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 Wisdom from on high, Who orderest all things mightily; To us the path of knowledge show, And teach us in her ways to go. O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free Thine own from Satan’s tyranny; From depths of hell Thy people save, And give them victory over the grave. O come, Thou Day-spring, come and cheer Our spirits by Thine advent here; Disperse the gloomy clouds of night , And death’s dark shadows put to flight . O come, Thou Key of David, come, And open wide our heavenly home; Make safe the way that leads on high, And close the path to misery. O come, Thou Root of Jesse’s tree, An ensign of Thy people be; Before Thee rulers silent fall; All peoples on Thy mercy call. This is one of my favorite Christmas carols, because the first stanza reminds me of the gospel. I love that word *"ransom". We we...
