An Advent Devotional
Come, O Emmanuel
A Devotional for the Eight Days Prior to Christmas
Based on John Mason Neale and Thomas Helmore, The Hymnal Noted – Part II
The world celebrates Christmas the holiday, with parties and shopping and such. Christians, however, celebrate Christmas the holy day (and the holiday, too, although combining the two can be a challenge). Many seem to have the concern that the Advent has lost its meaning in contemporary society. But in truth, the world doesn't celebrate the holy day. It's up to individuals, families and Christian communities to retain the celebrations of Advent, Christmas and Epiphany.
The structure of this document is derived from the Latin “O Antiphons,” the ancient antiphons recited during the evening Vespers prayers of the faithful beginning December 17. These were later adapted into a Latin hymn, “Veni Emmanuel,” which was translated into the familiar “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” by John Mason Neale in 1851. Following the antiphons, a hymn has been selected for additional meditation, if desired. In some cases, the hymn echoes the theme of the antiphon for the day, or one of the scriptural citations. Where no such hymn is available, another is selected that reflects one of the themes of the Advent.
It is hoped that this will be a tool that people might use to retain the holy day during their holiday season. Enjoy!
Doug
Anderson
Decatur, Alabama
November 1, 2009
Table of Contents
Slumbers, Awake, The Bridegroom Cometh
December 17: "O Sapientia..." (O Wisdom)
December 18: "O Adonai..." (O Lord and Ruler of the House of Israel)
Watchman! Tell Us of the Night
December 19: "O Radix Jesse..." (O Root of Jesse)
December 20: "O Clavis David..." (O Key of David)
Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus
December 21: "O Oriens..." (O Dawn of the East (Dayspring)
The Race That Long In Darkness Pined
December 22: "O Rex..." (O King of the Gentiles (Nations)
December 23: "O Emmanuel..." (God With Us)
Behold The Bridegroom Draweth Nigh!
Greater Antiphons - Sheet Music From Neale and Helmore, The Hymnal Noted
At Even-song During Eight Days Before Christmas
From the Salisbury Antiphonary
Source: John Mason Neale and Thomas Helmore, eds., Hymnal Noted - Parts I and II. London: Novello, 1856, pp. 207-209.
O Sapientia
Evening Antiphon for December 17
O
Wisdom, Which camest forth out of the mouth of the Most High,
and
reachest from one end to the other,
mightily and sweetly ordering
all things;
Come and teach us the way of prudence.
O Adonai
Evening Antiphon for December 18
O
Lord and Ruler of the House of Israel,
Who appearedst unto Moses
in a flame of fire in the bush,
and gavest unto him the Law of
Sinai:
Come redeem us with a stretched-out arm.
O Radix Jesse
Evening Antiphon for December 19
O
Root of Jesse, Who standest for an ensign of the people,
at Whom
Kings shall shut their mouths,
unto Whom the Gentiles shall
pray:
Come and deliver us, and tarry not.
O Clavis David
Evening Antiphon for December 20
O
Key of David, and Scepture of the House of Israel,
Thou That
openest and no man shutteth, and shuttest, and no man openeth:
Come,
and lose the prisoner from the prison house,
and him that sitteth
in darkness, from the shadow of death.
O Oriens
Evening Antiphon for December 21
O
Orient, Brightest of the Eternal Light,
and Sun of
Righteousness:
Come and lighten them that sit in darkness,
and
in the shadow of death.
O Rex Gentium
Evening Antiphon for December 22
O
King of the Gentiles, and their Desire,
the Corner-stone, Who
madest both one:
Come and save man,
whom Thou hast made out of
the dust of the earth.
O Emmanuel
Evening Antiphon for December 23
O
Emmanuel, our King and Lawgiver,
the Desire of all Nations, and
their Saviour:
Come and save us,
O Lord our God.
“Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme”
Philipp Nicolai, 1599
Translation by Rev. J. H. Hopkins (1820-1891)
Source: J. H. Hopkins, ed., Great Hymns of the Church Compiled by the Late Right Reverend John Freeman Young (New York: James Pott & Company, 1887), #32, pp. 46-47.
Slumberers,
wake, the Bridegroom cometh!
Awake, behold the Bridegroom cometh!
Ye Virgins, wake, to sleep no more.
Midnight hears the shouting voices,
And at the thrilling cry rejoices;
Your lamps now trim, so bright of yore.
Th' advancing train draws nigh;
Lights flash, and bridemen cry:
Alleluia:
Sing ye also,
Alleluia;
And forth to meet the Bridegroom go!
Zion hears the
exultant singing,
And all her heart with joy is springing,
She wakes, she rises from her gloom;
For her Spouse comes down all-glorious,
The Strong in Grace, in Truth Victorious,
Her Star is risen, her Light is come!
Haste then, ye Virgins fair,
His marriage-feast to share,
Alleluia:
Ye too shall sing
Alleluia,
As we go forth to meet your King.
Lo! the Bride, fair as the morning,
The royal crown her brow adorning, —
With fine wrought gold her bright robes shine.
On her breast are jewels gleaming;
In sevenfold light her beauty beaming
Bids welcome to her Spouse divine.
Round Him, in raiment white,
Sing all the saints in light,
Alleluia:
On that blest shore
Alleluia
Rolls evermore and evermore. Amen.
Prose Version:
O Sapientia, quae ex ore Altissimi prodiisti, attingens a fine usque ad finem, fortiter suaviterque disponens omnia: veni ad docendum nos viam prudentiae.
O eternal Wisdom, which proceedest from the mouth of the Most High, reaching from one end of creation unto the other, mightily and harmoniously disposing all things: come Thou to teach us the way of understanding.
Poetic Version:
Veni, O Sapientia,
Quae hic disponis omnia,
Veni, viam prudentiae
Ut doceas et gloriae.
O come, O Wisdom from on high,
Who madest all in earth and sky,
Creating man from dust and clay:
To us reveal Salvation’s way.
Scriptural Citations:
Isaiah 11:2-3: "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 28:29: "Wonderful is His counsel and great is His wisdom."
See: Ecclus. 24:5; Wisd. 8:1; Isa. 40:14. See also Proverbs 1:20; 8; 9 and I Corinthians 1:30.
Words:
Veni,
Veni, Emmanuel (the
"O" Antiphons),
Authorship Unknown, 8th Century
Latin;
Translated from Latin to English by John Mason
Neale
Mediæval
Hymns and Sequences,
1851.
Additional verses from Henry Sloane Coffin,
Hymns
of the Kingdom of God,
1916
And
the Redeemer shall come to Zion,
and unto them that turn from
transgression in Jacob,
saith THE LORD.
Isaiah 59:20
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.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
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.
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
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.
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
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.
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
O
come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent
here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death's dark
shadows put to flight!
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, Desire of nations, bind
All peoples in one heart and mind;
Bid envy, strife and quarrels cease;
Fill the whole world with heaven’s peace.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, O
come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in
lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice!
Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
Prose Version:
O Adonai, et dux domus Israel, qui Moysi in igne flammae rubi apparuisti, et ei in Sina legem dedisti: veni ad redimendum nos in brachio extento.
O Lord, and Ruler of the House of Israel, who appearedst unto Moses in the flame of a burning bush, and gavest to him the Law in Sinai: Come to redeem us with a stretched out arm.
Poetic Version:
Veni, Veni, Adonai,
Qui populo in Sinai
Legem dedisti vertice
In maiestate gloriae.
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.
Scriptural Citations:
Isaiah 11:4-5: "But He shall judge the poor with justice, and decide aright for the land’s afflicted. He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked. Justice shall be the band around his waist, and faithfulness a belt upon his hips."
Isaiah 33:22: "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."
See also Exodus 3; Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:6.
John Bowring, 1792-1872
Watchman!
tell us of the night,
What its signs of promise
are.
Traveler !
o'er yon mountain's height,
See that glory-beaming
star.
Watchman !
doth its beauteous ray
Aught of joy or hope
foretell?
Traveler
! yes; it brings the day,
Promised day of Israel.
Watchman ! tell
us of the night;
Higher yet that star ascends.
Traveler
! blessedness and light,
Peace and truth, its
course portends.
Watchman
! will its beams alone
Gild the spot that gave
them birth?
Traveler
! ages are its own;
See, it bursts o'er all the
earth.
Watchman ! tell
us of the night,
For the morning seems to dawn.
Traveler
! darkness takes its flight;
Doubt and terror are
withdrawn.
Watchman
! let thy wanderings cease;
Hie thee to thy quiet
home:
Traveler !
lo, the Prince of Peace,
Lo, the Son of God, is
come !
Prose Version:
O Radix Jesse, qui stas in signum populorum, super quem continebunt reges os suum, quem gentes deprecabuntur; veni ad liberandum nos, iam noli tardere.
O Root of Jesse, who art placed for a sign of the people, before whom kings shall shut their mouths, whom the Gentiles shall supplicate: come Thou to deliver us, do not tarry.
Poetic Version:
Veni, O Jesse Virgula,
Ex hostis tuos ungula,
De spectu tuos tartari
Educ et antro barathri..
O come, O 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
Scriptural Citations:
Isaiah 11:1: "But a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom."
Isaiah 11:10: "On that day, the root of Jesse, set up as a signal for the nations, the Gentiles shall seek out, for his dwelling shall be glorious."
Jesse was the father of King David, and Micah had prophesied that the Messiah would be of the house and lineage of David and be born in David’s city, Bethlehem (Micah 5:1).
See: Isa. 52:15; Heb. 10:37. See also Romans 15:12; Revelation 5:5.
Words:
Es
ist ein Reis entsprungen,
15th Century German carol,
Stanzas 1-2, Translated by
Theodore Baker, 1894.
Stanzas 3-4, Translated by Friedrich Layritz
(1808-1859)
Translated by Harried Reynolds Kraugh (1845-1925)
Lo,
how a rose e'er blooming,
From tender stem hath sprung!
From
Jesse’s lineage coming,
As men of old have sung.
It
came, a floweret bright,
Amid
the cold of winter
When half spent was the night
Isaiah
'twas foretold it,
The Rose I have in mind
With Mary we behold
it,
The Virgin mother kind
To
show God's love aright,
She bore to us a Savior
When
half spent was the night
The
shepherds heard the story
Proclaimed by angels bright,
How
Christ, the Lord of Glory
Was born on earth this night.
To
Bethlehem they sped
And in the manger they found him,
As angels
heralds said.
This
Flower, whose fragrance tender
With sweetness fills the
air,
Dispels with glorious splendor
The darkness everywhere;
True
man, yet very God,
From Sin and death he saves us,
And lightens
every load.
Prose Version:
O Clavis David, et sceptrum domus Israel: qui aperis, et nemo claudit; claudis, et nemo aperit: veni et educ vinctum de domo carceris, sedentem in tenebris, et umbra mortis.
O Key of David and Sceptre of the house of Israel, who openest and none shutteth, who shuttest and none openeth: come Thou, and bring forth the captive from the house of bondage, who sitteth in darkness and in the shadow of death.
Poetic Version:
Veni, Clavis Davidica,
regna reclude caelica,
fac iter tutum superum,
et claude vias inferum.
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.
Scriptural Citations:
Isaiah 22:22: "And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open."
Isaiah 9:6:"His dominion is vast and forever peaceful, from David’s throne, and over His kingdom, which he confirms and sustains by judgment and justice, both now and forever."
See: Rev. 3:7; Gen. 49:10; Isa. 42: 7. See also Revelation 3:7.
Charles Wesley, Hymns for the Nativity of Our Lord, 1744
Come,
Thou long-expected Jesus,
Born to set Thy people free;
From our
fears and sins release us,
Let us find our rest in Thee.
Israel's
strength and consolation,
Hope of all the earth Thou art;
Dear
desire of every nation,
Joy of every longing heart.
Born
Thy people to deliver,
Born a child, and yet a King,
Born to
reign in us for ever,
Now thy gracious kingdom bring.
By
Thine own eternal Spirit,
Rule in all our hearts alone:
By
Thine all-sufficient merit,
Raise us to Thy glorious throne. Amen.
Prose Version:
O Oriens, splendor lucis aeternae, et sol justitiae: veni, et illumina sedentis in tenebris, et umbra mortis.
O Rising Brightness of the Everlasting Light and Sun of Righteousness: come Thou and enlighten those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.
Poetic Version:
Veni, Veni O Oriens,
Solare nos adveniens,
Noctis depelle nebulas,
Dirasque mortis tenebras.
O come, Thou Dayspring, come and cheer,
Our spirits by Thine advent here;
And drive away the shades of night,
And pierce the clouds, and bring us light!
Scriptural Citations:
Isaiah 9:2: "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shown."
See also Luke 1:78-79; Malachi 4:2.
John Morison, Scottish Paraphrases, 1781
Isaiah 9
The race that
long in darkness pined,
Have seen a glorious
Light;
The people dwell in day, who dwelt
In
death's surrounding night.
To hail Thy rise, Thou better Sun,
The
gathering nations come,
Joyous as when the reapers bear
The harvest treasures home.
For Thou our burden hast removed,
And
quelled the oppressor's sway,
Quick as the slaughtered squadrons
fell
In Midian's evil day.
To us a Child of Hope is born,
To us a Son
is given;
Him shall the tribes of earth obey,
Him all the hosts of heaven.
His Name shall be the Prince of Peace,
Forevermore adored;
The Wonderful, the Counselor,
The great and mighty Lord.
His power increasing still shall spread;
His
reign no end shall know:
Justice shall guard His throne above,
And peace abound below.
Prose Version:
O Rex gentium, et desideratus earum, lapisque angularis, qui facis utraque unem: veni, et salva hominem, quem de limo formasti.
O King and the Desire of all nations, and chief Corner-stone, who makest two to be one: come Thou and save man whom Thou formedst from the clay.
Poetic Version:
Veni, Veni, Rex Gentium,
Veni, Redemptor omnium,
Ut salvas tuos famulos
Peccati sibi conscios..
O come, Desire of nations, show
Thy Kingly rein on earth below;
Thou Corner-stone, uniting all,
Restore the ruin of our fall.
Scriptural Citations:
Isaiah 9:5: "For a child is born to us, a son is given us; upon his shoulder dominion rests. They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace."
Isaiah 2:4: "He shall judge between the nations, and impose terms on many peoples. They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; one nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again."
See Jeremiah 10:7; Hag. 2:7; Eph. 2:14; Gen. 2:7; Tob. 8:8. See also Revelation 15:3; Psalm 118:22; Isaiah 28:16; Matthew 21:42; Mark 12:10; Luke 20:17; Acts 4:11; Ephesians 2:20; I Peter 2:6.
Francis Ridley Havergal
1877 at Winterdyne
Source: Maria V. G. Havergal, ed. The Poetical Works of Frances Ridley Havergal. Toronto: Toronto Williard Tract Depot, ND (circa 1880), pp. 379-381.
Wonderful
' For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given ; and the government shall be upon His shoulder : and His Name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.' Isaiah 9:6.
Wonderful!
Wonderful!
Ring out the
Name, O Christmas chimes !
Wonderful ! Wonderful !
Echo the
word to farthest climes !
May the splendour of this great
Name
Shine and glow with a mighty flame,
Filling thy life with
its glorious rays,
Filling thy spirit with Christmas praise.
Counsellor.
MIST
and cloud and darkness
Veil the wintry hour,
But the sun
dispels them
With his rising power.
Mist
and cloud and darkness
Often dim thy day,
But a Christmas
glory
Shines upon thy way.
May
the Lord of Christmas,
Counsellor and Friend,
Light thy desert
pathway
Even to the end.
Everlasting Father
O
NAME of gentlest grace,
O Name of strength and might,
Meeting
the heart-need of our orphaned race
With tenderest delight !
Our
Everlasting Father ! This is He
Who came in deep humility
A
little child to be !
The Mighty God
THE
Christmas bells proclaim
His glorious name,
'The Mighty
God!'
God manifest indeed,
And
yet the Woman's Seed,
To whom we sing
All glory, praise, and
laud !
Divinest Lord and King.
The Prince Of Peace
O
NAME of beauty and of calm !
O Name of rest and balm,
Of
exquisite delight,
And yet of sovereignty and might !
Let it
make music in thy heart to-day,
And bid thee go rejoicing on thy
way ;
For Jesus is thy Peace, thy Prince of Peace,
Whose reign
within thy heart shall evermore increase.
Man Of Rest
' Behold, a son shall be born to thee, who shall be a man of rest,' I CHRON. xxii. 9.
HAIL,
Christmas morn !
For unto us the Son is born,
The Man of
Rest !
The weary quest
Is over now, for He who cometh,
calleth,
' Come unto Me, and I will give you rest ! '
The
still voice falleth
On hearts that, listening, are blessed.
And
daily shall the blessing flow,
And daily shall the gladness
grow,
For we which have believed do enter into rest
Prose Version:
O Emmanuel, Rex et legisfer noster, expectatio gentium, et Salvator erum: veni ad salvandum nos, Domine Deus noster.
O Emmanuel, our King and Lawgiver, the gatherer of the people and their Saviour: come Thou to save us, O Lord our God.
Poetic Version:
Veni, Veni, Emmanuel
Captivum solve Israel,
Qui gemit in exsilio,
Privatus Dei Filio.
O come, o come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here,
Until the Son of God appear.
Scriptural Citations:
Isaiah 7:14: "The Lord himself will give you this sign: the Virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel."
See: Isa. 33:22; Gen. 49:10; Isa. 37:10. See also Isaiah 8:8; Matthew 1:23; Haggai 2:7.
Translation
and Adaptation of The
Magnificat
Translator
Unknown
My
soul gives glory to my God,
My heart pours out its praise.
God
lifted up my lowliness
In many marvelous ways.
My God has done
great things for me:
Yes, holy is this Name.
All people will
declare me blessed,
And blessings they shall claim.
From age to age to
all who fear,
Such mercy love imparts,
Dispensing justice far
and near,
Dismissing selfish hearts.
Love casts the
mighty from their thrones,
Promotes the insecure,
Leaves hungry
spirits satisfied;
The rich seem suddenly poor.
Praise God, whose
loving covenant
Supports those in distress,
Remembering past
promises
With present faithfulness.
Greek, Eighth Century
Behold,
the Bridegroom draweth nigh!
Hear ye the oft-repeated
cry?
Go forth into the midnight dim;
For blest are they whom
he shall find
With ready heart and watchful mind;
Go forth, my
soul, to him.
"Behold, the
Bridegroom cometh by!"
The call is echoed from the sky:
Go
forth, ye servants, watch and wait;
The slothful cannot join his
train;
No careless one may entrance gain:
Awake, my soul, 'tis
late.
O Holy, Holy, Holy
Lord,
We cry to thee with one accord;
To us thy pitying mercy
show,
That none may reach the door too late,
When thou shalt
enter at the gate
And to thy kingdom go.
"Behold,
the Bridegroom draweth near!"
The warning falls on every
ear:
The night of dread shall come to all:
Then, O my soul,
renew thy light,
And trim thy lamp that it burn bright;
Soon
shall I hear the call.
The images on the following pages are from John Mason Neale and Thomas Helmore, The Hymnal Noted – Parts I and II. Second Edition. (London: Novello & Co., 1856)
"Veni, Veni Emmanuel" from The Hymnal Noted, 1856
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