This year December 24th is both the Fourth Sunday of Advent and then, as evening comes, also Christmas Eve. There will be one Sunday morning worship service of Advent Lessons and Carols. The service will be shaped around the “O Antiphons” of the beloved Advent Hymn, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.” An antiphon is the Greek Word for “opposite voice” and is a short chant sung as a refrain in worship. The “O Antiphons” are a set of medieval refrains that were originally used before and after the singing of the Magnificat, Mary’s song, from Luke 1. They invoke the Messiah under a different title derived from the Old Testament and were collected into a Latin verse hymn in the 12th century which we know as “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.” In the midst of the frenzy of preparations for Christmas Eve, come into the quiet and get ready to receive the gift of Christ.
