The haunting melodic chant washed over me. Lyrics slowly told the story of people mourning in captivity and exile. How could this be a Christmas hymn? It didn’t seem joyful at all. But then…the refrain burst forth:

Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel shall come to you, O Israel.

Although the melody may have a disquieting effect on you, in reality, this is a hymn of hope. The mourning exiles would be ransomed. Immanuel would free them from captivity by paying a price.

 Haven’t we all felt like exiles and captives, even at this most joyous time of year? We’re held captive by demands on our time and by the expectations of others. Sadly, many of us are exiled and estranged from family. So often, though He freed us with His blood, we are still slaves to our sins. But Jesus. He redeems and ransoms us from our captivity to sin.

O come, O come, Immanuel,  

and ransom captive Israel

that mourns in lonely exile here

until the Son of God appears.

Jesus, Immanuel, God with us will do the same for us. One day soon, He will come to rescue us from this earth and bring us home to Him. One day the messiness of this earthly life will be completely and perfectly redeemed. By Immanuel.

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. 

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. 

We are exiles here, longing for home. But we can rejoice today and every day because we are redeemed, ransomed, and rescued by the blood of Jesus. And one day soon, we’ll be Home for Christmas.

For His Glory,

 

 

Want to know more about being an exile? Grab a copy of my book, Longing to Belong-Filling the Longings of Our Hearts with the Hope of Home.