2005-12-02 - O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

Advent Series 2005, Part 1

You might wonder, as I used to, why should we sing a song asking Jesus coming into the world, when He did that 2000 years ago. And if we are talking about the Second Coming, why limit the song to the Christmas season?

The theology is sound. The song asks Christ to cause "envy, strife and discored" to cease. And indeed, when Christ returns for the seconnd time, He will bring peace. As Isaiah 9 teaches us, the lion will lay down with the lamb. As Revelation promises, there will be no more pain, no more tears.

But how does this song relate to our everyday lives? We should be asking Christ to come into our lives every day. We should invite him via prayer, Bible study and the fellowship of those who reflect Him in their behavior.

We should invite Christ to be a part of every decision, every relationship. We should invite Him to mold our hearts and attitudes toward others. We should invite Christ into the relationship with difficult people. Are there areas of our lives that we cordon off from His influence? There shouldn't be.

Christ paid for our lives with HIS own; everything we have and are belong to Him.

I encourage you to think about the words of this song, and when you sing it, silently pray to God to come into every part of your lives. It's a revolutionary prayer; it can change your lives.

Comments or Questions,
Jan

rijan@aol.com
http://www.cfdevotionals.orgc