Theme Hymn for the year
Each year we pick a theme hymn to give a unified thought to the whole church year. This past year our theme was: O Lord, How Shall I Meet Thee? (TLH 58). This year it is Oh Come, Oh Come Emmanuel. Our theme hymns typically are taken from the Advent or Lenten sections of the hymnal, because those sections contain hymns that meditate on Christ coming to us. In the history of the world, we are in the final days when we look to Christ coming to us. Therefore, everything the church does is related to being prepared for His return.
This past year, reflected in O Lord, How Shall I Meet Thee? We had a sense of joyful expectation. The words of the hymn express that thought very well, perhaps best in verse 3: I lay in fetters groaining, Thou com’st to set me free; I stood, my shame bemoaning, Thou com’st to honor me; A glory Thou dost give me, A treasure safe on high, That will not fail or leave me As earthly riches fly.
However, this year we enter the new church year with a world economy that is in very poor shape. We see layoffs increasing. The morality of our nation continues to decline, and it is expected that our new president will quickly promote policy on “life” issues that are directly contrary to God’s Law. Our public schools continue to promote tolerance of every religion other than Christianity, and “science” arrogantly brushes aside consideration of our origins from any other source than evolution. Television programming subtly encourages “alternate” lifestyles; a woman, who mutilated her body to look like a man, gives birth not once, but going on twice. Rather than hiding her shame, she revels in it. We are in a day and age when people call evil good, and good evil (Isaiah 5:20).
In the face of such bleakness, we pray with deep longing: Oh come, Oh come Emmanuel.
Audio from The On Line Lutheran Hymnal: http://www.lutheran-hymnal.com/online/tlh_online.html
specifically here:
http://www.lutheran-hymnal.com/folk/c97_hymns.htm
"Oh, Come,
Oh, Come, Emmanuel"
by unknown author, c. 1100
Translated by John M. Neale, 1818-1866
Text From:
THE HANDBOOK TO THE LUTHERAN HYMNAL
(St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1942)p.50
1. Oh, come, Oh, 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.
2. Oh, come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan's tyranny;
From depths of hell Thy people save
And give them victory o'er the grave.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
3. Oh, come, Thou Dayspring from on
high,
And cheer us by Thy drawing nigh;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death's dark shadows put to
flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
4. Oh, come, Thou Key of David, come
And open wide our heavenly home:
Make safe the way that leads on high
And close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
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Notes:
Hymn #62 from _The Handbook to the
Lutheran Hymnal_
Text: Is. 59:20
Author: unknown, c. 1100
Translated by: John M. Neale, 1851,
1859, ab.
Titled: "Veni, veni, Emmanuel"
Tune: "Veni,Emmanuel"
Tune: Plain-song melody, c. 1200
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This text was converted to ascii
format for Project Wittenberg
by Cindy A. Beesley
and is in the public domain. You may
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comments or suggestions to: Rev.
Robert E. Smith of
"Oh, Come, Oh, Come, Emmanuel"
by unknown author, c. 1100
Translated by John M. Neale, 1818-1866
Text From:
THE HANDBOOK TO THE LUTHERAN HYMNAL
(St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1942)p.50