Favorite Christmas Carol

I'd be amiss to not delve into the true meaning of Christmas. Sure, its fun to see family and to spend tons of money on things that you dont need. But thats not what its about.

My favorite Christmas Carol is "Oh Come, Oh Come, Emmanuel"

Oh, come, oh, come, Emmanuel,

And ransom captive Israel,

That mourns in lonely exile here

Until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice!

Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel!

Oh, come, our Dayspring, come and cheer,

Thy people by Thine advent here,

Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,

And death's dark shadows put to flight.

Rejoice! Rejoice!

Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel!

Do i need to explain it? I guess i can a little bit...
So, Israel was waiting a really long time for God to send 'The Messiah' to save them. They were under oppression; for a long time they were in exile (they were forced out of Israel and into Assyria/Babylon). Though God had brought many of them back to Israel, they ended up then being under the ruling of the Romans. So, they were awaiting someone to come free them Politically and Nationally.

God did come to them. Jesus was born (hence: Christmas). He came to save not only Israel, but ALL PEOPLE who turn to Him. But the "ransoming" was not politically; He came to save them spiritually; to offer eternal life in Heaven.

So, we can be TOTALLY cheered by His coming. Its great. All the darkness, the threat of Eternal Death, is taken away for those who turn to Him.

I love it. The tune is awesome. And the lyrics are so much better than a lot of other carols.

Well, i have a "family function" tonight, so i need to get going.