First Lutheran Church
December 18, 2022 + The Fourth Sunday in Advent
Matthew 1:18-25 Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means, “God is with us.” When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.
“The Great O Antiphons”
Pastor Greg Ronning
Today’s sermon flows from the seventh century liturgical prayers known as “The Great O Antiphons,” the prayers that gave birth to the traditional Advent hymn, "O come, O come Emmanuel.” The context of this traditional prayer and hymn is that of a people in captivity. The text looks back and remembers the nation of Judah and the Babylonian Captivity. A time when God's people had lost everything and had been carried off in chains to live in a foreign land. A time when God’s people found themselves in a deep winter of despair longing for the light of spring and a time of rebirth. Each verse begins with the exclamation “O,” emphasizing the deep longing in our hearts, the great desire for freedom, for light to shine in the darkness, and the awe filled anticipation of God’s advent into our world.
Today we reflect on the “The Great O Antiphons,” we pray as we sing each verse of the hymn, and we open up our souls in the deep outcry - “O,” because we too are desperately beseeching Christ to break into our world. We too are looking for God’s advent - in the midst of pandemic, economic struggles, and social unrest. We too are seeking - freedom in a time of captivity, light in a time of darkness, and life in the midst of death. So it is that we join the saints of God in all times and places, in this time and in this place, in the timeless prayer of every place, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.”
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 you, O Israel.
“O Come, O Wisdom from on High”
In a world filled with an overload of information, in a world filled with great knowledge, - we don’t always make the best decisions. Too often we react in fear, too often we act from pride, too often we are anything but wise. As individuals, as communities, as nations, as the world; we pray for wisdom on high.
O come, O Wisdom from on high, embracing all things far and nigh:
in strength and beauty come and stay; teach us your will and guide our way.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel.
“O Come, O Come, O Lord of Might”
In ancient days God led the faithful with a great cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night as they wandered in search of a promised land. Along the way God gave the people the gift of the law to keep and order a good life. At Christmas the law is fulfilled in the life and teachings of Christ. Each day and each night we pray for guidance as we begin our advent journey.
O come, O come, O Lord of might, as to your tribes on Sinai's height
in ancient times you gave the law in cloud, and majesty, and awe.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel.
“O Come, O Branch of Jesse, free”
A prophecy from Isaiah, "The royal line of David is like a tree that has been cut down; but just as new branches sprout from a stump, so a new king will arise from among David's descendants." (Isaiah 11:1). The lineage, along with the hopes and dreams of Jesse, seemed dead. Yet “the stump of Jesse” was anything but dead. In the fullness of time a new branch appeared, and a lovely flower bloomed. As we prepare for Christ, we are reminded that God comes to us in unexpected ways. Perhaps God is once again present for us, present with the gift of new life in our broken, forgotten, and hopeless places? We pray for courage to look for life in the midst of death.
O come, O Branch of Jesse, free your own from Satan's tyranny;
from depths of hell your people save, and give them vict'ry o'er the grave.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel.
“O Come, O Key of David, Come”
Keys hold power. They allow us to enter a building or a house, to start up a car, to keep things safe. Keys can also be symbols of authority. The one who has a key can open and can shut. The one who holds the keys to life and the power of love comes to us at Christmas. God's advent into "our life" opens the door to "our life." God opens the door of forgiveness that sets us free from sin. God opens the door of peace that gives us a new way to live and a reason to live. The one who comes to us at Christmas holds the key to life and the power of love. May God grant us the courage to open new doors and embrace new possibilities.
O 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.
“O Come, O Dayspring, Come and Cheer”
In this season the days get shorter, and the nights get longer. And before Christmas arrives on December 25th, we must first endure the longest night of the year on December 21st. So it is that in Advent, we find ourselves living in increasing darkness. Just as the sun is nature's source of light and life, bringing seeds buried in the earth to life, so is Christ the source of our life. Christ is the rising sun who brings, warmth and light to our darkness. We pray that in our season of darkness we might be drawn to the light of God.
O come, O Dayspring, come and cheer; O Sun of justice, now draw near.
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night, and death's dark shadow put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel.
“O Come, O King of Nations, Come”
Another Christmas will soon be here and still the world finds itself in great conflict. O how we long for a king or a queen that might be different, a sovereign committed to justice for everyone, a ruler that might lead us in the ways of peace. We pray for the coming of God’s commonwealth, “thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
O come, O King of nations, come, O Cornerstone that binds in one:
refresh the hearts that long for you; restore the broken, make us new.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel.
“O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”
“In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. He was in the beginning with God.” … And in the fullness of time ..“the word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory,” …. “full of grace and truth.” And Mary named him Emmanuel, which means, “God with us.”
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 you, O Israel.
We conclude with a word from the prophet Isaiah, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness - on them light has shined.” (Isaiah 9)Amen.