“Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign: See, the virgin will conceive, have a son, and name him Immanuel.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

The time has come for one of my favorite annual traditions. Songs of the Season are back! There is no season with a musical collection associated with it like the Christmas season. The songbook itself is not only enormous, but each of the songs has been treated to an almost endless variety of covers. They have been reproduced in every genre, every style, by every artist imaginable. And more and more are being released each year. So, each year, during this special season, we take a look at a handful of the songs that have most caught my eye. This year we are going to start with my favorite song in a brand new version that…made a bit of a splash when it was released a few weeks ago. Let’s take a look at Skillet’s version of O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.

Let’s start with the song itself. O Come, O Come, Emmanuel is old. Really old. It has its roots all the way back in the 8th century. It was part of a collection of “O Antiphons.” These were sung during vespers during the final days leading up to Christmas. Each verse started with O, and then proclaimed a title of Jesus. It was a way to both celebrate, but also to reflectively consider just who the Messiah was.

The haunting melody with which we are familiar today has been traced back as far as 15th century France. The first Latin version of the lyrics was published in the early 18th century in Germany. The first English version was published in 1851, but it is an 1861 version whose setting is the one we sing today.

The lyrics themselves are simple, but rich in theological depth and breadth. The first and most familiar verse reminds us that we are not the first people to long for the Messiah to come. Ancient Israel held that distinction first and longest. “O come, O come, Immanuel, and ransom captive Israel that mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear.” Israel longed for the appearance of God’s promised Messiah for many centuries, being sustained as they went by the assurances and reassurances of God’s plans from the prophets.

As we have talked about over the last couple of days, Jesus came to reveal God’s wisdom, something highlighted by the second verse. “O come, O Wisdom from on high, who ordered all things mightily; to us the path of knowledge show and teach us in its ways to go.” Jesus is the wisdom of God made flesh who showed us how to walk in wisdom in pursuit of His kingdom.

Verse 3 celebrates the giving of the law and the revelation of God’s power that came with it on Mount Sinai. Jesus is the one who fulfills that law and extends to us a way to keep it perfectly in Him. “O come, O come, great Lord of might, who to your tribes on Sinai’s height in ancient times did give the law in cloud and majesty and awe.”

The fourth verse reminds us of our own hopes for the Messiah. Like Israel, we long for His appearance, but this will be His final appearance. And the saving we desire on His coming is not merely something physical, but from the spiritual death that waits for us in Hell unless we can be reconciled to God, which will only happen in Him. “O come, O Branch of Jesse’s stem, unto your own and rescue them! From depths of hell your people save, and give them victory o’er the grave.”

The next verse continues this hope forward, pointing us toward the heavenly home we anticipate when His final kingdom arrives. It pleads with Him to not only keep us pointed toward heaven, but to be our rearguard as well, keeping us from turning back in to death. “O come, O Key of David, come and open wide our heavenly home. Make safe for us the heavenward road and bar the way to death’s abode.”

The last two verses, six and seven, which almost never make the hymnals, focus our attention on the fact that our hope in Christ is not just for some future rescuing, but for the application of the values of the kingdom of God to our present, broken reality. We long to live with the kingdom’s virtues here and now so that the darkness of sin might be rolled back, and so the things that drive us apart might be removed, allowing us to live in unity and peace once again. “O come, O Bright and Morning Star, and bring us comfort from afar! Dispel the shadows of the night and turn our darkness into light. O come, O King of nations, bind in one the hearts of all mankind. Bid all our sad divisions cease and be yourself our King of Peace.”

Songs like this matter because they set before us things that are true about God in a way that is memorable and clear. That is, they teach us good theology. They have stood the test of time and are worth being sung year after year. Yet let us sing them not mindlessly, but with our hearts and minds fully tuned to the realities they proclaim. Let us allow them to draw us again and again to glorify our God for what He has done for us in Christ. And let us be reminded of the hope we still have ahead of us.

A few weeks ago, the Christian, heavy metal band, Skillet released their own version of this classic song. I saw it pop up on my YouTube feed one day and immediately listened to it. Skillet hasn’t been one of my most favorite bands, and other than a few big hits, I’m not all that familiar with their music. But I appreciate their style every now and then all the same. Sometimes it’s good to just rock out, and Skillet certainly offers the chance to do just that.

Plus, as an added bonus, they are one of the few bands who have become more theologically orthodox and intentional over the years. Front man, John Cooper, is a committed believer who is a deep theological thinker, and lets his solid theology shine in their music. He has demonstrated himself to be unafraid of standing firmly on the truth even when the public eye is focused right on him. Given the number of bands or musicians who have folded on various theological and moral issues when facing a bit of public scrutiny over them, it’s nice to see that some groups are willing to stand firm.

True to form, Skillet’s version of the classic hymn rocks hard. It starts fairly tame with John singing the melody, joined later by drummer, Jen Ledger. The version is almost sleepy for the first half of the song. But then things explode in Skillet’s typical heavy metal style. I’ll be honest: It’s not everyone’s cup of tea. The version has attracted a ton of controversy and criticism, including some critics who dismissed it as demonic.

Such criticisms are uncharitable at the very least. They display a lack of thought or appreciation or recognition that while they may not care for this particular style, some people really do. While these critics may want to cast a whole genre aside as “demonic,” Skillet, with their embrace of the genre has been putting the Gospel within reach of a whole group of people these critics would never have a prayer of reaching with the Gospel message. Rather than leaving them hopelessly bound for Hell, Skillet has treated them as a mission field, and has been doing great work among them for nearly 30 years. Perhaps a bit of stylistic humility rather than angry, reactionary diatribes might have done these critics some good. Either way, the controversy has resulted in the song’s receiving a million and a half views.

Whether Skillet’s version is any good or not, I’ll leave the final decision up to you. Personally, I really liked it. It took a good song and presented it in a way that was unexpected, and in a style I enjoy from time to time. That was good enough for me to make it our first song of the season. Without further ado, then, here is Skillet’s version of O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. Enjoy.