Thoughts for the Day

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth;
break forth into joyous song and sing praises.
Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre,
with the lyre and the sound of melody.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord.

Let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
the world and those who live in it.
Let the floods clap their hands;
let the hills sing together for joy
at the presence of the Lord, for he is coming
to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
and the peoples with equity.

(Church in Wales Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

Psalm 98 looks at the coming of the Messiah who will judge the world, and as we continue our journey in Advent we come across the 'O Antiphons'. These are sentences often sung or said before or after a psalm at Evensong. They have been in use since the 5th or 6th century in Christian worship for the seven days before Christmas Eve, from the 17th to the 23rd December, and they all begin with 'O'.

The Great O Antiphons are important for two reasons - they give us titles for the Messiah and they refer to the prophesies about the one who is coming to save us. The first of these antiphons is 'O Wisdom' ('O Sapientia' in Latin) which means wisdom, intelligence, memory, or skilled practice. Isaiah says that 'The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.' (Isaiah 11.2-3)

The following antiphon of unknown origin has been in use since the 8th century CE:

'O Wisdom, coming forth from the mouth of the Most High,
reaching from one end to the other mightily,
and sweetly ordering all things:
Come and teach us the way of prudence.'

When we get carried away with the baby born at Christmas in a stable, we should remember that He is 'O Wisdom'.

O Wisdom,
who comes to us again this Christmas,
bringing Your spirit of understanding and counsel
to the problems of our world.
Show us how to
change our lives
in accordance with Your wishes,
and make a new beginning.
Amen,