Wednesday, December 13, 2023  

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Today’s Hymn

O come, thou Root of Jesse, 
free thine own from Satan’s tyranny; 
from depths of hell thy people save
and give them victory o’er the grace.
Rejoice! Rejoice!  
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel. 

“O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”
from Glory to God: The Presbyterian Hymnal 

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Reflection

It was an unremarkable December afternoon. Omicron was circulating with a doubling time of 1.5–3.0 days. Outside the hospital’s makeshift “drive-thru” testing area, a line of cars wrapped around the block like a boa constrictor. On my way to pick up a COVID test, I saw a young parking attendant bundled up in a heavy, drab parka and knit beanie. Suddenly, the attendant burst into song:

“O holy night! The stars are brightly shining;
It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth…”

It’s one of my favorite Christmas hymns, and the parking attendant’s spontaneous, robust rendition that afternoon was unforgettable. I wondered what thoughts percolated through the parking attendant’s head and what conviction welled up to inspire that soaring solo.

I cannot easily imagine someone spontaneously belting out the words set before us today — words that include “satan” and “hell” — sung to a fifteenth-century funerary tune. But, as a palate cleanser serves a purpose in a sumptuous feast, perhaps so too does the time-honored placement of this verse in Advent worship, public and private.

Grace and truth are inextricable in the gospel of Jesus Christ, and him crucified. This season showcases God’s grace and love made manifest in Christ, while today’s hymn roots every tinseled tree to the truth of the unmajestic shoot from the unceremonious stump of Jesse. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and the wages of sin is death. We rejoice because while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Christ is the resurrection and the life, and we who believe in Christ, though we die, yet shall we live.

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Prayer
Dear God, thank you for your grace and truth that sends us from singing about the wonders of your love to surveying the wondrous cross of Christ. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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Written by Jeanette Chung, Member of Fourth Presbyterian Church

Reflection and Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church

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