Today’s readings: Click on today’s date at http://www.usccb.org/bible/
O come, O come Emmanuel
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Third Week of Advent
Matthew 1:23
The virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means “God is with us.”
O come, O come, Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
 We lament, Lord. We are alone here. Surrounded by enemies and struggling to find a high place where we can see beyond our own fear. We don’t trust each other. We don’t know each other. We have lost the language of love you taught us at the beginning.
So now we speak and hear with strange unintelligible sounds. We listen, but our ears are shut. Our eyes are false, and we look away when we speak.
Until the Son of God appear
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
This dream, this imagining must someday come to pass. Surely the fullness of time will come. Isn’t that right, Lord? We are not in this for the fame or fortune; we are banking on you because you are our Only Hope. We wait, and we wait, and we become afraid. But your prophets bring judgment and correction and your love comes alive again.
Can we rejoice if we don’t know when? Must we know your mind to be satisfied? No, your thoughts are not our thoughts. You will always come to us, but you tell us over and over that “in quietness and trust is your strength.
“We are blessed when we wait for you” (Isaiah 30).
Set my feet upon the rock, Holy Spirit. Sing the music of God into the soul of my body, the heart of my mind, the deepest place of my life. You love me with all your strength. Thank you.
Lyrics: http://www.carols.org.uk/o_come_come_emmanuel.htm
Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Q6iesplJRM
http://www.christiancounselingservice.com/archived_devotions.php?article_id=1214
