O come, O come Emmanuel. And ransom captive Israel, That mourns in lonely exile here. Until the Son of God appears.

This is a favorite Advent hymn because it focuses our hearts on the reason for the season.

For the Christian, the weeks leading up to Christmas are preparation for the arrival of someone much more consequential than Santa.

This is the season of Immanuel— God with us. The miraculous moment when the God of the universe put on human flesh and entered our reality changing everything.

In Advent, the Church looks back to the first coming of Christ and looks ahead, for we are still in a season of waiting. Yes, the Messiah has come— but He is coming again. We are promised His return.

O come, O come Emmanuel. Our hearts cry out for Christ to come again!