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'O' Antiphons

This past week for Advent 2, we proclaimed the 'O' Antiphons and sang O Come, O Come Emmanuel, which is based on those antiphons. They probably originated in the 5th century or even earlier. Each antiphon would have been used in one of the vespers services leading up to Christmas, beginning on December 17 and concluding on December 23. Here they are, along with the related verse from the advent carol.

O Wisdom, O Holy Word of God,
 You govern all creation with
  Your strong yet tender care:
 Come and show Your people
  the way to salvation.

O come, Thou Wisdom from on high,
and order all things, far and nigh;
to us the path of knowledge show,
and cause us in her ways to go

O Sacred Lord of Ancient Israel,
 who showed Yourself to Moses
  in the burning bush,
 who gave him the holy law
  on Sinai mountain:
 Come, stretch out Your mighty hand
  to set us free.

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

O Flower of Jesse’s Stem,
 You have been raised up as a sign
  for all peoples;
 kings stand silent in Your presence;
 the nations bow down in worship
  before You:
 Come, let nothing keep You
  from coming to our aid.

O Come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan's tyranny;
from depths of hell Thy people save,
and give them victory o'er the grave

O Key of David,
 O royal Power of Israel, controlling
  at Your will the gate of heaven:
 Come, break down the prison walls
  of death for those who dwell in
  darkness and the shadow of death,
  and lead Your captive people
  into freedom.

O come, Thou Key of David, come
and open wide our heavenly home;
make safe the way that leads on high,
and close the path to misery

O Radiant Dawn,
 Splendor of eternal light, sun of justice:
 Come, shine on those who dwell in
  darkness and the shadow of death

O come, Thou Dayspring from on high,
and cheer us by Thy drawing nigh;
disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
and death's dark shadows put to flight

O King of all Nations,
 the only joy of every human heart;
 O Keystone of the mighty arch of man:
 Come and save the creature
  You fashioned from the dust.

O come, Desire of nations, bind
all peoples in one heart and mind;
bid envy, strife and quarrels cease,
fill all the world with heaven's peace

O Emmanuel,
 king and lawgiver,  desire of the nations,
 Savior of all people:
 Come and set us free, Lord our God.

O come, O come, Emmanuel,
and ransom captive Israel,
that mourns in lonely exile here,
until the Son of God appear

Reaffirmation of the Baptismal Covenant

Here are the words for the liturgy that we use following each celebration of the Sacrament of Baptism. The Apostles' Creed has been included in baptismal liturgies since the earliest times.

RENUNCIATION

I ask you, therefore, once again to reject sin, to profess your faith in Christ Jesus, and to confess the faith of the church, the faith in which we were baptized.

Do you renounce evil, and its power in the world, which defies God’s righteousness and love?

I renounce them.

Do you renounce the ways of sin that separate you from the love of God?

I renounce them.

AFFIRMATION

Do you turn to Jesus Christ and accept Him as your Lord and Savior?

I do.

Do you intend to be Christ’s faithful disciple, obeying His word, and showing His love, to your life’s end?

I do.

APOSTLES’ CREED

With the whole church, let us confess our faith.

Do you believe in God the Father?

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
 creator of heaven and earth.

Do you believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God?

I believe in Jesus Christ,
    His only Son, our Lord,
  who was conceived by the Holy Spirit
    and born of the virgin Mary.
  He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
    was crucified, died, and was buried.*
  The third day He rose again
    from the dead.
  He ascended into heaven,
    and is seated at the right hand
    of the Father Almighty.
  From there He will come again to judge
    the living and the dead.

Do you believe in God the Holy Spirit?

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
  the holy universal** Church,
  the communion of saints,
  the forgiveness of sins,
  the resurrection of the body,
  and the life everlasting.
Amen.

* At this point the traditional creed generally states "He descended into hell." This phrase is a later accretion for the earliest forms of the Apostles' Creed did not have this phrase. Given the difficulty in explaining this phrase biblically, we have joined with those who have chosen to omit it.

** The creed here uses the word "catholic" which means "universal". We have substituted the word for clarity of understanding.

Ancient Creed | The Nicene Creed

Today we confessed the ancient Nicene Creed in all its trinitarian beauty. This statement of belief dates from the 4th century and has been used in the life of the church worldwide ever since. Here it is available for your daily use.

We believe in one God,
  the Father, the Almighty,
  maker of heaven and earth,
  of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord,
  Jesus Christ,
  the only Son of God,
  eternally begotten of the Father,
  God from God, Light from Light,
  true God from true God,
  begotten, not made,
  of one Being with the Father.

Through Him all things
  were made.

For us and for our salvation
    He came down from heaven:
  by the power of the Holy Spirit
    He became incarnate
    from the Virgin Mary,
    and was made man.

For our sake He was crucified
    under Pontius Pilate;
  He suffered death
    and was buried.

On the third day He rose again
    in accordance with
    the Scriptures;
  He ascended into heaven
    and is seated at the right hand
    of the Father.

He will come again in glory
  to judge the living and the dead,
  and His kingdom will have
    no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit,
    the Lord, the giver of life,
    who proceeds from the Father
    and the Son.
  With the Father and the Son
    He is worshiped and glorified.
  He has spoken through
    the Prophets.

We believe in one holy
  universal* and apostolic Church.

We acknowledge one baptism
  for the forgiveness of sins.

We look for the resurrection
    of the dead,
 and the life of the world to come.

Amen.

* We have used the word universal here where common usage is generally the word catholic. Catholic simply means universal and our subsitution is just for clarity of understanding.

Ancient Prayer | St Patrick's Lorica

I had been aware of the prayer St Patrick's Breastplate which consists of the "Christ" statements below. But when Patrick Knaak was ordained here at Naperville Presbyterian, he introduced me to the fuller St Patrick's Lorica. (Lorica is a Latin word meaning "body armor".) This prayer has been attributed to St Patrick in the late 4th century. Here is the version we prayed today, slightly adapted for our use:

I arise today through a mighty strength,
  the invocation of the Trinity,
through a belief in the Threeness,
through confession of the Oneness
  of the Creator of creation.

I arise today through
  God’s strength to pilot me;
  God’s might to uphold me,
  God’s wisdom to guide me,
  God’s eye to look before me,
  God’s ear to hear me,
  God’s word to speak for me,
  God’s hand to guard me,
  God’s way to lie before me,
  God’s shield to protect me,
  God’s hosts to save me
    from snares of the devil,
    from temptations of vices,
    from every one who desires me ill,
    afar or anear,
    alone or in a multitude.

Christ with me,
Christ before me,
Christ behind me
Christ in me,
Christ beneath me,
Christ above me
Christ on my right,
Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down,
Christ when I sit down,
Christ when I arise

Christ in the heart
  of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth
  of every man who speaks of me,
Christ in the eye
  that sees me,
Christ in the ear
  that hears me.

I arise today through a mighty strength,
  the invocation of the Trinity,
through a belief in the Threeness,
through confession of the Oneness
  of the Creator of creation.

May this inclusive God everywhere, Christ everywhere, Trinity everywhere prayer be an encouragement as we seek to lean ever more fully on our God in this coming year.

Ancient Hymn | Gloria in Excelsis Deo

Today we spoke the words of the ancient hymn Gloria in Excelsis Deo (or "Glory to God in the highest"). This hymn of praise dates from the 2nd or 3rd century. Obviously we're lacking the music that went with this hymn. But to speak these words is no less an act of praise than it is to sing them! Here they are for your continued use in worship and praise:

Glory to God in the highest,
  and peace to His people on earth.

Lord God, heavenly King,
  almighty God and Father,
  we worship You,
  we give You thanks,
  we praise You for Your glory.

Lord Jesus Christ,
  only Son of the Father,
Lord God, Lamb of God,
  You take away the sin of the world:
    have mercy on us;
  You are seated at the right hand of the Father:
    receive our prayer.

For You alone are the Holy One,
  You alone are the Lord,
You alone are the Most High,
  Jesus Christ,
  with the Holy Spirit,
  in the glory of God the Father.

Amen.