The Great O Antiphons and O, Come, O, Come, Emmanuel

The Great O Antiphons of Advent have been cherished for centuries by Christian worshipers. Each one consists of a title given to Christ in the Old Testament and a petition asking him to come and fulfill the scriptural promise or prophecy.

The Great O Antiphons may be used in Advent in place of the Psalm or Song of Mary in Evening Prayer or in place of the Psalm in The Common Service, Service of Word and Sacrament, or Service of the Word.

The minister shall pray at the altar, and the congregation shall respond with the appropriate stanza.

M:        O Emmanuel, our King and our Lord, the anointed of the nations and their Savior, come and save us, O Lord our God.

C:         Oh, come, oh, come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel

That mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel!

M:        O Wisdom, proceeding from the mouth of the Most High, pervading and permeating all creation, mightily order all things; come and teach us the way of prudence.

C:         Oh, come, our Wisdom from on high, who ordered all things mightily;

To us the path of knowledge show, and teach us in her ways to go.

Rejoice ! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel!

M:        O Adonai and ruler of the house of Israel, who appeared to Moses in the burning bush and gave him the law on Sinai, come with an outstretched arm and redeem us.

C:         Oh, come, oh, come, our Lord of might, who to your tribes on Sinai’s height

In ancient times gave holy law, in cloud and majesty and awe.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel!

M:        O Root of Jesse, standing as an ensign before the peoples, before whom all kings are mute, to whom the nations will do homage, come quickly to deliver us.

C:         Oh, come, O Rod of Jesse’s stem. From every foe deliver them

That trust your mighty pow’r to save: Bring them in victory through the grave.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel!

M:        O Key of David and scepter of the house of Israel, you open and no one can close; you close and no one can open; come and rescue the prisoners who are in darkness and the shadow of death.

C:         Oh, come, O 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.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel!

M:        O Dayspring, splendor of light everlasting, come and enlighten those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death.

C:         Oh, come, O Dayspring from on high, and cheer us by your drawing nigh;

Disperse the gloomy clouds of night, and death's dark shadows put to flight.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel!

M:        O King of the nations, the ruler they long for, the cornerstone for uniting all people, come and save us all, whom you formed out of clay.

C:         Oh, come, Desire of nations, bind in one the hearts of all mankind;

Oh, bid our sad divisions cease, and be yourself the King of Peace.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel!

Oh, Come, Emmanuel

Oh, come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel

That mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel!

The melancholy plainsong of this ancient Advent hymn is a perfect setting for a cry from the heart of the suffering and waiting nation of Israel. Once enslaved in Egypt and a millennium later taken in chains to Babylon, the Israelites had to wait and wait some more to see their destiny as a nation fulfilled. Finally God sent the liberator Moses to Egypt; finally he sent the Persian king Cyrus to enable some of the captive Jews to leave Babylon and return to their ancient land.

As you wait for Christmas this year, as you wait for God's help in the stresses and pains of your life, as you wait for Christ to return and bring us Home, you can use your Advent month not just for shopping or killing time till the festivities. Sing this hymn with confidence--God keeps his promises. Sing this hymn with hope--your future will be better than your past.

Rejoice! Emmanuel, "God with us," came once in a manger as promised. Rejoice! Emmanuel comes to us now in Word and sacrament. Rejoice! Emmanuel will come soon to open heaven's gates.

"Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign:The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel" (Isaiah 7:14).