… they shall name him Emmanuel, a name that means “God is with us.”
Mt 1:23
O come, O come, Emmanuel, free thy poor Israel!
It lies here in hard misery, in tears it sighs up to thee.
Soon your salvation will come: Emmanuel! Rejoice and be glad, O Israel!
O come, O come, light of the world, that lightens all darkness!
O come and lead your Israel out of deceit and delusion onto the right path!
Soon your salvation will come: Emmanuel! Rejoice and be glad, O Israel!
O come, O come, Son of God, to earth from the throne of heaven!
God, Lord and Saviour, come forth, O come, unlock the gates of heaven!
Soon comes your salvation: Emmanuel! Rejoice and be glad, O Israel!
(Advent hymn)
My favourite Advent hymn is the song “O come, O come, Emmanuel” from the hymnbook of the Diocese of Muenster. For me, it best expresses the longing that is part of Advent. And above all, it addresses God with the name “Immanuel”, which only occurs three times in the Bible. This year on the 4th Sunday of Advent, we heard the text from the Gospel of Matthew, where the passage from Isaiah is quoted: “… they will give him the name Immanuel, which means translated: God with us.” For me, this is one of the most wonderful expressions of how God relates to us: He is with us. And so we can also be sure this year: “Soon your salvation will come: Emmanuel! Rejoice and exult, O Israel!”
Sr. Adelheid
Photo: Provincial Archive Limburg
