree sparkle, outside decorations glow, let us take those sights as reminders of your Light and Love upon us and upon everyone. Guide us out of ourselves and toward you, and help us to be Light-bearers to those who live in darkness, those who need to know both peace and joy. You are with us and within us, and so we can rejoice, even now.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
Thank you for joining me for these O Antiphons of Advent. May your Christmas Season be filled with wonder, light, health, and peace.
Christmas blessings! ~ Rosemary
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel: Lauren Daigle, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGw0QK6ICZA.
Photo credit: Rosemary McMahan
Spirit Reflections 