“Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”-Matthew 1:23
“O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” could rightly be the sentiments of both the prophets of old, as well as you and I. It should be the cry of every human heart. The invitation for Jesus Christ to come and dwell within; the Savior of the world to save everyman from sin.
Emmanuel, God with us. Is it that Christ should come? That he should be found as a man on the earth? Born of women, live a life and die a cruel death? Yes, and so much more than this. Truly, he “was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities”, but he also brought “life and immortality to light through the gospel.” He reveals the mystery, which is Christ in you the hope of glory. The invitation of Christ coming reaches much deeper than the history books. It touches the Lamb's book of life, because it moves those who welcome Him from death to life. It transcends from natural to spiritual. That he might come and live and reign in the heart of everyman. To ransom the captive that mourns in exile of sin. To open the prison bars of unrighteousness and loose the chains of wickedness. To lead us to that spiritual rest by which we can be fit subjects for heaven. Emmanuel, “God with us.” He wants to save you, yes you, from all sin. He wants to come and live within your heart and “purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God.” When the Son of God comes in, he changes you “from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to that of God.” The change comes because the power is real. Can it be that the Holy Child would come and die for me? Yes, for He did. Can it be that the Creator of the Universe would live in you, in me? Yes, through Christ. Christ is our dayspring, morning star, Prince of Peace, and King of Kings. The battlefield for man’s soul is waged on a spiritual plain and the principal territory to be won is the heart.
O Come Emmanuel. Abide with us. Deliver to us. Transform us. Sanctify us. This is the cry at the altar. The invitation of the earnest seeker. O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. Come to us, abide with us.
