"O Come, O Come Emmanuel"

"The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned" ~ Isaiah 9:2

There may be no better metaphor to describe our Savior coming from heaven into our world than light entering the deep darkness. In this prophecy, given over 700 years before Jesus was born, Isaiah declares that the region of Galilee, previously destroyed by the Assyrians, would be honored as the earthly origin of the Messiah. That's what God does - He brings blessing and life from that which appears to be cursed and dead. Even when we experience a humbling from God because of wickedness, His plan is for us to ultimately surrender to His ways and prosper. But what if you heard these prophecies your whole life and never saw them come to fruition? Could you still trust in the One who promises? Sometimes, it's more about standing firm in faith that the promise will come true than about seeing it happen. Israel went through many dark times, but by faith, they could rejoice that Immanuel, the new light that would dawn, would indeed come to them. God promised it, therefore, it would surely happen. This week at Friendship, we begin our new sermon series called SONGS OF CHRISTMAS, and we start with the beautiful lyrics of "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel". Join us as we consider what it means to rejoice while we wait, and as we look at Israel's history to give us hope for the future, when Jesus will come back again to His people.