Preparing: O Emmanuel

We continue our series reflecting on the O Antiphons, the prayers for the seven days before Christmas.

O Emmanuel

O Emmanuel, God with us, our King and Lawgiver, hope of the nations and our savior: come and save us, O Lord our God.
Come, Lord Jesus.
Amen.

“The Lord himself will give you this sign: the Virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14)

Emmanuel means “God with us”–God not far away, not enthroned on high, not distant and uncaring, but here, in our midst, sharing our flesh, our life, our pain, our hopes, our dreams, our hungers, our fears, our tears, our laughter, our achey joints from so much walking, our sights and sounds and smells, our tastes and loves and losses. This is the scandal of the Christian faith–that God would lower Godself to take on mortal flesh, to be in a particular time and place with a particular people, to know bodily life and suffering and death. This is the Big Idea of Christianity, the thing that makes us different from other faith traditions–that we claim that God came In The Flesh, that God was incarnate in one man so that the divide between divine and human might be bridged once and for all. This incarnate word, God made flesh, come to dwell among us, brings us the good news that we too can be fully human, that the flesh is not evil, that God can be known right here, right now, just as we live and breathe and eat and drink and suffer and rejoice. This life matters so much that God came and lived it with us. Life before death–what God is all about in the Christian story.

How have you seen and known God with YOU this Advent season? Where do you hope to see God in the flesh in the coming season?

Preparing: O King of the Nations

We continue our series reflecting on the O Antiphons, the prayers for the seven days before Christmas.

O Rex Gentium (King of the Nations)

O King of the nations, you alone can fulfill our desires: cornerstone, binding all together: come and save the creature you fashioned from the dust of the earth.
Come, Lord Jesus.
Amen.

For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onwards and for evermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. (Isaiah 9.6-7)

In days to come the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills; all the nations shall stream to it. Many peoples shall come and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.’ For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. (Isaiah 2.2-4)

What does it mean for Christ to be King of the Nations? Not just king in our hearts, though that is important. Not in the sense of having Christian Governments (whatever that means). What would it look like if we, the body of Christ, believed and lived as if our citizenship was in this kingdom of God that is so eloquently described by the prophet? Jesus lived his life as if he was living in the kingdom of God here and now. In many ways, the early church described in the book of Acts tried to do the same. Of course, neither the gospels nor Acts give us much hope that this way of life will lead toward the kind of success our culture values, but might it lead to a different kind of success? The kind where justice and righteousness reign, where the implements of violence are turned into implements of care, where we live in peace? It’s hard to imagine, and the argument always is that if you turn your sword into a plow, someone who didn’t will come along and kill you with their sword (and take your plow). Does that mean we should strive for this, and pray for this, and pray to be made into instruments of God’s reign, anyway?

Can you imagine a world in which Christ is King of the Nations? What would that be like, and how can we work toward that day?

Preparing: O Morning Star, O Radiant Dawn

We continue our series reflecting on the O Antiphons, the prayers for the seven days before Christmas.

O Oriens (Radiant Dawn, Morning Star)

O Morning Star, splendor of the light eternal and bright sun of righteousness: come and bring light to those who dwell in darkness and walk in the shadow of death.
Come, Lord Jesus.
Amen.

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone.” (Isaiah 9:2)

This is one of the great metaphors of the Advent and Christmas season–light shining on those who live in the land of darkness. Our Christmas Eve call to worship comes from these verses (well, from verses 2 and 7 of Isaiah 9!), because this is such a powerful image. Depending on the translation you choose, it could be dawn breaking forth–like the most beautiful of sunrises, with light spreading from the horizon over all the earth, colorful and bright and illuminating, or it could be the Morning Star, the guiding light that shines just before dawn, showing us the way. Either way, it is definitely light shining in the darkness–and the good news is that the darkness cannot overcome it.

What darkness do you walk in? What light do you need in the land of deep darkness?

Preparing: O Key of David

We continue our series reflecting on the O Antiphons, the prayers for the seven days before Christmas.

O Key of David

O Key of David and scepter of the House of Israel; you open and none can shut; you shut and none can open: come and free the captives from prison, and break down the walls of death.
Come, Lord Jesus.
Amen.

I will place the Key of the House of David on His shoulder; when he opens, no one will shut, when he shuts, no one will open.” (Isaiah 22:22)

This is one of the stranger metaphors, but one that Jesus used himself when describing his mission and that of the body of Christ he was creating. What the Messiah opens, none can shut. We know from other parts of Isaiah (for example, chapter 61) and from Jesus’ own words that his mission was to open the love of God to all–to break down the dividing walls of hostility, to open the eyes of the blind, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim good news, freedom to captives, the year of God’s jubilee. One common image is of Jesus “opening heaven’s door.” While we don’t like to think that God was somehow locked up and a key was needed to let us have access to God’s grace, that idea has been with humanity a long time (and is still with us in some insidious ways)–that we need a special ritual, a special person, a special sacrifice, special words, a particular prayer, to have access to God. In this prayer we remind ourselves that is simply not true–Christ has opened the door, and none can shut it.

Can you imagine yourself freed by the Key of David, freed to love yourself and others, freed to set others free, free to have a relationship with God without the need for perfection or the-right-way?

Preparing: O Root of Jesse

We continue our series reflecting on the O Antiphons, the prayers for the seven days before Christmas.

O Radix Jesse (Root of Jesse)

O Root of Jesse, standing as a sign among the nations; kings will keep silence before you for whom the nations long; come and save us and delay no longer.
Come, Lord Jesus.
Amen.

“But a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom.” (Isaiah 11:1–and keep reading the chapter for more on this idea!)

Out of a stump, a dead thing, something left behind, new life will sprout. Where everything seemed hopeless, hope springs forth. Just when all seemed lost and dried up–whether that refers to the people of Israel, who still waited while living under occupation, whose lives and nation and economy were not their own; whether it refers to any people of God, who have waited for God to do a new thing; or whether it’s a spiritual statement of waiting in the darkness and the valley of the shadow of death, still the promise holds–God will bring life out of death, newness out of a dried up old stump. And so we pray: delay no longer–come, Lord Jesus.

Where do you need to know God’s promise of new life?

Preparing: O Adonai

We continue our series reflecting on the O Antiphons, the prayers for the seven days before Christmas.

O Adonai

O Adonai, Lord of Lords, and ruler of the House of Israel, you appeared to Moses in the fire of the burning bush, and gave him the law on Sinai: come with your outstretched arm and save us.
Come Lord Jesus.
Amen.

“Indeed the Lord will be there with us, majestic; yes the Lord our judge, the Lord our lawgiver, the Lord our king, he it is who will save us.” (Isaiah 33:22)

This is a title we often associate with Jesus–King of Kings, Lord of Lords, and all the other wonderful things from the Hallelujah Chorus (which, of course, is an Easter piece!). During Advent we prepare for the coming of the King, but what we get is not a royal birth surrounded with tapestries and jewels and trumpets, but instead a dirty, smelly, noisy, ritually unclean, outcast birth, a God who comes to live with us, not to rule from on high. But still we believe that the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, revealed a different kind of majesty in this amazing event.

How do you prepare for the Lord of Lords coming to your house?

Preparing: O Wisdom

The “O Antiphons” are ancient prayers of the church, in use since before the year 500 (they’re mentioned by a writer in the early 500s). These prayers are traditionally for the evening services of the seven days before Christmas Eve–December 17 to 23. We’ll use them for the mornings of the 18th to 24th instead… we rebel Protestants, we!  The O Antiphons are prayers that address the messiah by titles that come out of the book of the prophet Isaiah. Each has scripture references, art, and even music that traditionally accompanied it. The song O Come O Come Emmanuel is a setting of the O Antiphons–we only have 3 verses in our hymnal, but there are actually 7, one for each night of the week before Christmas. We get closer and closer to God breaking into the world, and praying these prayers helps us come closer and closer to knowing the God who chooses to make himself known in the world again and again through the Body of Christ.

To learn more about the O Antiphons, check out this website that includes history and scripture.

So, each day for the next week, check in here for a reflection on the O Antiphon of the day.

O Sapientia (Wisdom)

O Wisdom, coming forth from the Most High, filling all creation and reigning to the ends of the earth; come and teach us the way of truth.
Come, Lord Jesus.
Amen.

“The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him: a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, a spirit of counsel and of strength, a spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord, and his delight shall be the fear of the Lord.” (Isaiah 11:2-3)

In the beginning, God spoke the world into being. The Word, the Logos (the logic, wisdom, speech) of God was there at the beginning. And in Proverbs 8, we learn that Wisdom danced before the Creator at the beginning, creating with the Maker, bringing joy and light and life. Many equate Wisdom as expressed in Proverbs 8 with the Holy Spirit, but there is also a tradition of equating Wisdom with the Word, who became flesh and the spirit of God was upon him.

Then, of course, we have 1 Corinthians 1.25: “the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom.” We certainly see some foolishness in the Advent and Christmas story–for God to become flesh, and not just weak and vulnerable flesh, but a baby, born out of wedlock, in a dangerous society, outcast, refugee, hunted, poor; then to grow up to do incredibly foolish things, like challenge the empire, feed the hungry, heal the sick, preach to masses, say things like “blessed are the poor,” and end up dying the most shameful death imaginable…only to turn even death upside down, along with everything else. It’s a strange Wisdom indeed.

How do you experience Christ as God’s wisdom?

Advent e-votional, week 3

Luke 1.39-55 (Common English Bible)

Mary got up and hurried to a city in the Judean highlands. She entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. With a loud voice she blurted out, “God has blessed you above all women, and he has blessed the child you carry. Why do I have this honor, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. Happy is she who believed that the Lord would fulfill the promises he made to her.”
Mary praises God

Mary said,
“With all my heart I glorify the Lord!
In the depths of who I am I rejoice in God my savior.
He has looked with favor on the low status of his servant.
Look! From now on, everyone will consider me highly favored
because the mighty one has done great things for me.
Holy is his name.
He shows mercy to everyone,
from one generation to the next,
who honors him as God.
He has shown strength with his arm.
He has scattered those with arrogant thoughts and proud inclinations.
He has pulled the powerful down from their thrones
and lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things
and sent the rich away empty-handed.
He has come to the aid of his servant Israel,
remembering his mercy,
just as he promised to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to Abraham’s descendants forever.”

As I write this, it’s still dark outside, the cider is mulling, the tree is glowing, and the presents are stacked carefully in age groups. It’s still quiet, but any minute now people will begin arriving and the church property will be full–full of people who are looking for something. Some of them have been here before, others have not. Some are hungry, some bring their neighbors, some need gifts to give their children. Some are volunteers, some are guests. For a few hours this morning, we will be the living magnificat–a great leveling for the glory of God. The hungry will be filled, those in need will be served, the lowly will be lifted up, and many of us who come to do the serving will find our own hearts broken and re-made, emptied and re-filled. In the sacrament of cider, Santa, and pre-packed food boxes, in the holy moments of greeting people, offering hospitality, and hearing the story of another, we will meet Jesus. Or be Jesus. Or both! Christ will come again, just as he promised, in moments like these, when love and grace are offered alongside food and drink, and together with all God’s people we find refreshment and hope.

Prayer

O God of all people, walk with us this day as we seek to reflect your image to our neighbors. Give us patience, courage, and love–and maybe a smidgen of that loaves-and-fishes miracle! Help us to be the place where your love is made visible, your grace given flesh, your hope made real. Make us a living magnificat, a new incarnation for a new day. We pray in the name of the One who is to come. Amen.

 

Advent e-votional, week 2

Madonna of the Magnificat, from WithFriendship.com's magnificat gallery

Luke 1.46-55….the “Magnificat” (adapted from the Common English Bible)

With all my heart I glorify the Lord!
In the depths of who I am I rejoice in God my savior.
He has looked with favor on me.
Look! From now on, everyone will consider me blessed
because the mighty one has done great things for me.
Holy is the Lord!
He shows mercy to everyone,
from one generation to the next.
He has shown strength with his arm.
He has scattered those with arrogant thoughts
and proud inclinations.
He has pulled the powerful down from their thrones
and lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things
and sent the rich away empty-handed.
He has come to the aid of his servant,
remembering his mercy,
just as he promised to our ancestors.

 

 

 

 

After a few years at RCLPC, whenever I read this song of Mary’s (or her ancestor Hannah’s very similar song, probably Mary’s inspiration), I’ve started to hear a medley of different choral pieces in my head. Sometimes I hear the Gospel Magnificat that was the cantata a few years ago. Sometimes I hear the John Rutter Magnificat. Sometimes I hear the one the women of the choir are working on to sing this Sunday.

And, honestly, sometimes my brain transitions into peppy songs like “Jingle Bell Rock.”

I can’t help it! Christmas Cheer is everywhere, the stores and train stations and even the Thai restaurant are playing non-stop Christmas radio stations, and sometimes you just need a little happy, right?

The third Sunday of Advent (coming up this weekend) is traditionally called “Gaudete” Sunday–meaning “Rejoice!” In some churches that use both purple and pink candles on the wreath, this is the Sunday to light the pink candle, and some of our Roman Catholic and Episcopalian friends will wear rose colored vestments and change the paraments to pink. It’s supposed to be a bit of a break of lightness and joy in the midst of a season that is about preparation, repentance, and such.

The thing is, Mary’s song of joy, and the Isaiah reading about joy this week….well, neither one is exactly “lighthearted” or “cheery” or “fun.” Instead I see here a joy that is much deeper than cheerfulness, much more meaningful than decorating for Christmas, and frankly much more work than anything I want to add to my December schedule. This is rejoicing IN God, because God has done great things…things like lifting up the lowly (and bringing down the haughty), feeding the hungry (and sending the rich away empty). In Isaiah we read that the Spirit of the Lord has anointed “me” to do those things…who is me? Mary? Jesus? Isaiah? or the Body of Christ?

Thinking about joy as being more than mere happiness or cheeriness, I wonder how we get there exactly? What brings you joy? How can you spend time this season rejoicing in God, who has done great things and called us to do great things as well?

I like to think of Mary as a co-conspirator with God. to “conspire” means to “breathe together” or to “join spirits”–that sounds like what happened here, and Mary rightfully sings with joy when that happens. How can we conspire with God–breathe together, join our spirits with The Spirit–and so participate in the joy Mary expresses?

Prayer

God, in the beginning you spoke the world into being, and you breathed the breath of life into us. Breathe through us again this day, that we might join with you in the great work you continue to do in our lives, in our church, in our community, and in our world. Lead us past cheerfulness toward the joy that comes from being one with You. In the name of the coming Child we pray. Amen.

Advent e-votions: in the midst of week 1…

Advent is a time of preparation–we prepare for the new beginning with the coming of the Word Made Flesh (the word “Advent” means “beginning” or “coming”). As we prepare, we spend time with God, renewing our focus, hearing God’s word, and turning toward God’s way. Here on the blog, each Thursday in Advent will feature a devotion written about one of the Isaiah texts we are considering in worship. We encourage you to use these devotions as a way to deepen your own spiritual experience during Advent, as well as to deepen your experience of worship during this holy season.

Isaiah 40:1-11

Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that she has served her term, that her penalty is paid, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.

A voice cries out: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” A voice says, “Cry out!” And I said, “What shall I cry?” All people are grass, their constancy is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, when the breath of the Lord blows upon it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand forever.

Get you up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good tidings; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good tidings, lift it up, do not fear; say to the cities of Judah, “Here is your God!” See, the Lord God comes with might, and his arm rules for him; his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. He will feed his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms, and carry them in his bosom, and gently lead the mother sheep.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Prepare the way of the Lord…create a highway that runs straight…uneven, rough ground will become a level plain…

Where are you preparing the way of the Lord? What are you doing to prepare for the glory of God to be revealed in your wilderness?

Once, during Lent (another season with a lot of wildnerness), I gave up caffeine. I lived in Chicago at the time, and I walked almost everywhere, so I passed probably a dozen Starbucks every day, and I started referring to Starbucks as my “personal wilderness.” I meant it as a youthful joke, but at the same time it was very real–there was a place in my life where I was more interested in things other than God, and it was anyplace that had coffee, but I had committed to journey through that wilderness. It seems (and maybe even is) shallow now, but it offers us a way in to thinking about this idea of preparing the way of the Lord in the wilderness. What is your personal wilderness? How can you make space for God in that wilderness, getting ready for God to do something new and unexpected?

God is indeed doing a new thing–the prophet declares that the people who are in exile are to be comforted, those who grieve and those who still remember their violent past are to have hope. The herald brings good tidings–God’s mighty arm brings not war and hurt and violence and hate, but feeding, gathering, carrying, gentleness. Peace is the order of the day, at last–a new thing, coming through the wilderness…are we prepared?

Prayer

God, so often our own efforts are nothing more than fading flowers or grass that withers and blows away. But still you call us to turn again to you, and you entrust the preparation for your coming to our hands. May your Spirit blow through us this Advent season, clearing away the dust that has gathered in our wilderness, guiding our hearts to make a way for you to enter this world yet again. Reveal your glory, O Lord, that we may all see you together, and follow your way in all we do. We pray this in the name of the One you sent to show us your Way. Amen.