O Come O Come Emmanuel: Pt. 2

Verse two starts by requesting, “O come, thou Dayspring come and cheer our spirits by thine advent here; disperse the gloomy clouds of night, and death’s dark shadows put to flight.”

I love this word, “Dayspring.” It is referring to Christ, but the meaning is so rich! We don’t use the term dayspring today; the dictionary officially lists the word as “archaic.” However, it means the beginning of day, dawn, the beginning of a new era or order. I love the idea that Jesus is the dawn, the light that has come into the darkness. John introduces him as the “Light of men” (Jn. 1:4). Jesus was born into quite a dark time for the Jewish nation. They were living under Roman occupation and rule. Can you imagine the most devoutly theistic country on earth being ruled by a pantheistic nation who sometimes also worshipped their Caesar’s? The High-Priests were not being selected by God’s ordinance of the Aaronic line. Rather, they were typically appointed by Herod, Rome, or with strong external influence. Some were not technically qualified to serve as High-Priests according to the lineage approved by God through Aaron. There were fights between Romans and Zealots, taxation at high rates, and the nation was choking on legalism without a true understanding of Jehovah’s heart.

Beyond the nation though, think about the people we encounter in the Christmas story, the shepherds who were societal outcasts, Mary who bore the stigma of becoming pregnant outside of wedlock, Joseph who would have been judged by society for either a moral lapse himself or weakness in not putting Mary away, Zechariah and Elizabeth were childless typically seen as a judgement from God, Simeon and Anna who had been waiting for years for the fulfillment of God’s promises…no one in the story had magical external circumstances. However, into those moments of struggle, stepped the very one who is the source of light. In Malachi 4:2, the prophet writes, “But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings and ye shall go forth and grow up as calves of the stall.”

What a marvelous promise! The Sun of Righteousness, the springing of day or light is going to arise in the middle of the darkness. Literally, the herald of his birth was light, both a star that guided the wisemen and the host of angels who showed up in the sky above Bethlehem. The very light of the world arrives on the scene with healing. Literally, he healed many people during his earthly ministry but also think about the healing of relationships, fulfilled promises, the hope, joy, and redemption that he brought. Christ came to heal our biggest problem, our sin that separated us from God. He came to tear open the veil of separation and open access to the Father’s throne (Heb. 4:14-16). If that reality doesn’t cheer your spirit, I’m not sure what will!

In Luke, we find a record of one man’s response to this divine “coming.” After John’s birth, Zechariah boldly prophesied, “And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways; to give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins, through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us, to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death to guide our feet into the way of peace” (Lk. 1:76-79). The “Dayspring” has visited (or technically would physically visit in about six months). This coming of the dawn, of a new era, of a new covenant…it is transformational. There was only one group who encountered the truth of Christ at his birth and walked away unchanged – the religious leaders. Everyone else, for good or bad, was impacted.

As we think about celebrating the first advent of the Dayspring and the transformational effect that his birth, life, death, and resurrection continue to have on us, I pray that you are encouraged to rejoice, to reflect, and to let the very Light of the World chase away whatever clouds are hanging over your head. I know some are darker than others. I know for some death is not simply a shadow but a very present reality that you have experienced through the loss of a loved one. However, the glorious truth – not our emotions that come and go – but the reality is that he already walked that path. He tasted death for everyone (Heb. 2:9). He faced death and defeated it. But not only did he conquer death – he went through death and resurrection as a forerunner – as one that blazed a trail so that others could follow (Heb. 6:18-20). This is the One we can flee to when the nights are dark, when we don’t feel very transformed, when we feel alone, when the Christmas sparkle isn’t penetrating our hearts. Consider the one who is Light, rest in the Dayspring who has come and will come again and watch him walk through the shadows with you. Let the one with healing in his wings, touch your hurting and anxious heart this Christmas.