May You Be Ransomed

Inspired by a recent, beautiful newsletter written by Pastor Nadia Bolz-Weber over at The Corners, I find myself thinking about the lyrics of one of my favorite Christmas hymns, O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. The first verse reads:

O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here,
Until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice!…