O Antiphons – Welcoming the Miracle of Christmas By Stephen A. Macchia Advent waiting, watching and wondering Embracing the coming of the Christ child Prophetically, humbly and gloriously O come, O come, Emmanuel! Rod of Jesse, freeing us from Satan’s tyranny victoriously Dayspring, dispersing gloomy clouds
O come, Desire of nations, bind in one the heart of all mankind; Bid Thou our sad divisions cease, and be Thyself our King of peace. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel! As King of all nations, we now anticipate the arrival of genuine peace. In fact,
O come, Thou Dayspring, 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! Dayspring is literally “dawn,” the physical light of the sun at the start of a
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! The Key of David reference signifies kingly authority; holding the keys to that control
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. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel! In alternative hymnals, the opening line is changed to “O come, O Rod of
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! In Exodus 3 we see how the angel of the Lord came to
O come, O Wisdom from on high, who orders 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. The second “type” of Christ is as Wisdom, also
Advent hymns speak to the longing in our hearts for the coming of Christ. We sing them each year during this holy season, embedded with rich and deep significance for all. By far one of the most popular, and my personal favorite, is “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” with
The Rev. Dr. Stephen A. Macchia is founder and president of Leadership Transformations, Inc. (LTI), a ministry serving the spiritual formation, discernment, and renewal of leaders and learners since 2003. For more than 20 years he has been the Director of the Pierce Center for Disciple-Building at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, where he also serves as an adjunct faculty member in the Doctor of Ministry Program. From 1989-2003 he was the president of Vision New England, the largest regional church renewal association in the country. Earlier in his ministry life, Steve was a member of the pastoral staff of Grace Chapel in Lexington, Massachusetts for 11 years. He is the author or co-author of 17 books, including The Discerning Life (Zondervan Reflective), and Crafting a Rule of Life, Becoming A Healthy Church (LTI), and Broken and Whole (IVP). He and his wife Ruth live in the Boston (MA) area and are the proud parents of two married children and grandparents to three adorable grandchildren. Steve’s personal website is www.SteveMacchia.com.
“My soul comes alive singing the great hymns of the church and enjoying the beauty of God’s creation. I’m in awe of God for fulfilling the dream for LTI that he birthed in my heart, for the team he has assembled, and the transformational impact experienced in the leaders and teams we serve.”
Detailed Biography
Articles by Stephen Macchia
Author Website
Schedule a one-on-one with Steve
Mitzi started her professional life as a high school social studies teacher. She and her husband Jerry then served cross-culturally for ten+ years, living abroad first in India and then Kurdistan, N. Iraq. In addition to being a Spiritual Director, she now serves as a Formation and Care pastor in her local church in Houston, TX. She has graduated from LTI’s Selah Spiritual Direction training as well as LTI’s Emmaus Formational Leadership Program.
Mitzi enjoys engaging conversation, reading fiction, doing jigsaw/crossword puzzles, ocean gazing and exploring the world with Jerry through food and travel.
God has two main callings in Mitzi’s life: to care for those who care for others and to be a guide in helping others have a healthy relationship with the Trinity – recognizing God’s loving presence and activity in their lives and how to faithfully respond.
“Selah was a transformative experience for me – allowing the contemplative within to emerge and to beautifully co-exist with my extraverted personality.“
