The O Antiphons Readings
Christmas Eve Reading:
740 years before Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the prophet Isaiah foretold his birth.
For the next portion of our service, we will be singing all seven verses of the Advent hymn O Come, O Come Emmanuel. They come from a 7-verse poem that dates back to the 8th century. The text, originally in Latin, creates the reverse acrostic "ero cras," which means "I will be with you tomorrow.” Called the O Antiphons, each antiphon, or verse, begins with “O” and is a title of Christ—one of His messianic attributes mentioned in Scripture.
The antiphons are:
O Come, O Come Emmanuel
O Wisdom
O Lord
O Root of Jesse
O Key of David
O Light
and…
O King of the Nations
Listen to the messianic title, then to a prophetic reading from the book of Isaiah. After each reading we’ll sing a verse together.
O Come, O Come Emmanuel
Reading: O Come, O Come Emmanuel, Isaiah 7:10-16
Then the LORD spoke again to Ahaz, saying, “Ask a sign for yourself from the LORD your God; make it deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, nor will I test the LORD!” Then he said, “Listen now, O house of David! Is it too slight a thing for you to try the patience of men, that you will try the patience of my God as well? “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Emmanuel. “He will eat curds and honey at the time He knows enough to refuse evil and choose good. “For before the boy will know enough to refuse evil and choose good, the land whose two kings you dread will be forsaken.
Song:
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
O Wisdom
Reading: O Wisdom, Isaiah 11:2-3
The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.
Song:
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.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel, shall come to thee, O Israel
O Lord
Reading: O Lord, Isaiah 33:21-22
There the Lord will be our Mighty One.
It will be like a place of broad rivers and streams.
No galley with oars will ride them,
no mighty ship will sail them.
For the Lord is our judge,
the Lord is our lawgiver,
the Lord is our king;
it is he who will save us.
Song:
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.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel, shall come to thee, O Israel
O Root of Jesse
Reading: O Root of Jesse, Isaiah 11:1, 4-5
A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
or decide by what he hears with his ears;
but with righteousness he will judge the needy,
with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;
with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.
Righteousness will be his belt
and faithfulness the sash around his waist.
Song:
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
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel, shall come to thee, O Israel
O Key of David
Reading: O Key of David, Isaiah 22:21-23
I will clothe him with your robe and fasten your sash around him and hand your authority over to him. He will be a father to those who live in Jerusalem and to the people of Judah. I will place on his shoulder the key to the house of David; what he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. I will drive him like a peg into a firm place; he will become a seat of honor for the house of his father.
Song:
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.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel, shall come to thee, O Israel
O Light
Reading: O Light, Isaiah 9:1-2
Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan—
The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
a light has dawned.
Song:
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.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel, shall come to thee, O Israel
O King of the Nations
Reading: O King of the Nations, Isaiah 9:5-7
Every warrior’s boot used in battle
and every garment rolled in blood
will be destined for burning,
will be fuel for the fire.
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the greatness of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty
will accomplish this.
Song:
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
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel, shall come to thee, O Israel
Resources:
https://hymnary.org/text/o_come_o_come_emmanuel_and_ransom
https://media.ascensionpress.com/2018/12/16/introduction-reflections-o-antiphons-thomas-smith/
https://blog.cph.org/study/the-scriptural-depth-of-the-great-o-antiphons