Wheaton College Alumni Magazine Winter 2014 | Page 31
the seventh Antiphon
o Come , o Come , emmAnUel
1
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.
reFrAin . Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel!
2
o emmAnUel , our king and
our lawgiver, the anointed of the
nations and their Savior: come and
save us, O Lord our God.
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. reFrAin .
3
O come, thou Branch of Jesse’s tree,
free them from Satan’s tyranny
that trust thy mighty pow’r to save,
and bring them vict’ry o’er the grave. reFrAin .
4
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. reFrAin .
5
O come, thou Dayspring from on high,
and cheer us by thy drawing nigh;
disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
and death’s dark shadows put to flight. reFrAin .
6
O come, Desire of nations, bind
in one the hearts of all mankind;
bid thou our sad divisions cease,
and be thyself our King of Peace. reFrAin .
the meditAtion
i
mmanuel,
God with us,
knows what our flesh knows:
the itchiness of wool against skin,
the lingering taste of wine,
the glossiness of leaves after rain,
the press of earth clods underfoot,
the grit of sawdust on hands.
This is the mystery:
King and carpenter’s son,
Shepherd and Lamb,
God of Jacob and son of David.
With outstretched arms
he redeems us, the purple
of royalty and passion
emblazoning
the world’s darkness.
We await him.
Come, Lord Jesus.
O come, O come, Emmanuel,
and ransom captive Israel,
that mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear. reFrAin .
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