O Come, O Come Emmanuel

Message Transcription

Well is good to be with you. We're in week two of our comfort and Joy series, this advent series where we're looking at the hymns of Christmas. A couple of weeks ago, we started with Silent Night. If you hadn't had a chance to look at that, I invite you to go back and you can listen to that and check out those words, that story. It's a powerful song. In fact, I was talking with a few of you afterwards and came up and were reminding me of the story that I had intended to share and just totally forgot about. But but in the midst of World War One, on Christmas Eve, that the fighting had stopped and this song began to be sung, I think first on the German side and then echoed on the American side. And it was the song Silent Night singing together that the power of God's Word in song. The power to to cut right through. To the truth. It's one of the reasons we love that song, that we remember and sing about a silent night that maybe wasn't quite so silent on that first night, but it's this reminder of God's calm and peace and presence in our lives. Today we're going to look at another song. It's one of my. In fact, it's probably my favorite song, O come, O come, Emmanuel. And it's taken right out of the pages of Scripture. I want us to spend a little bit of time thinking about it.

I don't know if you know much about the story. There's not a whole lot known about the story behind this song. It was written sometime in the eighth or ninth century, probably most likely in Latin. Uh, it was, uh, had seven verses or what they call antiphons. And in fact each one began this phrase. It was often used during the season of advent, often seven days before Christmas Eve, that they would chant this song, uh, and each verse, you know, O come, O come, Emmanuel. Well, they would say, O sapientia, Sapientia, wisdom, Adonai, Lord, you know, each, each verse, uh, they would chant until they got to the last one Christmas Eve. In put together. If you look at all of these antiphons, the first letter of each word after O uh, down spells this acrostic, if you read it backwards, it spares, it spells, spares. Um, uh, arrow soccer arrow course, something like that. My latin's not too good these days. Neither is my English, as it turns out, as you're witnessing this morning. Uh, but this, uh, this acrostic means I'm coming or I will be present tomorrow. Um, the English version was translated around 1851 by this guy, John Mason Neale. Uh, he translated the verses over time. The verses have been translated. Some had been added to a couple of verses were added later on in 1916 by this guy, Henry Sloane Coffin.

Uh, two of the most common verses that we still sing today. So the version that that Neal translated became five verses out of the seven. They kind of reordered things and put things as artists and musicians often do, and we kind of sing the remnant of that. But it's a song that has been sung in the church for the last 1200 years or so. It's kind of amazing thing to think about. This song is trying to root us in a few things. In fact, one writer about this I was reading this week said it's trying to root us in a couple of things. Number one, in the story of the Old Testament. As some of us grew up in churches where we thought, well, the old is old and the new is new, and the old isn't important anymore. That's not really the story of Scripture that the Old Testament actually sings prophecies. It echoes it. It points us toward God's great, uh, creation that is coming again. And so this song helps root us in the story of God's presence with his people all throughout the Old Testament. But it also roots us in church history, that we find ourselves in the story unfolding in the world, and we too are a part of that. And so for the last 1200 years, this song has been chanted and sung in Christian churches all over the world.

But it also points us to the second coming that Christ has come and he is coming again. And so we gather each advent season to celebrate that he came the first time, but that he will come again. And so the song has deep roots and it challenges us on a number of different levels. And so I want us to go back and at least look at it in the context of the story of Christ. And so we'll look at these words that Rebecca read for us just a minute ago. And I want to point out just a couple of things that they're certainly not unique to me. They're just something that that stood out to me as I was thinking about this song. And it's calling to remind us of God's presence with us. Here again, Matthew's words from chapter one, beginning in verse 18, the birth of Jesus, the Messiah. This is how it came about, that his mother, Mary, was pledged to be married to Joseph. But before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. And because Joseph, her husband, was faithful to the law. Some translations. He was righteous and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace. He had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream.

Now I wondered about this. Verse 20 for a while this week. This is a passage we read. If you were in Bible class, were reading through an advent study together, and this was the passage, we were looking at the story of Joseph here, and I wondered about these verses and what they invite us to consider that Joseph was a righteous man. He was a man faithful to the law. He knew and he understood the law and what was required of him. And so he also. He also loved his fiance. He loved Mary, right? Because he didn't want to expose her. He didn't want to publicly humiliate her. And so he had this in mind to divorce her quietly. And then Matthew tells us after he considered this a while. Have you ever thought about that? After he says, why did the angel wait? Night, the angel showed up to Mary and told Mary what was going on. Here's what's happening, right? We can imagine all the emotions that Mary experienced going through that. Why would the angel wait to tell Joseph? Why wouldn't he tell? Oh, by the way, you. Just before you hold on, don't get too far down that road. This is what's going. That's not what happens. Now Joseph finds out what's going on. And Matthew tells us he was a righteous man. He was a righteous man. He knew the law. He understood the law.

He understood what was required in the law. He was righteous. I wonder if Matthew, of course, seeing Jesus way of living his righteousness, began to to understand that time a little differently. So as he's writing to us in this place, that righteousness isn't just knowing the law and doing what's required of the law, because there was a law about this. If a woman who is betrothed to another man shows up pregnant by someone other than that man, there's a law of how we handle that. And Joseph knew it. And Joseph could have responded. And he would have been completely justified by the law. But Matthew says he's. He's a righteous man. Which might invite us to pause and consider. Joseph was going to show Mary some grace. He wasn't going to expose her. He wasn't going to to humiliate her in front of family and friends and everyone. Joseph was a righteous man. He didn't just know the law, he lived it. He loved her. And instead of doing what the law allowed him to do. He showed her grace. Joseph loved her. I wonder if Matthew wants us to expand our definition of righteousness. It's not doing less than the law requires. You saw that in Jesus. Jesus always did more. He never did less than the law required. He always did more. His righteousness went beyond. Perhaps we hear echoes of this grace when when Jesus treated others who themselves were caught in a situation under the law where they were in trouble.

Were those around him would say, hey, there's a law about that. Jesus, are you going to follow the law? And Jesus. Shows grace. I wonder if he ever thought about this story. As he was going in his ministry on the earth. It makes me wonder, are there situations that you're facing right now where you have the law on your side? You could be completely justified in responding to this person. What is a righteous person do? How would they respond? What's the righteous response? God's inviting you to consider, as Joseph considered this. Perhaps God's inviting you this holiday season, this advent season, to lean into grace and to ask God, what might grace have to say in my response in this situation? God. Is there something else going on that may at least one level seem unbelievable, but God, is it possible that there's more to the story than just what I can see? God, do you want me to lean into some grace here? What might that look like? I don't know, I can't help but just wonder if story after story began to look differently to Matthew as he considered the way of Jesus and his righteousness that we're told surpassed that of the Pharisees and the scribes. But a righteousness that doesn't just take into account what I have to do.

But what God invites us and we might get to do. Perhaps, but after he considered this, Matthew tells us, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the spirit. And she'll give birth to a son. And you are to give him the name Jesus. Because he will save his people from their sins. All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Emmanuel, which means God with us. When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him, and he took Mary home. As his wife. That's interesting. If you go back and you study this passage, you'll read all kinds of accounts, all kinds of scholars opinions on this story. And some will argue that that Matthew made this part up so that it would somehow fulfill a prophecy that was out there. What's interesting is there's no evidence of that. There's really no evidence that Matthew would have done that. In fact, most who looked at prophecies would not have seen this as one of those prophecies that needed to be fulfilled by the Messiah. Because if you know the story of Isaiah seven, this story isn't about the coming of the Messiah as we think of it today.

There's a little more going on. Meaning the passage was written to King Ahaz of Judah, not to the Christians of 21st century 20th century. Isaiah had just been commissioned by God. And God sends him to King Ahaz, who's terrified because there's this impending invasion coming right. Israel to the north. And Syria have combined and created this alliance, and their goal is to take out Judah. And so Ahaz, who's king of Judah, is scared, but God promises him this invasion isn't going to happen. In fact, both of the nations that you're afraid of right now, they're going to be laid to waste. They're going to be destroyed. And then Ahaz, or rather, Isaiah from God says, so, Ahaz, ask God for a sign to show you that this is going to happen. And in Ahaz refuses. So the Lord says this. Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Emmanuel. He will be eating curds and honey when he knows enough to reject wrong and choose the right. For before the boy knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right. The land of the two kings you dread will be laid. Waste. The Lord will bring on you and on your people, and on the house of your father.

A time unlike any since Ephraim broke away from Judah. He will bring the king of Assyria. At the original use of this passage that Matthew refers to. Wasn't pointing to a messiah in the way that we think of it. Matthew knew this story, and Jesus knew this story, and all of a sudden it began to make some sense in light of who Jesus was, that Matthew was doing what many of us who have come to understand and recognize who Jesus really is, that we begin to see and hear stories differently, right? In light of Jesus, we begin to understand things in a new and a profound, a deeper way. I think that's part of what's going on here, that somehow in Christ, in the birth of Jesus, God is doing again, doing again what he has been doing over and over. The saving work. Only this time it won't bring be to bring some other superpower in. Instead, Jesus will be the one who will set all things right, who will make all things new. Joseph is told by the angel that Mary's child is conceived of the Holy Spirit, and he's to give him the name. Jesus and Yeshua. Which means God saves. And so again, you can see in Matthew's mind those wheels are turning. As he's putting together all the dots after the resurrection, as he's sitting down to consider, how do I write this story so that others would understand these stories and these images are flooding into his mind? Yeshua.

Yes. Doesn't that name sound familiar? Why does that name sound so familiar? Well, of course it was the name of my best friend. But wait, there's more to it, wasn't there? The story of a man named named Joshua. Who led God's people out of slavery and into this promised land. Oh, yeah. I think Isaiah said something about a child being born that was going to be be important to the future of his people. See, that's not all Matthew tells us. He points us back to that passage in Isaiah for another reason. He says, the Virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him. Emmanuel. That God is with us. That Jesus is going to be known by a couple of names. He's going to be known as Yeshua. Joshua as we would translate it into English. That God saves. God is doing his saving work. God is saving his people. But he's also going to be known as Emmanuel. God is with us. It turns out these are really important in Matthew's gospel, right? Matthew? Who's who's so intent on trying to show his Jewish audience the story of creation and how it unfolds and lives its life in the midst of his gospel, that the very beginning, the creation story we see God creates the world and he creates mankind in his image.

And there's this picture in the garden of God walking with Adam and Eve, that his presence is with his people. We see here. Jesus is known as Emmanuel. He comes as a baby God with us. But Jesus would talk all throughout his ministry that God continues to be with us. In fact, in Matthew 18 he'd say it this way where 2 or 3 gather in my name, there I am with you. Right. Same phrase. We hear it again at the end of his ministry, after he has been raised from the dead, and he's commissioning his disciples to go into the world and tell the story. He says, remember, I am with you. He was with us at the beginning. He was with us in his ministry. He says, I will be with you till the end. That Jesus is Immanuel. It's all through Matthew's gospel that the incarnation of Jesus on earth isn't just a great story. It's reality. It's God coming, incarnating, being with his people once again. And again, because Matthew's understanding of our story is rooted in the story of Israel, he can point us all the way to creation. To say, see how God was with us at the beginning? And then sin and brokenness mars that creation. One day we'll be with him again, right? Revelation 21 and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, look, God's dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them.

They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. See this time of advent is this reminder that God's presence is with us right now. It's through His Holy Spirit right now. It's through his presence, by His Spirit, through one another that we together might we sense God's presence with us one day. It'll be in his fullness when all things are made new, when all is reconciled back to himself. But between that day and this. We have this promise of the spirit. And we have this hymn. That's rooting us in this story. That's rooting us in the church history to say, hey, church, when we gather, we sing, O come, O come, Emmanuel. And would you ransom captive Israel? So I invite us church this this week to consider. How is God asking you to consider his presence with you? And again, it may be maybe it's a situation that you're facing, a relationship challenge. Maybe it's a work challenge, some other kind of challenge. Where God wants you to consider. How is his presence with you going to help you? Maybe it's a situation like we talked about earlier that it looks one way to you, but maybe God's at work. God, do I need to lean into grace a little more here? Yeah, but you helped me have eyes to see and ears to hear.

O come, O come, Emmanuel, will you come this week? It reminds me of your presence, of your peace, your hope, your joy that I can trust you to do what I can't do on my own. Father, I pray as we sing this song here in just a moment. O come, O come, Emmanuel, that our hearts will be reminded, I think, like Matthew's were. Of all the ways in which you have been present with your people throughout history. Ways that you have shown up for us. And especially in those moments when we could not have done anything on our own. Story after story. Time and time again. Well, you've promised to be with us. Yeah. Would you help us, as Matthew did, to begin to see all of life and even all of history now through the lens of Christ, that we begin to interpret and reinterpret stories of old through a new lens of your promise of presence in the world, that you have been working this plan since Genesis three to bring reconciliation and redemption back to a world that you created. And the people that you love so much, you created them in your very image. Again, you've continued to work in and through the presence of Christ, not only here during his ministry on the world, on the earth, but but now in our hearts. You've called us, you've invited us.

You've challenged us to be ministers. To be ambassadors of reconciliation. Yeah. Would you help us to find our place in that grand story again today? Lord, I know many of us are facing challenges right now that just seem overwhelming. We're facing circumstances that we hadn't imagined. Maybe it's relationship that that we're desperate trying to understand. Why is why is it going this way? And maybe it's a health challenge. We've heard of those already today. Maybe it's work. Some other type of. I've experienced God where it seems to be looking one way. Gaby, would you help us to consider? Would you help us to be righteous in our consideration of it? God, would you be open to help us, to be open to your grace flowing? God. This promise of being with us is one that is woven all the way through the pages of Scripture, and it's a promise you want us to hold on to. It's a promise that Matthew held deeply onto as he considered his own life apart from you and with you. So God, in this holiday season, as we get a chance to to sing again these ancient words. May they be true for us in a way, in a powerful way today. May they inspire hope. May they encourage us. May they strengthen us for the days ahead. God, thank you for your promise to be with us. Lord, we hear it. We cry out for it once again. In Jesus name, Amen.