O come, O come Emmanuel – VIcar’s comment

‘O come O come Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel, that mourns in lonely exile here, until the Son of God appear’.

This is my favourite carol (although I know some might want to say it’s technically an Advent hymn not a carol!). The reason (aside from the beautiful melody) is that of all the songs that churches sing during Advent and Christmas, this is the only one which seems to me to have a sense of desperation about it. The desperation that feels something needs to happen in order to sort us all out, something needs to happen to restore what the human race has lost, something needs to happen to bring us home to God, something needs to happen to free us from the trap we’ve fallen into.

Christmas is about Jesus coming so that all of that could happen. No more desperation, but instead godly freedom, fulfilment and life.

Praise the Lord this Christmas, because ‘the reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work’ – and that means the cycle of desperation is broken for all who trust in Him’

Yours in Christ
Revd. Chris Collins

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