From Connection To Exile To Redemption by ems 11/28/21
Week 1: Hope (or promise) ~ Light 1 purple candle
2nd Day of Advent
Advent Hymn: 🎼O Come, O Come, Emmanuel 🎶
Sung at both Advent and Christmas, this hymn originates from Latin but was translated to English in 1851. The music for the hymn was composed in such a way that both the English and Latin words can be used interchangeably. Here are 2 of the 5 verses:
Verse 1:
O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel, that mourns in lonely exile here, until the Son of God appear.
Verse 2:
O come, thou Rod of Jesse, free thine own from Satan’s tyranny; from depths of hell thy people save and give the victory o’er the grave!
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel!
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“All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:10-14)
(which means, God with us.)” ~ Matthew 1:22-23
From Connection To Exile To Redemption by ems 11/28/21
In the beginning, God dwelled with Adam & Eve in perfect connection until they chose to disobey. As a result, they lived out the rest of their lives in exile outside of Eden.
The fracture of this broken relationship with Father God echoed throughout the ages ~ perhaps more than 4,000 years until Emmanuel, God with us, God’s promise of redemption, Jesus, moved into the neighborhood to dwell with His people once again.
Since the dawn of time, all creation has been subject to decay and disparity after Adam & Eve listened to the serpent and chose to sin against God and disobey Him. But the God of Eternity promised He would step into time to bruise the head of the serpent of old. Mankind would see God explained by the living, breathing God-man Jesus Christ, who chose every day not to sin to release us from sin forever.
By God’s original design, we were made by Him and for Him to connect, know Him, and be known. But when sin (choosing to go our own way) entered the world, God’s perfect world was marred, and then He sent all mankind into exile. Yet God would not allow this injustice to steal us away from His ultimate plan of community. He provided the only way of redemption, of buying us out of the slavery of sin.
From Connection to Exile to Redemption … such a wonderous gift yet so perplexing.
Imagine that God loved us so much that He planned not to leave us alone and destitute but prepared a way of escape from eternal punishment before the foundation of the world. He who promised is faithful and has given us eternal hope through the gift of His Son, Jesus.
Prayer:
O come, O come, Emmanuel, and as you have ransomed my life from the pit, so dwell in my heart and life forever. Light my darkness with Your eternal light, and make me ever thankful for this indescribable gift!
Here is another song for you to enjoy that welcomes Emmanuel:
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Gleanings From Heaven's Gate 