December 21, Deac. Katie Aiello

O Emmanuel

O Emmanuel, our king and our Lord, the anointed for the nations and their Savior: Come and save us, O Lord our God.

Advent is an interesting part of the Church Year. We prepare our homes and churches to remind us when Jesus was born as we also prepare our hearts for the future when Jesus returns. As Emmanuel, “God with us,” He was physically present with His people during His earthly ministry, and He still is with us today, spiritually through His word and physically through the Eucharist. It is also through the Eucharist that we can understand the nature of God being both “Lawgiver” and “hope of the nations.” God pronounced His Law to the Israelites through Moses, and Jesus fulfills it. God demonstrates His grace through Jesus’ death and resurrection. By His sacrifice and payment for the Law, we are saved from eternal damnation because it covers our sin. Now, we look forward to the Last Day where Christ will rescue us from this sinful Earth where we still experience hurt, sorrow, and unkindness daily. Our cry joins with Moses’ in Psalm 90:13, “Return, O Lord! How long? Have pity on your servants!” While we take this season to celebrate what Christ has already done for us, we also eagerly await Him to complete that which He has promised. Until then, “Come, save us, O Lord our God.”

Deaconess Katie Aiello

Deaconess, Concordia Theoloigcal Seminary, Fort Wayne, Indiana

Christ Academy: College Student, 2017 CTSFW Deaconess Admission Counselor, 2020-present