Advent: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

Isaiah 11:1-3a

1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
   from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
     the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
     the Spirit of counsel and of might,
     the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—
3 and he will delight in the fear of the Lord. (NIV)

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

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.

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

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

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

Tune: VENI EMMANUEL (Chant); Translator: John Mason Neale (1851)

Advent

On the first day of December the family begins its celebration of Advent (though liturgically, Advent starts on the fourth Sunday before Christmas). Just before the Sprouts' bedtime, after teeth are brushed and jammies are put on, the whole family curls up on the couch in front of the tastefully decorated Christmas tree. We open up the Advent calendar, which contains twenty-four numbered little booklets that tell the story of the circumstances leading up to Christ's birth. Each night, we take turns reading the booklets, and the Sprouts take a turn hanging the booklet on the tree. We then sing a song of preparation (a short Taize refrain), although, if I recall, we forgot to do that tonight in the haste of getting very tired Sprouts off to bed! Which is a great reminder for me: despite all the hurrying, scurrying and worrying before the Christmas program and feast day at school, I need to slow down and take in deep breaths. I remember planning a couple of evening "Catch Your Breath" worship services during the Advent season while in TO. I appreciated taking the time in the busy-ness of the season to be quiet, so that I could hear the voice of God saying "Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). May I continue to quiet myself to hear His voice during this Advent season, so that I can enjoy celebrating Christ's birth, and have the calm assurance for the future in that the long-expected Christ will come again.

A simple cinquain:

Season

Blue, hopeful

Expecting, longing, yearning

Anxiously awaiting Christ's arrival

Advent