At some point in the life of the church a series of short hymns or prayers called antiphons, were developed that were sung as preparation for the Advent (we say Christmas) season. A compilation of these hymns appears altogether as early as the 8th century, but they likely existed far before that. There were sevens hymns in all. These short hymns are reflected in the song "O Come, O Come Emmanuel." Each began with an Old Testament name for the Messiah. Each noted some gracious work or expression of God through the Messiah. Each offered a prayer that would align the people with the great work anticipated at the coming the Messiah. We will be looking at these hymns and prayers over the next weeks as we move into the Advent season. One thing to keep in mind, these prayers reveal that the early church didn't separate the hopes realized in the 1st coming of the Messiah as a baby born to sacrifice from the 2nd coming of the Messiah as King to reign. As we move into the Advent season and reflect on the Christ child who has come, we gain the greatest benefit in such a season if we let it these reflections prepare us for His second coming. Actually, the seven names were expressed in Latin and in reverse order formed an acrostic which means, "I am coming soon" or "Tomorrow I come."
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