Joy, for the broken-hearted

'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!'
---12th cent. Latin hymn

'This ain't a song for the broken-hearted
No silent prayer for the faith-departed...'
---Jon Bon Jovi

Oddly enough, these two lyrics, separated by almost a thousand years, both come from a deep well of hard times. In Bon Jovi's 'It's My Life', we (for this is most definitely a crowd anthem) have had enough, and aren't gonna take it anymore. We will rise above what oppresses us in this life, do it 'our way', not bend or break, and make not just a living, but a life. And Jon is right; this is not a hymn that fits the mouths of the beaten, or the broken-hearted. This is the anthem of a people who can still envision winning, or at least breaking even.
The Veni Emmanuel, on the other hand, spoke to the deep despair of a people who had forgotten what the voice of God sounded like. Alone, abandoned, groaning under the weight of exile, Israel was broken, corporately and individually. For four centuries there had been no new word of prophecy for them, no new guidance or reassurance from the One they had trusted. And then, the Son appears. For this people, with enough light for the whole creation. Rejoice! Rejoice, you who can't pull yourselves up by your bootstraps! God's name is Emmanuel: With Us!
Joy, for the broken-hearted...