O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here,
Until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
 
O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan’s tyranny;
From depths of hell They people save,
And give them victory o’er the grave.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
 
O come, Thou Dayspring, from on high,
And cheer us by Thy drawing nigh;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadows put to fight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

 
If our world was ever in need of a savior, it is in need of one now!  If we ever needed God to be with us, we need God to be with us now. 
 
Here is the Good News: The Savior is God with us.  And as the hymn declares, our Savior gives us freedom from captivity to all that binds us.  Emmanuel gives us victory over death.  God with us gives us the grace needed to be able to experience joy in the midst of gloomy circumstances. So, rejoice! Rejoice!
 
In case you have any doubt, let me remind you that throughout scripture, we have ample evidence of God breaking through and being with God’s people during difficult times.  God traveled with God’s people as they wandered in the wilderness.  God was with God’s people during the exile and as they returned home from exile.  God showed up as Emmanuel when God’s people were being oppressed by the Roman Empire. 
 
Our hope is in our faith that God will be with us too.  In case you have doubt, let me remind you it is God who helps us meet the needs of those in our communities who lost their income because of COVID-19.  God gifted us with resources to do worship and ministry differently during this pandemic. God continues to answer our prayers. As I look around and see what God has done, I can assure you God is with us.  Rejoice! Rejoice!
 
I believe that there are times God intervenes in our lives to provide tangible manifestations of theological truths.  I can’t help but think the arrival of a vaccine for the coronavirus is one of those times.  We have received a dose of hope during Advent and just in time for Christmas.  (Pun intended). There is light at the end of the tunnel. Rejoice! Rejoice!
 
As we all manage our exilic experience of COVID-19 restrictions; as some of us manage our grief over lost loved ones; as we manage having joy-filled worship in the midst of the gloom of state-mandated restrictions and recommendations, we can, in fact, rejoice!  We can rejoice because we know God is with us. My prayer is that God will send you even more tangible manifestations of this theological truth so that your rejoicing will break out into shouts of joy that can be heard beyond the bubble of those who live in your household. Rejoice! Rejoice!

 

Peace and Blessings,

Bishop Cynthia Moore-Koikoi