The O Antiphons - Dec 23 - Emmanuel!

Image by Harshad Sharma

 
December 23
O Emmanuel



“O Emmanuel, king and lawgiver, desire of the nations, Savior of all people, come and set us free, Lord our God.”

Oh, come, oh, come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.

Isaiah had prophesied, “The Lord himself will give you this sign: the Virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel.” (7:14). (Remember “Emmanuel” means “God is with us.”)

Come, Emmanuel, and be true to your name:
be our God-with-us!

Be our God-with-us in war:
and show us the path to peace...

Be our God-with-us in every joy
and show yourself its source...

Be our God-with-us in our grief
and lead us through darkness to light...

Be our God-with-us in our loneliness
and wrap your arms around us in warmth...

Be our God-with-us in our hopes and dreams
and teach us to trust
that we will have we truly need...

Be our God-with-us when we fail you
and our neighbor and ourselves:
forgive us and mend us with your mercy...

Be our God-with-us in weakness:
be strong for us, in us and through us...

Be our God-with-us in the Church:
in the power of your Spirit lead us to truth...

Be our God-with-us in our heart of hearts
and teach us to long for all that is yours to give...

Come, Emmanuel, and be true to your name:
Be our God-with-us this Christmas...
Be our God-with-us in the new year before us...

We rejoice even now
for at the end of all days you will come,
God-with-us, and set us free...


 
Subscribe to A Concord Pastor Comments