O ANTIPHONS
There is something very special in our liturgical calendar during the period from December 17th to December 23rd. This period is significant because it takes place in the octave (eight days) before Christmas. It is the time when the marvelous “O” Antiphons of Advent are either recited or sung.
You may not have realized, when you’ve sung the ancient hymn “O Come, O Come Emmanuel”, that you’re singing the “O” Antiphons! Each of these “O” Antiphons is the inspiration for one of the verses of the hymn, and each refers to one of the many names or titles of Christ taken from Scripture.
What is an “antiphon?”
An antiphon is a short sentence that is either sung or recited before or after a psalm, or at another point during a service. An antiphon reminds us of the theme of that particular day. It was an ancient tradition to include antiphons during the daily prayers of the Church (such as Morning Prayer or Evening Prayer.)
The “O” Antiphons
In the week before Christmas (December 17 – 23), the “O” Antiphons are recited or sung each day during Evening Prayer, before the Magnificat canticle, and then repeated again afterward. (A canticle is a hymn or chant, literally a “little song,” typically with a biblical text and included as a regular part of the liturgy). The Magnificat recalls Mary’s joyful song of praise to God (Lk. 1:46-55) when she met her cousin Elizabeth at the Visitation.
These seven "O" Antiphons articulate magnificent theology that uses ancient biblical imagery. They have been sung or recited in the Church since at least the eighth century. Drawn from the messianic hopes of the Old Testament, they proclaim the coming Christ as the fulfillment not only of Old Testament hopes, but of present ones as well. Their repeated use of the imperative ‘Come!’ embodies our longing for the Divine Messiah. Furthermore, each title or antiphon refers to the prophecies in Isaiah of the coming of Jesus.
An interesting note: if you list these Messianic titles by their Latin names in reverse order from December 23rd back to December 17th, the first letter of each name makes a Latin phrase, ERO CRAS, which means “Tomorrow, I will come.”
The "O" Antiphons and our Advent Blog
We will be presenting the seven "O" Antiphons in the HTAC Advent Blog, beginning tomorrow, December 17. Each morning, we will post the new antiphon for the day, along with a short video of the HTAC Choir singing the applicable verse from "O Come, O Come Emmanuel." The blog posting will also include a short devotional that accompanies the antiphon and a gorgeous artwork piece, created by artists Ariane and Jackie Peveto, for the specific "O" of that day.
You will find each day's antiphon at the URL for the Advent Blog:
https://www.holytrinityanglican.church/htac-blog
HELP FOR KENTUCKY
The weather disaster that recently struck the midsection of the United States, most acutely in the State of Kentucky, has had heartbreaking impacts on churches, neighborhoods, and whole towns throughout the region. The Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) and the Anglican Relief and Development Fund (ARDF) are responding to the tragedy and have created a mechanism for individuals to contribute to the response efforts.
ARDF has The Joseph Fund for Disaster Relief, which makes funds available to churches bringing relief to their communities. The URL for The Joseph Fund is here:
ARDF says on the website that Joseph Fund donations are being used for tornado damage relief in Kentucky.