O Come O Come Emmanuel, 15th century hymn

Misery likes company

The old Latin hymn, “O Come O Come Emmanuel” is a song about misery and company. It oscillates between pain and hope, loneliness and fellowship. It is a song of dread and joy…

O come, O come, Emmanuel

And ransom captive Israel

The song recalls the time Israel were carted into exile, strangers in a strange land, longing for home, singing by the rivers of Babylon. Yep, that's their song, not Boney M's. 

Will they ever make it back? Yes. Even more so, God will accompany them on the way home...

Make safe the way that leads on high

And close the path to misery

Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel

She can rejoice amidst her misery knowing Emmanuel is with them. They have company.

So they waited, longing for things to be made well.

Fast forward to that first Christmas eve, an angel repeated the promise to a waiting people…

The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son and they will call him Immanuel, which means, “God with us.”

Christmas is the idea that God chose to be with us. To accompany us.

And like Israel of old, we wait for things to be made well. And we too are given a promise of company…

“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age…”

Christmas can be a tough time of the year. But let us rejoice. As a waiting people, God has given us company.