Matthew 1:22,23 Immanuel, God with Us
“So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: ‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ which is translated, ‘God with us’” (KJV).
The text of this hymn goes back to the 8th century and was used as a call and response during vespers. The original text contained a reverse acrostic, “ero cras,” which means, “I shall be with you tomorrow.” It was translated into English by J. M. Neale in 1851. Thomas Helmore adapted a 15th century chant tune to this text in 1854.
O Come, O Come Immanuel
Israel was held captive as are we until we allow Jesus Christ to enter our lives and grant us forgiveness. We ask God Almighty, who has created the world, to teach us how to live. It is our prerogative to ask God through His Son to rescue us and give us victory over the grave. Asking God to show us the way, the road to heaven, is our great cry. We ask for comfort and that the shadows be pushed aside so that we can see the light. Lastly, we ask God to enter all our hearts and spread His love throughout the world so that war will cease, and we ask this in a cry for Him to come and be our “King of Peace.”
To all of these requests is the answer: “Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel shall come to you, O Israel.” But today we can confidently say, “Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel has come to all of us!” He came first as a babe in a manger, and we rejoice over that. But He shall come again, when all men will acknowledge Him as Lord, and those who have rejoiced because they have previously acknowledged Him as Lord will then be carried to everlasting joy and rejoicing in His company. See you there!