Monday Music: O Come O Come Emmanuel by The Civil Wars
So often when we pray for peace we are praying for things to go our way. We are praying for life to be just the way we want it. But this is not a promise of God. This world will bring us trouble and we ask for peace and the presence of God in the midst of that trouble. That is why I love the song, O Come O Come Emmanuel.
O come, O come, Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
So often this song is sung with a cheerful celebration that I feel takes away from the depth of the song. The Civil Wars give us a mournfully emotional tune with the overwhelming hope of the lyrics.
O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.
The beauty of this song is in the fact that even when we are in our lowest place, even in the midst of exile and despair, we can still rejoice in the victory of God. We can still celebrate (even when we don’t feel like celebrating) the fact that “death’s dark shadows” have been defeated by the God who has come to be with us!
Enjoy this powerful song and pray for the peace only God can give during this season of advent.
