O Antiphons: The Final Christmas Countdown

Encore Post: Among the most ancient prayers still used by Christians are the O Antiphons. They are seven prayers that settled into the evening service in monasteries, at least by the time of King Charlemagne, (700s-800s). They are used 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 follows with a description of what God has done that makes 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 one of them. Why not use these prayers in your devotions as a kind of countdown to Christmas?

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

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