Scripture: Exodus 33:17-34:9

Advent Week 2 :

Adonai is the Hebrew word for “Lord” that the Jews have long used whenever they encounter the name “Yahweh” in the scriptures (in order to avoid using God’s name in an irreverent manner). Yahweh is the name that God gave to Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3:13-15): I Am Who I Am. Here in Exodus 34, at Moses’ request to see God’s glory, God further reveals the meaning of His name–specifically that He abounds in grace, mercy, love, and forgiveness (34:16-17). Yet as God notes in the second half of v.17, these things cannot be properly understood apart from His just judgments against sin. To truly understand the graciousness of God’s character, we must also know the justice we deserve. It’s in the cross of Christ, our Adonai, that these attributes of God are most gloriously held together. The cross is where the just judgment of God was poured out on our Adonai…so that we who trust in him might find in God an inexhaustible abundance of mercy, and grace, love and forgiveness. Come, O Come, O Adonai.

This Advent, we’ll be looking at five (of seven) names for Jesus that Christians have meditated on every Advent since about the sixth century.  These names come from what are known as the “O Antiphons” (short chants that all begin with the word “O” and are used antiphonally (i.e. responsively)).  The “O” that begins each antiphon expresses the sense of longing that’s characteristic of Advent. Their origin is unknown, but much of their imagery is borrowed from Isaiah.  In some traditions they are recited or sung every year in the days leading up to Christmas.  We know these antiphons best through their paraphrase in the hymn O Come, O Come Emmanuel.  To enhance our longing for the return of Christ, we will meditate on him this season as O Sapientia (Wisdom), O Adonai (Lord), O Clavis (Key), O Oriens (DayStar), and O Emmanuel (God with Us).

Each week, our worship will make use of both the antiphons themselves (available HERE) and poems by Malcolm Guite which are based upon them.