Wednesday 17. December 2014
Gaudete: 3. Sunday in Advent
O Sapientia
℣ O Wisdom, proceeding from the mouth of the Most High, permeating all creation, mightily ordering | all things:*
℟ Draw near and teach us the way of | prudence.
℟ Draw near and teach us the way of | prudence.
An ancient tradition in the Western Church is the liturgical practice (at least since the 8. century, but perhaps as early as the 6. century) of reciting an O Antiphon at Vespers each of the seven days before Christmas (17.-23. December). Today is the first O Antiphon: O Wisdom.
The O Wisdom Antiphon is based upon Isaiah 11,2-3: »The Spirit of the LORD shall rest on Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. His delight shall be in the fear of the LORD.« and Isaiah 28,29: »He is wonderful in counsel and excellent in wisdom.«
Isaiah prophesied about the Messiah and said that the very Holy Spirit would rest upon Him. We see this fulfilled at Jesus' baptism when the Holy Spirit descends upon Him as a dove. Isaiah lists 6 attributes that the Messiah will manifest: wisdom, understanding, counsel, strength, knowledge and fear of the LORD. We see these attributes exhibited by Jesus throughout the Gospels in His teachings, actions and miracles.
Jesus is all these things for us, who though we should also exhibit them as children of God, cannot perfectly do so because of our fallen nature. Jesus perfectly exhibits them for us in our place and thus in Christ we have these attributes attributed to us too as a gift of grace through faith in Christ.
Prayer: O draw near, O Wisdom from on high, who orders all things mightily; to us the path of knowledge show and teach in us ways to go. Rejoice, rejoice! Emmanuel will draw near to thee, O Israel. Amen. (Lutheran Service Book 357).
An antiphon is a musical response by a choir or congregation, often as a Gregorian chant, to a psalm or other Biblical text.
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