Day 7: Taking Responsiblity

The third antiphon:

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.

O come, Thou rod of Jesse, free thine own from Satan’s tyranny; from depths of hell Thy people save, and give them victory over the grave:

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

Oh, how ancient our tradition of blaming Satan for what ails us! And to be sure, Satan does roam to and fro looking for ways to disrupt God’s kingdom coming. But Lord, O that we might not play into his hand by asking kings to deliver us rather than YOU deliver us. And woe be unto us if we do not take responsibility for our part in colluding with the Evil One. So on this night, when we pray, may we pray for open hearts, filled with love, inclusion, acceptance and service.

Day 7: Taking Responsiblity

The third antiphon:

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.

O come, Thou rod of Jesse, free thine own from Satan’s tyranny; from depths of hell Thy people save, and give them victory over the grave:

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

Oh, how ancient our tradition of blaming Satan for what ails us! And to be sure, Satan does roam to and fro looking for ways to disrupt God’s kingdom coming. But Lord, O that we might not play into his hand by asking kings to deliver us rather than YOU deliver us. And woe be unto us if we do not take responsibility for our part in colluding with the Evil One. So on this night, when we pray, may we pray for open hearts, filled with love, inclusion, acceptance and service.

Day 8: Rejoicing From a Place of Reality...

For tonight’s prayer, here is the second antiphon:

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.

O come, O come, Thou Lord of might, who to Thy tribes on Sinai’s hight, in ancient times didst give the law in cloud, and majesty and awe:

Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

I long to have the wisdom to know, deep in my bones, that it is God who fills and holds the universe together in a strong and gentle manner. To know these things surely would change my own attitude about what strong means and how to exercise power. Surely it would change where I place my hope for change.

I long to remember rightly. That long before there was a pandemic (a mere blip in the course of history) God appeared in a burning bush and dispensed laws for living and loving well as a community. Surely this would change my focus of attention. My eyes would turn inward; my problems would be more about how I live and love than how others are living.

I long to rejoice. Rejoice from a place of reality. Rejoice in the midst of suffering. Accept suffering as part of life even as I seek to alleviate the suffering of others.

Day 8: Rejoicing From a Place of Reality...

For tonight’s prayer, here is the second antiphon:

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.

O come, O come, Thou Lord of might, who to Thy tribes on Sinai’s hight, in ancient times didst give the law in cloud, and majesty and awe:

Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

I long to have the wisdom to know, deep in my bones, that it is God who fills and holds the universe together in a strong and gentle manner. To know these things surely would change my own attitude about what strong means and how to exercise power. Surely it would change where I place my hope for change.

I long to remember rightly. That long before there was a pandemic (a mere blip in the course of history) God appeared in a burning bush and dispensed laws for living and loving well as a community. Surely this would change my focus of attention. My eyes would turn inward; my problems would be more about how I live and love than how others are living.

I long to rejoice. Rejoice from a place of reality. Rejoice in the midst of suffering. Accept suffering as part of life even as I seek to alleviate the suffering of others.

Day 9: Tomorrow, I Will Come..

In the Celtic Advent tradition ancient prayers are used starting today through Christmas. There are seven “antiphons” - ancient chants or recitations. The exact origin of these are not known. They were used by the eighth century in the liturgical celebrations in Rome. These prayers are OLD.

According to Professor Robert Greenberg of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, the Benedictine monks arranged these antiphons with a definite purpose. If one starts with the last title and takes the first letter of each one, the Latin words ERO CRAS are formed.

ERO CRAS means - Tomorrow, I will come. This represents Jesus speaking to us, reminding us, granting us the joy of anticipation - Tomorrow, I will come.

Each one highlights a title for the Messiah and refers to the prophecy of Isaiah of the coming of the Messiah. Here is the first one:

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.

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.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.