Advent Antiphons: Day 7

Advent antiphon VII (Dec. 23)

O Immanuel,
You are our King and judge,
the One whom the peoples await, and their Saviour.
O come and save us, Lord, our God.

(verse) O come, O come, Immanuel,
and ransom captive Israel
that mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear:

(chorus) Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel
shall come to thee, O Israel

Advent Antiphons: Day 6

Advent antiphon VI (Dec. 22)

O King whom all the peoples desire,
You are the cornerstone which makes all one.
O come and save us whom You made from clay.

(verse) O come, Desire of Nations, bind
all peoples in one heart and mind.
Bid the strife and quarrels cease.
Fill all the world with heaven's peace.

(chorus) Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel
shall come to thee, O Israel.

Advent Antiphons: Day 4

Advent antiphon IV (Dec. 20)

O Key of David and sceptre of Israel,
what You open, no one can close again;
what You close, no one can open.
O come to lead the captive from prison;
free those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.

(verse) O come, Thou Key of David, come,
and open wide our heav'nly home;
make safe the way that leads on high,
and close the path to misery:

(chorus) Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel
shall come to thee, O Israel.

Advent Antiphons: Day 3

Advent antiphon III (Dec. 19)

O Stock of Jesse,
You stand as a signal for the nations.
Kings fall silent before You whom the peoples acclaim.
O come to deliver us, and do not delay.

(verse) O come, Thou rod of Jesse, free
thine own from Satan's tyranny;
from depths of hell Thy people save;
and give them vict'ry o'er the grave:

(chorus) Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel
shall come to thee, O Israel.

Advent Antiphons: Day 2

Advent antiphon II (December 18)

O Adonai and leader of Israel,
You appeared to Moses in a burning bush
and You gave him the law on Sinai.
O come and save us with Your mighty power.

(verse) O come, O come, Thou Lord of might,
who to Thy tribes on Sinai's height,
in ancient times didst give the law
in cloud, and majesty and awe:

(chorus) Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel
shall come to thee, O Israel

Advent Antiphons: Day 1

The Advent antiphons are ancient prayers traditionally used in the days between December 17 and 23. I'll be sending these out via e-mail, one per day, from now through the 23rd to help guide us to Christmas and to hopefully give us a sense of presence with each other in community even as we pray them on our own in different places. The short prayer ends with a verse of the popular Advent hymn, "O come, O come, Immanuel," which is based upon the antiphon prayers. Feel free to sing it as a conclusion to the prayer. I am using the antiphons as written in the Northumbria Community's "Celtic Daily Prayer" book.

Antiphon I (December 17)
O Wisdom,
You come forth from the mouth of the Most High.
You fill the universe and hold all things together
in a strong yet gentle manner.
O come to teach us the way of truth.

(verse) O come, O come, Thou wisdom from above;
the universe sustaining with Thy love.
Thou springest forth from the Almighty's mouth.
Subdue us now, and lead us in Thy truth.

(chorus) Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel
shall come to thee, O Israel