Church Year – Page 5 – What Does This Mean?

O Key of David

Encore Post: O Key of David, and Scepter of the House of Israel, You open and no one can close, You close and no one can open. Come and rescue the prisoners who are in darkness and the shadow of death.

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.

Even in monarchies, kings cannot rule by themselves. They need quite a few officials to carry out their will and control access to the throne, so that royal time is not wasted on trivial matters or those not on the King’s agenda. Isaiah announces God’s appointment of such an officer for King Hezekiah. He was the former Chief of Staff. The symbol of his authority was the Key of David, so that he would open doors no one could close and close doors no one could open. (Isaiah 22:22)

In the letters to the seven churches of Asia in the Book of Revelation, Jesus announces he has the Key of David and opens the door to the Kingdom of Heaven, which no one can shut. (Revelation 3:7) Many try to place burdens on God’s people, restrict those who can come to the Father, and block the way to Heaven.

But Jesus is the Key of David, who opened the kingdom of Heaven by his sacrificial death and by breaking the seal of the grave when he rose from the dead. For those who believe in him, heaven is always open and is never shut. He removes the sin that blocks our way and bars the door to hell forever.

Now, through pastors whom he sends to his people, the keys to open heaven unlock doors for us, remove the chains of our sin and shame, and provide bread and drink for the journey — His holy body and his precious blood. These sustain us until we arrive home at last and enter its open door forever.

O come, Thou 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!

Lutheran Service Book, 357, Stanza Five

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Concordia Theological Seminary
Fort Wayne, Indiana

O Root of Jesse

Encore Post: O Root of Jesse, standing as an ensign before the peoples, before whom all kings are mute, to whom they will do homage, come quickly to deliver us.

O Radix Jesse, qui stas in signum populorum, super quem continebunt reges os suum, quem gentes deprecabuntur, veni ad liberandum nos, iam noli tardere.

The title in today’s antiphon comes from Isaiah 11. The people of Israel had been unfaithful to God, worshiping the idols of the surrounding Gentiles. He had already destroyed the northern kingdom with the Assyrian Empire. Isaiah predicted that eventually the same would happen to the southern kingdom. The house of David would eventually be destroyed as well. Isaiah prophesied that the root of this tree would sprout again. The messiah would come to be that branch from the root of Jesse, King David’s father. His will be an everlasting kingdom.

Isaiah then switches images. The Root of Jesse was to be a flag to which the Gentiles would rally. Before electronic communication, armies used trumpets and flags to keep their forces together and is send orders to every unit. An old proverb says that even the most thorough battle plan does not survive the beginning of conflict. Loud sounds, explosions, the clash of weapons, and, in modern times, the smoke of firearms cause chaos impossible to shout over. When soldiers lose track of where they are, they look for their unit flag and the national flag. They make their way to the flag, and the forces reassemble.

The Messiah will be, Isaiah tells us, the flag to which the people of Israel and the Gentiles will gather. He will bring people together in peace. The antiphon focuses on the absolute power the Messiah will have over all kings. It calls on him to free us from their control and not to be late.

When the Messiah came, the freedom he granted was over Satan, sin, and our flesh. He did this with the sacrifice of his own life in our place. When he rose from the grave, he broke its seal and opened the kingdom to all believers. When he comes again, he will complete that liberation, when we, free from sin, will live for him and with him forever.

O come, Thou Branch of Jesse’s tree,
Free them from Satan’s tyranny
That trust Thy mighty pow’r to save,
And give them vict’ry o’er the grave.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!
Lutheran Service Book, 357, Stanza Four

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

O Adonai, My Lord

Encore Post: O Adonai and Ruler of the House of Israel, who appeared to Moses in the burning bush and gave him the Law on Sinai, come with an outstretched arm and redeem us.

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.

Moses was minding his father-in-law’s business — his sheep — when he saw a bush on fire that did not burn up. When he went up to see what was happening, the Angel of the Lord (the pre-incarnate Son of God himself) spoke with him from the bush. He commissioned Moses to free the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt. Doing everything he could to avoid the subject, Moses asked for the Name of God. “I am who I am,” the Messiah replied. (Exodus 3) That name we pronounce Yahweh. It is spelled with four consonants in Hebrew — יהוה (YHWH). After the Babylonian exile, the Jewish people decided not to pronounce that name so it could not be taken in vain. Instead, they said, “Adonai” which means “my Lord.” Wherever the Angel of the Lord appears in the Old Testament, this name is given to him. He revealed God’s law to Moses on this same spot after the Exodus.

Because the Messiah is God, there is nothing he cannot do. He loved his people, Israel, so he sent Moses to free them. He displayed his power to free them with plagues and miracles, including the parting of the Red Sea. Later, the Scriptures would describe it as his outstretched arm.

The prayer calls on the Messiah to come and redeem us, which he did. This time, the miracle was not raw power, but the power of God himself paying the price of our salvation — not with silver or gold, but with his own blood. He himself became the sacrifice of our sin, paying its price in full.

One day, he will come again in glory to redeem the world once and for all, defeating death, sin, and the devil. On that day, his outstretched arm will restore all things and bring all to his throne. There, all will confess Jesus Christ as Lord to the glory of God the Father.

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!
— Lutheran Service Book 357, Stanza Three

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

O Wisdom

Encore Post: O Wisdom, proceeding from the mouth of the Most High, permeating all creation, mightily ordering all things, come and teach us the way of prudence.

O Sapientia, quae ex ore Altissimi prodiisti, attingens a fine usque ad finem fortiter, suaviterque disponens omnia, veni ad docendum nos viam prudentiae.

In the formal language of the church, important days are celebrated for eight days. The eighth day is called the Octave (Latin for eight) of the festival. It is a symbol of eternal life. Since there are only seven days of the week, the eighth day is thought of as being beyond time in the presence of God himself, where angels, archangels, and all the company of Heaven worship the Lamb-Who-Was-Slain. In a sense, all worship services are conducted on the eighth day. The Octave of Christmas is New Year’s Day, when the church remembers the Circumcision of Jesus and begins the new year in the Name of Jesus. December 17th is kind of an octave in reverse. On this day, the O Antiphons begin.

The first prayer meditates on the title “Wisdom.” In the popular philosophy of Greece and Rome, Wisdom is taught by the Word (the Logos — λόγος), a part of God Himself who comes to the world to instruct the worthy in Wisdom. (σοφία — Sophia) Isaiah prophesied that the Spirit of Wisdom would be in the Messiah. (Isaiah 11:1-9) In the Scriptures, knowledge is about knowing facts and the way things work. Wisdom is about knowing the best way to apply knowledge. Wisdom is not about what you know, but who you know. It begins with the fear of God and is built upon trusting God to keep His promises. (faith) Wisdom hears the Word of God, judges possible actions by it, and acts deliberately according to it. In this prayer, we ask the Lord to teach us to live in this way.

The highest form of wisdom is the cross. Here, God himself is sacrificed to pay the price of our evil. It seems foolish to the world, the good dying for the sake of the evil and conquering it once and for all. Yet for us it is the most profound wisdom of all. (1 Corinthians 1:18-25) The way of prudence, then, teaches us to confess our sins, receive pardon for them, and lay down our lives for others.

O come, Thou Wisdom from on high, Who ord’rest all things mightily; To us the path of knowledge show, And teach us in her ways to go. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel!

Lutheran Service Book, 357, Stanza Two

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

O Antiphons: The Final Christmas Countdown

Encore Post: Among the most ancient prayers still used by Christians are the O Antiphons. Seven prayers settled into the evening service in monasteries, at least by the time of King Charlemagne (700s-800s). They are used for the seven days before Christmas. An antiphon is a Psalm verse or prayer used as a refrain when Psalms or liturgical songs are sung. These prayers begin with the Latin word “O.” They are in collect form and focus on titles given by the Prophet Isaiah to the Messiah.

In most Lutheran parishes, the O Antiphons go by unnoticed. There is typically only one devotional evening service conducted that week. Yet they will sound very familiar to you. Five of them were paraphrased by an unknown hymn writer into the carol “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.” In fact, the Lutheran Service Book provides the actual O Antiphons along with the dates they were traditionally prayed.

Each antiphon begins with a title of the Messiah. It then describes what God has done, making this title appropriate for the Messiah. Finally, the prayer asks the Messiah to do something that fits the title. If you use it as a prayer, end with “who with the Father and the Holy Spirit live and reign, one God, forever and ever. Amen.”

During the next week, I’ll write a post about each of them. Why not use these prayers in your devotions as a kind of countdown to Christmas?

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

The Real Saint Nicholas, Bishop of Myra

Encore Post: Christmas in America doesn’t seem possible without Santa Claus. In an image first drawn by Thomas Nast for Harper’s Weekly in 1863 and shaped to his current form by Haddon Sundblum for a Coca-Cola advertising campaign, the jolly Saint Nick is said to live at the North Pole, making toys for children to give on Christmas Eve. Our Santa’s legend has grown from the Dutch form of the Father Christmas story, where candies were distributed on December 6. Through poems, songs, and TV specials, the story continues to change each year. Many Americans tell their children that Christmas gifts come from him.

Yet the image did begin with the story of a real St. Nicholas, a Greek bishop who cared for God’s people during the most intense persecution of the Church before the 20th Century. Nicholas was born to wealthy Christian parents, who died during his early manhood. Nicholas followed his uncle into the priesthood and was chosen Bishop of Myra, a town in what is now Turkey. His legend says he gave away his parents’ wealth to the poor, but, being a humble man, he did so secretly. One story tells of a father who lost his wealth during a tragedy. Unable to afford a dowry for his three daughters, he feared he would have to sell them as slaves or hire them as prostitutes. Upon hearing the story, Bishop Nicholas resolved to help. On two successive nights, he slipped a bag of gold through the girls’ window. In the morning, the father was greatly thankful to his mystery patron. So he watched on the third night for the donor to appear. Unmasking Nicholas, the saint apparently begged him, unsuccessfully, to keep his generosity a secret. The girls, now each with a generous dowry, were married successfully and escaped a depressing fate. From this story, the Dutch legend of Sinterklaas developed, who is said to give children gifts on December 6. This story came across the Atlantic during the colonization of New Amsterdam (New York).

During the Great Persecution under Emperor Diocletian of Rome, Nicholas was thrown into prison and tortured in an attempt to get him to renounce his faith. Remaining faithful to Christ, he was released by Emperor Constantine the Great. One legend places Bishop Nicholas at the Council of Nicea, where he is said to have slapped Arius the heretic and to have temporarily lost his office for the incident. Restored to office, he stood up for his people, battled idolatry and heresy, and intervened with authorities from time to time to protect his flock and the poor in general.

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith

Pastor Emeritus

Fort Wayne, Indiana

Stir up Your Power, O Lord, and Come!

Encore Post: Great forest fires, earthquakes, hurricanes and floods are all over our news. Acts of unspeakable evil and cruelty occur on almost a weekly basis. A nation routinely kills babies in the womb, celebrates immorality, and lectures the church when it doesn’t join them. All the signs of the end of days fill our TVs, cell phones, and computer screens. It makes you just want to scream, “Tear open the heavens and get down here, Lord, and do something about it! What are you waiting for? (See Isaiah 64)

To most of the world’s religions, the high god who made the world is a distant god, who made the world and is tired of it, going away to leave it to lesser gods and our own devices. We are left alone to deal with the mess that is our world and our part in making it worse. Even more modern thinkers, like the Deists, thought of God as a great watchmaker, who made the world capable of running itself, wound it up, and walked away. Pop songs muse: “God is watching us… from a distance” and “The Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost, they caught the last train for the coast, the day the music died.” We just have to cope, they advise.

Advent breaks into that mood and reminds us that it is not true at all. The God who made the world and called it “very good” intends to do something about it. He promised to come himself, in the person of his Son, born of a woman, to become one of us. It reminds us that he kept that promise and to prepare to celebrate his coming, receive him as he comes to us each day, and how he will finally come to set things right.

The season of Advent developed over the centuries to do just that. Like Lent prepares the church to celebrate Easter, Advent prepares the church to celebrate Christmas. For some, it was also a season of repentance, as a deliberate counter to the wild and immoral way pagans celebrate their December holidays. So in many places, during Advent, the color is purple or black; the Gloria is not sung, and people fast. For others, it is a season of hope, with blue as the color and carols sung to anticipate Christmas.

Either way, the church cries out: “Stir up your power, O Lord, and come!” Come as you did, born to die that we might live. Come with your grace and live among us. Come and bring us all home to be with you. Come, Lord Jesus, Come!

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith

Pastor Emeritus

Fort Wayne, Indiana

The Colorful End of the Church Year

Encore post: Fall brings changing colors to landscapes in northern areas of the United States. Green leaves change to a breathtaking variety of red, orange, yellow and brown. People will drive miles to just take in all in. The beauty of it all brings out praise of God for his creation.

In Lutheran Churches, colors change in the sanctuary almost weekly during late October and early November as the church marks the last weeks of ordinary time. This time begins with red paraments for Reformation Day, celebrated on the nearest Sunday before October 31. Red is the color used for the Holy Spirit and his work and martyrdom.

The color soon changes to white for All Saints’ Sunday, celebrated the Sunday after November 1, All Saints’ Day. White is the color of the resurrection, celebration and the saints, who wash their robes white in the Blood of the Lamb.

The next week or two, the color returns to the green of Pentecost or Trinity season (the name depends on how your church counts the Sundays of ordinary time) Green is the color of life and growth. It is also used in Epiphany Season.

The theme for the last three Sundays of the church year is preparation for the Second Advent of Christ. In fact, in some lectionaries, the Sundays are referred to as the Third-Last Sunday, Second-Last Sunday and the Last Sunday of the Church year. Some churches call the last Sunday the Sunday of the Fulfillment or Christ the King Sunday. Some churches change color to white.

Finally, the new church year begins with a change to the color blue or purple for the season of Advent and the beginning of a new church year. Purple is the color of repentance and is traditionally used for Lent — where the church fasts to receive Jesus as the Son of God and Son of Mary. Blue is the color of hope and used more recently, where Advent is celebrated as a season of joy.

One more color change happens in some churches (to white) in the United States for Thanksgiving Day, which is the celebration of the good gifts God has given to us and our thanks to him for these blessings.

Enjoy this season of meditation, joy, expectation and hope as we consider the various blessing Jesus has given and will give to us because of his love for us, shown by his incarnation, sufferings, death, resurrection, ascension and soon return in glory.

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith

Pastor Emeritus

Fort Wayne, Indiana

©2018-2023 Robert E. Smith. All rights reserved. Permission granted to copy, share and display freely for non-commercial purposes. Direct all other rights and permissions inquiries to cosmithb@gmail.com

Special days in the Church calendar

Encore Post: The Lutheran Church is a liturgical church. This means that the theme of the day is set well ahead of time by the lectionary that your parish uses. Each Sunday is normally named by the place it is in the church year — a certain Sunday in Advent, a certain Sunday in Lent, a certain Sunday of Easter, or in Epiphany, or a certain Sunday after Pentecost or Trinity.

Each day is assigned a set of propers — a Psalm, a Collect (a prayer for the day that collects the thoughts of the people related to the theme of the day), a Gradual (a few sentences of scripture spoken between the Epistle and the Gospel lessons), Scripture lessons and a proper preface (said by the pastor during the beginning of the Service of the Sacrament). These are proper to the season and day and so change from week to week or season to season. In the long season of ordinary time (Sunday after Pentecost), the themes chosen traditionally shift about every ten weeks (after the Feast of the Holy Trinity, St. Lawrence’s Day, and St. Michael and All Angels)

Once in a while, you will run into a Sunday that is named after a person, like Saint Peter, or an event, like the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist. These days are typically called Feasts or Saints’ days. Most of these are Biblical figures or events, with Reformation Day and The Presentation of the Augsburg Confession being notable exceptions. In a church, a college, or a seminary chapel, where there are services every day, these days are often observed on the appointed date. Most Missouri Synod parishes, however, celebrate them only when the date falls on a Sunday.

Also scheduled on the church calendar are commemorations. These are available to congregations of the church but are rarely used. They include Biblical figures, especially Old Testament ones, Christian leaders, or memorable figures from the church’s history. In the Missouri Synod, they include musicians (like J. S. Bach) and other artists of various kinds and figures of the Synod’s history (like C. F. W. Walther and Rev. Smith‘s favorite — F.C.D. Wyneken)

We celebrate these people and events because they point to Jesus. Saints are not perfect, nor do they have special powers. They were sinners just like us, but now live in Heaven with all the saints. (Hebrews 13:7-8)

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith

Pastor Emeritus

Fort Wayne, Indiana

Transfiguration

[Eighty-Second in a series of posts on Bible Stories] Encore Post: At the Transfiguration, Jesus appeared to his disciples in his full glory as God. In the Three-Year Lectionary, it celebrates the end of the season of Epiphany with a theophany — an appearance of God. The season also began with a theophany. At the baptism of Jesus, the Father spoke over his Son from heaven, and the Holy Spirit appeared as a dove. Now the Father speaks from the cloud of God’s Presence, and with him is the Holy Spirit.

But that is not all. At the Transfiguration, Jesus appeared with the two greatest witnesses of the Old Testament — Moses and Elijah. God used Moses to lead his people out of Egypt and gave the Law to them through him. God buried Moses when he died. Elijah was the great and fearless prophet, whom God carried into heaven in a chariot of fire. God promised the Messiah to Moses, calling the Messiah a prophet like him. Later prophets predicted Elijah would return to witness to the Messiah on the day the Messiah would come.

Now on the mountain of Transfiguration, Moses and Elijah discussed with Jesus his Exodus — his departure. As Moses led Israel through the Red Sea to freedom, Jesus would bring us all through death to everlasting life by his death on the cross. Not knowing what to make of it all, Peter offered to set up tents like the people had used during their wilderness wanderings. As usual, Peter missed the point.

So the Cloud of God’s Glory appeared on the mountain. In that cloud, the Angel of the Lord led the people by day through the wilderness and showed God’s presence in the tabernacle and temple. From this Cloud, God the Father speaks a second time. “This is my beloved Son,” he said, “listen to him.”

The message of the Transfiguration is that Jesus is God, yet He set aside His glory to die for our sins. We should serve God by doing what He says and serving one another.

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith

Pastor Emeritus

Fort Wayne, Indiana

©2018-2025 Robert E. Smith. All rights reserved. Permission granted to copy, share and display freely for non-commercial purposes. Direct all other rights and permissions inquiries to cosmithb@gmail.com