Nested in Emanuel

Our theme for Advent this year is O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. You may already have the tune playing in your head. It is one of the most recognizable and well loved Advent hymns preparing us to celebrate the birth of our savior. While the chorus may take voice in your mind, do the verses carry a tune of their own in your Christmas hopes? Or to put that another way, have you ever considered what all is nested in that prayerful pre-Christmas carol?

My wife owns a few Russian nesting dolls that she purchased when she student taught in              Budapest, Hungary, many years ago. They sit in our guest room. All together they look like one intricately painted wooden doll. Yet, pull the outside one apart and inside is yet another, and inside that yet another, and inside that yet another, and inside that yet another, and inside that yet another. These words should be getting smaller because that’s what those wooden dolls do. Each one gets smaller and smaller. There are six or seven in each set.

I’ve seen Christmas nesting dolls where the outside doll is painted like Santa Clause, the next one inside that like Mrs. Clause, then inside that a snowman, and inside that an elf. It’s a nod to the secular side of the holidays.

Yet, I’ve also seen nativity nesting dolls. The outside doll is Joseph and the next one in is Mary. Inside that is a shepherd. Inside that is an angel.  Inside that is a the Christ-child.  Sometimes the wise men are thrown in there too. Now that’s more focused on the heart of CHRISTmas.

Have you ever seen an O Come, O Come, Emmanuel nesting set? No? Me either, but perhaps thinking of that every time we sing it would be helpful because there is so much packed into it. Each of the verses in O Come, O Come, Emmanuel calls upon a different aspect of the coming Messiah to be the focus of our prayer. O come, thou wisdom from on high. O come, thou Lord and giver of the law. O come, thou branch of Jesse’s tree. O come, thou key of David. O come, thou dayspring form on high. O come, thou   desire of nations. Finally,  O come, Emmanuel.

This year in our Midweek Advent services we’ll be looking at the six of these “o come” prayers leading up to “O come, Emmanuel,” which we’re going to celebrate on Christmas; he is the gift of God with us.

Join us for our Midweek Advent services. These will include dramatic readings of Old Testament stories   laden with the hope associated with each of the “O comes,” as well as a homily reflecting on the gift nested inside the promise. Pastor Shaun      Adams will be joining us to assist in sharing a couple of those homilies as well. Services will use the Holden Evening Prayer liturgy and will start at 7 p.m. Come to soup supper before, at 5:30 p.m. and make an evening of it.

What else can I say, but “O come.”    

I