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Hello St. John’s Family,
I want to begin my note by thanking all those in our Music Ministry for their offerings during Music Sunday. Everyone present on Sunday was blessed by the beauty and power of amazing music that was offered to God; music that lifted our spirits and centered our hearts for Christ’s arrival at Christmas. Thank you to Roy Nelson, Brian Barber, Alissa Nelson, and Nanette Lutz for the outstanding leadership and accompaniment they provide, and to each of our faithful members who offer their musical gifts to the glory of God!
As I was guided in worship by the beautiful music on Sunday, I was struck by the power and awe that music and creativity can inspire in us. Worshipping God by pondering and reflecting on scripture through music and poetry has been meaningful for people of faith across the ages. These creative approaches help us engage with God in heart, mind, and soul in fresh ways, uplifting and strengthening us in the process. Recently, I read an interview with the Rev. Malcom Guite, a writer, Anglican Priest, and Fellow at Cambridge. The interview reflected on the power and beauty of poetry in Advent, including the Avent carol O Come, O Come, Emmanuel and the antiphons that are associated with that carol. Below is a portion of the interview.
“A traditional part of Advent that people may be less familiar with is the O Antiphons. In your book, you write a poem for each Antiphon. Can you describe what these are and how have they been part of Advent?
An antiphon is something that is sung antiphonally — a call and response between singers.
The idea was for those seven nights leading up to Christmas, to call on Jesus by all these wonderful titles, “O wisdom,” “O light,” “O key.”
They’re called O Antiphons because they all begin with O, which is exclamatory. It’s evocative. The “O” announces that you are now like a supplicant addressing somebody. So you normally expect a name; you might have said, “O Susan, could you go and get the washing in?” We expect a name, and then what we get is a name, but it’s a name that is itself a poetic aspect of who Christ is.
If you can imagine them in illuminated letters in a breviary, the book that the monks would have had, there had been this great big O. And then they would have done the first word of the title of Christ in a beautiful capital. So it would have said O Sapientia. O Adonai. O Radix. O Clavis (Latin). As we would say now, “O Wisdom,” “O Lord,” “O Root,” “O Key,” “O Light,” “O King” and finally on Christmas Eve, “O Emmanuel.”
All these beautiful titles for Jesus in the Antiphons are drawn from the Hebrew scriptures. I think that’s really important. Somebody did an imaginative, poetic reading of the great poetry of the scripture.
When you look at all those capital letters on Christmas Eve, and you look at the capitals reading backward, it actually spells a Latin sentence. It says ERO CRAS, which means “I will come tomorrow.”
If you really want to appreciate the coming, you have to get yourself imaginatively into that place of semidarkness and anticipation. The antiphons do that in spades.”
From “Putting the Poetry Back In Christmas”
Tish Harrison Warren interviewing Malcolm Guite, Dec. 11, The New York Times
This Saturday we have the opportunity to pause, worship, and take in the beauty of Scripture, word, and song as we re-experience Christ saying to us “I will come tomorrow.” I pray you’ll join us in worship on Christmas Eve as we celebrate Christ’s birth, and our amazing God who always keeps promises. Then, on Christmas Day, we’ll gather at 10am to reaffirm our thanks and praise while celebrating the good news that Jesus Christ is born! I look forward to sharing a joyous, beautiful Christmas together with you worshipping Christ our newborn King!
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Brad
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