Posts with the tag “o-come-o-come-emmanuel”

If you remember from Part 1, this beautiful carol—when sung in Latin—forms a backward acrostic that spells the phrase “ERO CRAS,” meaning “Tomorrow, I come.” That short line captures the answer to the longing that runs through the whole hymn. Each verse names Christ with a different title, and each title unfolds a facet of who He is—and why His coming matters.5. “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”And ranso...  Read More

Let’s continue working through these stanzas. 5. “O Come, Thou Day Spiring, come and cheer,”Our spirits by Thine Advent here;Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,And death’s dark shadows put to flight. The word “Oriens” means “rising” and often refers to the “morning star,” the bright star that appears just before the sun rises. After the darkness of a long night, the appearance of the morning star...  Read More

My aunt died last week. Her name was Carol.She had lived with a brain tumor for twenty-three years, and after all that time she finally went to her Savior’s side the day before Thanksgiving. We held her funeral yesterday. Snow fell softly over Northern Virginia—gentle, quiet, beautiful. I kept thinking how much she would have loved seeing God’s artistry on such full display.Throughout the day I fo...  Read More

My favorite Christmas hymn is “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.” I absolutely love it. To me, it’s one of the most beautiful songs we sing at any point in the year. The melody and lyrics work together to produce a haunting, yearning ache that perfectly captures the longing at the heart of Advent. And its history is among the oldest in the Christian liturgy—rich with depth, Scripture, and even a “hidden message” woven into the ancient text. Over the next four weeks, leading up to Christmas Eve, I want to walk with you through this hymn’s background and its profound theological meaning.  Read More