by Pastor Charlie Woodward
Many peoples shall come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob;
that he may teach us his ways
and that we may walk in his paths.”
For out of Zion shall go forth instruction,
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between the nations,
and shall arbitrate for many peoples;
they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any more.
It was the Christmas Eve service at First Congregational Church in Royal Oak, Michigan, the church of my youth. The service began with a solemn choir procession as they sang in unison, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel, that mourns in lowly exile here until the Son of God appear.” With candles in hand, the choir processed to the choir loft in the front of the church. It sounded like a Gregorian Chant. The prayer of the hymn is for the coming of the Son of God, who will rescue God’s people. It is a prayer of hope.Advent is the season of hope. Hope in the coming of Emmanuel, which means “God is with us.” It is the hope we hear in Isaiah’s words – hope for God to teach and lead God’s people and lead us into the ways of peace.
This season of Advent is a new beginning, a new hope. Each year we start anew, no matter where we are, where we find ourselves in our lives and in our world. We do it every year. But every year, we need it, don’t we? We need to hear of the One who came as Emmanuel, God with us, to bring us back to God, to comfort us, to forgive us, to give us hope that only God can give – a hope that doesn’t disappoint us.
That Christmas Eve night, when all were in place, the lights came up and the choir’s volume rose in a beautiful harmony that filled the sanctuary, “Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel!”