"The God Pause Daily Devotional" from The Luther Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States for Saturday, 17 December 2016 "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" (ELW 257)

"The God Pause Daily Devotional" from The Luther Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States for Saturday, 17 December 2016 "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" (ELW 257)
-------

"O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" (ELW 257)
"O come, O come, Emmanuel, And ransom captive Israel" Translator: John Mason Neale (1851)
1. O come, O come, Immanuel,
and ransom captive Israel
that mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear.
Refrain:
Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel
shall come to you, O Israel.
2. O come, O Wisdom from on high,
who ordered all things mightily;
to us the path of knowledge show
and teach us in its ways to go.
Refrain:
Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel
shall come to you, O Israel.
3. O come, O come, great Lord of might,
who to your tribes on Sinai's height
in ancient times did give the law
in cloud and majesty and awe.
Refrain:
Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel
shall come to you, O Israel.
4. O come, O Branch of Jesse's stem,
unto your own and rescue them!
From depths of hell your people save,
and give them victory o'er the grave.
Refrain:
Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel
shall come to you, O Israel.
5. O come, O Key of David, come
and open wide our heavenly home.
Make safe for us the heavenward road
and bar the way to death's abode.
Refrain:
Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel
shall come to you, O Israel.
6. O come, O Bright and Morning Star,
and bring us comfort from afar!
Dispel the shadows of the night
and turn our darkness into light.
Refrain:
Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel
shall come to you, O Israel.
7. O come, O King of nations, bind
in one the hearts of all mankind.
Bid all our sad divisions cease

and be yourself our King of Peace.
Refrain:
Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel
shall come to you, O Israel.
-------
For the Advent season we are looking back and reflecting on the previous week's readings.
The text for today's hymn cannot be published due to copyright limitations. We apologize for the inconvenience.
The last seven days of Advent are of a particular intensity. Many know the hymn "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel." We sing it often, sometimes more than once, during Advent. Its roots are ancient. The text dates back perhaps to the 5th century. It was in regular use by the 8th century. The church has been singing this yearning cry for many centuries. Even before it was used as a hymn, the seven verses marked each of the last days before Christmas, like the first Advent season of seven days! Today, we sing and pray the second verse: O wisdom. This verse summarizes much of our meditation over the past three weeks. Wisdom comes from the mouth of the most high. Wisdom is the word, God's word, Jesus Christ, who is coming and "ordering all things," that is, gathering us all into himself, gathering all of creation, establishing peace and reconciliation, restoring all things. Christ does this certainly ("mightily") and with mercy ("sweetly"). We do not fear for Christ is mercy. 
O wisdom, coming forth from the mouth of the most high, embracing all things far and nigh, mightily and sweetly ordering all things: Come and teach us the way of wisdom.Amen.
Dirk G. Lange
Associate Dean, Graduate Theological Education and Fredrik A. Schiotz Chair of Missions and Professor of Worship, Luther Seminary
-------