Oh, come, oh, come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.

Nearly 20 years ago I composed a riff that lingered upon my fingers waiting for words. The riff survived unsullied. It was only four years ago or so that lyrics were birthed, in part, I think, by Andrew Peterson‘s Behold the Lamb of God and by a sermon at Bethel. Finally, Remember Us was manifested in full.

Imagine those 400 years between the Testaments when God was seemingly silent and the Israelites waited. This is a song that might have been sung by those holding to the promise of a Messiah. Consider those in our day who suffer under the weight of our warring and need to be met in a real way by the saving grace of Jesus. This is a song that might be sung in waiting and in longing.

A sorrow spread o’er the land
And an aching in the heart of every man
While the nations rage on in war
We, Your people, cry out

Remember us, Lord

Oh, Yahweh, where have You gone
Your prisoners of hope wait for the Prophesied One
A Messiah foretold of old
And, in our hearts, the longing

Remember us, Lord

A Priest and a King, it was said He would bring
Justice and healing in His wings
Here, our nation is torn from within
And, over us now, silence is reigning as King

Oh, come, be our King

We know in the fullness of time
With peace, You will come and set this world aright
To the everlasting promise we hold
We shout for the glory to come

Remember us, Lord

As we enter the season of Advent, you might consider following this Family Advent Art & Reading Guide from James D. Witmer at Story Warren which presents daily devotions from Sally Lloyd-Jones’ The Jesus Storybook Bible and ornament art projects painted by Melissa Ellen Fink. (You can see a sample in the track art for the song above.)

I’ve also heard that Russ Ramsey is giving away his Behold the Lamb of God: An Advent Narrative eBook for free from November 30 – December 2. Here’s a brief excerpt (speaking of John the Baptist):

He was, as the prophet Isaiah had said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord. Make his paths straight.'” (Isa 40:3, Mt 3:3)

Prepare for what? A collision of worlds. Like a meteor falling to the earth, heaven was bearing down on the land of his forefathers. An old promise, so old that it had become little more than a legend, was about to be fulfilled—and nothing would ever be the same.

The Messiah was coming.

Now, may you know that this Savior is near. His promises fail not. In Him, hope is secure. Should we cry out with the psalmist, or the prophet, or the languishing Israelite that the Lord would remember us, then might we also rejoice in the knowledge that His love has come. O, that His kingdom might come again and again today.