With Easter fast approaching and the crocus peeking through the soil, it seems strange that I caught myself singing a Christmas carol. I was running along a flower-lined sidewalk soaking in the warm spring sun when I spontaneously began, "O Come, O Come Emmanuel." Go figure!

No, I hadn't been daydreaming about evergreens, snow and a manger. On a day like this, December was the farthest thing from my mind! But when I stopped to think about it, the words fit perfectly with the season.

"O come, O come Emmanuel" Isaiah prophesied it (Isaiah 7:14) and the gospel of Matthew confirmed it (Matthew 1:22-24); the savior of the world would come as a child, and he would be called Emmanuel, meaning "God with us." God in human form. God present among his people. God as a participant in life on earth.

"And ransom captive Israel" A ransom is a payment to release a hostage. God's mission was to pay for his people, because we were held prisoner by our own sinful ways. He came to be with us, to experience what we experienced, and then to free us.

"Who mourns in lowly exile here" This world can be a lonely place. When the things of this world separate us from Emmanuel—God being with us—life can feel like a prison sentence.

"Until the Son of God appear" The only thing that can bring us out of captivity is the Son of God, Jesus. He is God. He is with us. He has set us free.

"Rejoice, rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel" Freedom is definitely cause for rejoicing. We are promised that "God with us" will pay our way out of our sin-constructed prison. We sing of this promise at Christmas, but the promise is fulfilled at Easter.

God sent his Son to us in human form. He walked with people on Earth, had conversations with them and even cried with them. He was fully one of us. Yet, he walked on water, healed the blind and even raised the dead. He was fully God. Therefore, he had what it took to pay our ransom.

And to pay that ransom, "God with us" had to die, just as we die. That was his payment for being Emmanuel and his ransom for us as sinners. When he paid, he paid with his life. But he promised that we would rejoice, not mourn because he left us. So, he came back! He rose from the dead to be with us again. It wasn't enough for him just to pay our debt, he wanted to lead us out of prison and remain with us forever!

We can't stop singing carols, because the story doesn't end with Christmas. Emmanuel lived as a child, died as a man and lives again through the Holy Spirit in us. His death paid for us and his resurrection set us free to live a new life. Rejoice, rejoice, for Emmanuel has come!

Blessed Easter,

Heather Scheiwe

Heather, a sophomore at St. Olaf College in Minnesota, is serving a one-week Spring Break internship with Campus Life. Krishana Kraft, who regularly writes this column, will return next week.

Read more from 'Campus Life Connection'

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