The Songs of Advent (Week 1)

Advent is a season of anticipation, of expectation. On this first Sunday of Advent, we focus on the hymn "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel," a text from the prophet Jeremiah. The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. Jeremiah 33:14 Prophets rose up only when the Israelites were in trouble, not in the days where everything was going their way. Their role was corrective - to address the present darkness with hope in God's covenants. Even in our darkest days, when we wait with hope, we move from despair to patience. Like Jeremiah, a prophetic heart is filled with unending hope.