Medley: Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence (alternate version) and O Come, O Come Emmanuel (alternate version) (arr. Mark Hayes)
“The Lord is in His holy temple; let all the earth be silent before Him.” – Habakkuk 2:20
“In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”
And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”” – Isaiah 6:1-7
“When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.” – Revelation 1:17
“To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” – Revelation 1:6
“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” – Isaiah 7:14
The lyrics to Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence date back to the 4th century, thought to have been written by James, the half-brother of Jesus, and the music dates to the 1600s. Though a French folk carol, the music reaches back to a plainsong chant. The carol focuses on the birth of Christ, standing in honor and respect, holy fear and trembling, and awe at the very act of the incarnation. “That the powers of hell may vanish as the darkness clears away” ties Christ’s incarnation to the work of redemption that Jesus Christ was going to accomplish for us. In the last stanza, we join the host of heaven who worship Him, and when we sing this, we are reaching back with the saints of the 4th century, the 17th century, and the angels and cherubim and seraphim, all singing together in worship of the One who humbled Himself and came as a baby but reigns as our good King Who has conquered death for us and has secured for us life. In keeping with the theme of Christ’s coming (or “advent”), O Come O Come Emmanuel was the song of those looking for, anticipating, waiting and watching for their Redeemer to come, and He did so as a baby in Bethlehem that night. But when we sing the song, we, too, sing it in anticipation of, watching and waiting and looking for His return. Though we already benefit from the blessings of His first advent, the final accomplishment in the “not yet” will be realized that day.
Let all mortal flesh keep silence,
and with fear and trembling stand;
ponder nothing earthly-minded,
for with blessing in His hand,
Christ our God to earth descendeth,
our full homage to demand.
King of kings, yet born of Mary,
as of old on earth He stood,
Lord of lords, in human vesture,
in the body and the blood,
He will give to all the faithful
His own self for heav’nly food.
Rank on rank the host of heaven
spreads its vanguard on the way,
as the Light of light descendeth
from the realms of endless day,
that the pow’rs of hell may vanish
as the darkness clears away.
At His feet the six-winged seraph,
cherubim, with sleepless eye,
veil their faces to the presence,
as with ceaseless voice they cry,
“Alleluia, alleluia,
alleluia, Lord Most High!”
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 Thy 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 flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, Thou Key of David, come
And open wide our heav’nly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, Adonai, Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai’s height,
In ancient times didst give the law
In cloud and majesty and awe.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.