"O Come, O Come, Emmanuel"

FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT

The words to this advent hymn have been around since the 1100s. Imagine that! Although originally sung in Latin, this hymn has been heard in churches great and small for 900 years. Not only do churches all over the globe sing this hymn on this first Sunday of Advent, but we are joining our voices with generations of saints who came before us. That's a comforting thought.

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

O come, O come, Emmanuel,
and ransom captive Israel,
that mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear.
Refrain:
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O, Lord, we are captives on this earth. We mourn in lonely exile at times. Feeling so alone. So not-of-this-world. Thank you for your presence in our midst. In our hearts. In our hopes.