The Choir of Christ the Cornerstone,
directed by Adrian Boynton

With Revd George Mwaura

THE GREAT ‘O’s

A service of Hope and Expectation for Advent Sunday

The Seven ‘Great O’ Antiphons

The seven ‘Great O’ Antiphons – on which the hymn ‘O come, O come Emmanuel’ is based – were sung originally as antiphons to the Magnificat at the Evening Office during December. These ancient supplications beautifully express the Christian Church’s profound yearning for her long expected Saviour. They provide a rich source of imagery in Advent, and form the basis of our
reflection tonight.

Each antiphon begins with the acclamation ‘O’, addresses Christ by one of his messianic titles from the Old Testament, and ends with heartfelt plea for his coming. The Antiphons progress from before the creation of the universe, through the messianic prophecies of Israel, to the Incarnation and birth of Christ in Bethlehem. The initials of each Latin title – Sapientia, Adonai, Radix, Clavis Oriens, Rex and Emmanuel – combine to form SARCORE, which, when arranged backwards spells ERO CRAS, which means ‘Tomorrow, I will be’. The pleas of the ‘Great ‘Os’ are answered when Christ comes to us on Christmas Day.

Tonight’s service reflects the 500th Anniversary of the birth of Palestrina. The service begins in darkness. The congregation is invited to remain seated for the readings and choir offerings and stand to join in the hymns.

Introduction

Prelude in C J. S. Bach

Prelude in C Dimitri Shostakovich

PROLOGUE

Choir: Aspiens a longe (Matin Responsory) 

I look from afar: and lo, I see the power of God coming,
and a cloud covering the whole earth. Go ye out to meet him and say:
Tell us, art thou he that should come to reign over thy people Israel?
High and low, rich and poor, one with another, go ye out to meet him and say:
Hear, O thou Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a sheep.
Tell us, art thou he that should come? Stir up thy strength,
O Lord, and come to reign over thy people Israel.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
I look from afar: and lo, I see the power of God coming,
and a cloud cov’ring the whole earth. Go ye out to meet him and say:
Tell us, art thou he that should come to reign over thy people Israel?

G.P. da Palestrina
CCL31580

Hymn: O Come, O come Emmanuel

(v3. Men, v4. Ladies, v.5 Men, v. 6 Ladies, Refrain All)

1. O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here, until the Son of God appear:

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

2. O come, thou wisdom from above who ord’rest all things through thy love
To us the path of knowledge show and teach us in her ways to go:

(Men)

3. 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:

(Ladies)

4. O come, thou key of David, come and open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high, and close the path to misery:

(Men)

5. O come, thou Rod of Jesse, free thine own from Satan’s tyranny;
From depths of hell thy people save, and give them vict’ry o’er the grave:

(Ladies)

6. O come, thou Dayspring, come and cheer our spirits by thine advent here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night, and death’s dark shadows put to flight.

(All)

7. 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:

Bidding: Revd George Mwaura

Tonight, in prayer, praise and song do we give voice to the hope set forth in the Scriptures,
that God’s kingdom shall come; and as we prepare for that day to dawn upon us from on high,
so we commend ourselves and the whole human family to God’s keeping.

May God guide us in the way of peace, give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death,
and kindle in us the fire of divine love.

Amen, come Lord Jesus.

Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness and put on
the armour of light, now in the time of his mortal life, in which our Son Jesus
Christ came to us in great humility; so that , at the last day, when he shall
come again in his glorious majesty to judge the living and the dead, we may
rise to the life immortal; through him who is alive and reigns with you and
the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end.
Amen.

Choir: The Truth from above 

This is the truth sent from above, the truth of God, the God of love,
Therefore don’t turn me from your door, but hearken all both rich and poor.

The first thing which I do relate is that God did man create,
The next thing which to you I’ll tell – woman was made with man to dwell.

Thus we were heirs to endless woes, til God the Lord did interpose;
And so a promise soon did run that he would redeem us by his Son.

And at that season of the year our bless Redeemer did appear,
He here did live, and here did preach, and many thousands did he teach.

Thus he in love to us behaved, to show us how we must be saved;
And if you want to know the way, be pleased to hear what he did say.

Vaughan Williams
CCL31580

O WISDOM

Coming forth from the Most High, filling all creation and reigning to
the ends of the earth, come and teach us the ways of the truth

Readings:
Ecclesiasticus 24, 1-9
Awake out of sleep by George MacLoud

Choir: Audivi vocem de Caelo

Audivi. Vocem de caello venientem: Venite omens virgines sapientissimae;
Oleum recondite in vasis vestries Dum sponsus advenerit.
Media nocte clamor factus est: Ecce sponsus venit.

I heard a voice coming from heaven: Come, all you most wise virgins;
Store up the oil in your vessels unto the bridegroom comes.
At midnight the cry broke forth: Behold, the bridegroom comes!
Store up the oil in your vessels until the bridegroom comes.

Thomas Tallis
CCL31580

Hymn: This is a story full of love

(v.3 Ladies, v.4 Men)

1. This is a story full of love, a song to set us free,
Of God, the Wisdom and the Word, the keystone and the key.

2. For Wisdom guides the flow of life and governs, hour by hour,
The forces of the universe, the fragrance of the flower.

(Ladies)

3. The Wisdom and the Word are one when flesh and bone and breath
Reveal the human face of God, the child of Nazareth.

(Men)

4. Disfigured on a wooden Cross, extinguished and absurd,
By faith we praise the power of God, the Wisdom and the Word.

(All)

5. Arising over earthly powers our Saviour has begun
To catch them in a web of love and weave them into one.

6. Praise God, the Wisdom and the Word, till all the world can see
That Jesus is the first and last, the keystone and the key.

O LORD OF MIGHT

Ruler of the House of Israel, who appears to Moses in the flame of the burning bush
and gave him the law of Sinai: Come and redeem us with outstretched arms.

Reading: Exodus 3, 1-5

Choir: O Thou the Central Orb 

O thou the central orb of righteous love,
Pure beam of the most high, eternal light
Of this our wintry world, thy radiance bright
Awakes new joy in faith, hope soars above.

Come, quickly come, and let thy glory shine,
Gilding our darksome heaven with rays divine;

Thy saints with holy lustre round thee move,
As stars about thy throne, set in the height
Of God’s ordaining counsel, as thy sight
Gives measured grace to each, thy power to prove.

Let thy bright beams disperse the gloom of sin,
Our nature all shall feel eternal day,
In fellowship with thee, transforming clay
To souls erewhile unclean, now pure within. Amen.

Charles Wood
(H.R. Bramley)
CCL31580

O KEY OF DAVID

And sceptre of the House of Israel, come and free the captives from prison,
and break down the walls of death.

Readings:
Isaiah 22, 21-23
The Grey Dawn by Max Metzger

Choir: O Radiant Dawn 

O Radiant Dawn, splendour of Eternal Light, Sun of Justice, come, shine on those
who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death. Isaiah had prophesied, ‘The
people who walked in darkness have seen the great light; upon those who dwelt in
the land of gloom a light has shone.’Amen.

(Great ‘O’ Antiphon for 21 December based on Isaiah 9)
James Macmillan
CCL31580

Hymn: Come thou long expected Jesus

1. Come thou long-expected Jesus, born to set thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us; let us find our rest in thee.

2. Israel’s strength and consolation, hope of all the earth thou art;
Dear desire of every nation, joy of every longing heart.

3. Born thy people to deliver, born a child and yet a king;
Born to reign in us for ever, now thy gracious kingdom bring.

4. By thy own eternal spirit, rule in all our hearts alone:
By thy all-sufficient merit; raise us to thy glorious throne.

O ROOT OF JESSE

Standing as a sign among the nations, kings will keep silence
before you when the nations long: Come and save us and delay no longer.

Reading: Isaiah 11, 1-2, 5-6, 9

Choir: Ave Maria 

Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum; benedicta tu in mulieribus,
et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Jesus. Sancta Maria, Mater Dei,
ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God,
ray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Anton Bruckner
CCL31580

Magnificat (Collegium Regale) 

My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my saviour.
For he hath regarded the lowliness of his handmaiden.
For behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
For he that is mighty hath magnified me: and holy is his Name.
And his mercy is on them that fear him throughout all generations.

He hath shewn strength with his arm: He hath scattered the proud in the
imagination of their hearts. He hath put down the mighty from their seat:
and hath exalted the humble and meek. He hath filled the hungry with good things:
and the rich he hath sent empty away.

He remembering his mercy hath holpen his servant Israel:
As he promised to our forefathers, Abraham and his seed for ever.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be: World without end, Amen.

Herbert Howells
CCL31580

O THOU DAYSPRING

Splendour of the light eternal and bright sun of righteousness: Come and bring light
to those who dwell in darkness, and walk in the shadow of death.

Readings:
Luke 1, 30-35,
Annunciation to Mary by Rainer Maria Rilke

Choir: Nova Nova 

Nova! Nova! Ave fit ex Eva! Gabriel of high degree,
He came down from Trinity to Nazareth in Galilee.

He met a maiden in a place, he kneeled down before her face,
He said: “Hail Mary, full of grace!”

When the maid heard tell of this she was full sore abashed iwys,
And weened that she had done amiss.

Then said the angel: Dread not you, you shall conceive in all virtue
A Child whose name shall be Jesu.

It is not yet six months agone since Elizabeth conceived John,
As it was prophesied before.

Then said the maiden verily. “I am your servant right truly.
Ecce ancilla Domini.” (Behold the handmaid of the Lord)

Bob Chilcott
CCL31580

Hymn: For Mary, Mother of our Lord

1. For Mary, Mother of our Lord,
God’s holy name be praised,
who first the Son of God adored,
as on her child she gazed. 

2. Brave, holy Virgin, she believed
though hard the task assigned,
and by the Holy Ghost conceived
the Saviour of mankind.

3. The busy world had got no space
Or time for God on earth;
a cattle manger was the place
where Mary gave him birth. 

4. She gave her body as God’s shrine,
her heart to piercing pain;
she knew the cost of love divine,
when Jesus Christ was slain.

5. Dear Mary, from your lowliness
and home in Galilee
there comes a joy and holiness
to every family. 

6. Hail, Mary, you are full of grace,
above all women blest;
and blest your Son whom you embrace
in birth and death confessed.

O KING OF THE NATIONS

Ruler we long for, the Cornerstone uniting all people:
come and save us all, whom you formed out of clay.

Reading: Zechariah 9, 9-10

Choir Lift up your heads (Messiah) 

Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors;
And the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of Glory?
The Lord is strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.
The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory.

G. F. Handel
CCL31580

Reflection & Prayer: Revd George Mwaura

O EMMANUEL, GOD WITH US

Our King and our Lord, hope of the nations and their Saviour,
come and serve us, O Lord our God

Choir: Canite tuba 

Canite tuba in Sion, qui a prope est dies Domini: Ecce venit ad salvandum nos.
Erunt prava in directa, es aspera in vias planas:
Veni Domine, et nolitardare. Alleluia.

Sound the trumpet in Sion, for the day of the Lord is near.
See, He is coming to save us. Winding paths will be made straight
And rough places smooth. Come O Lord, and do not delay. Alleluia.

G. P. Da Palestrina
CCL31580

Blessing: Revd. George Mwaura

Hymn: Lo he comes with clouds descending

1. Lo he comes with clouds descending, once for favoured sinners slain;
Thousand, thousand saints attending, swell the triumph of his train:
Alleluia! God appears on earth to reign.

2. Every eye shall now behold him, robed in awesome majesty;
Those who set at naught and sold him, pierced and nailed him to the tree:
Deeply wailing shall the true Messiah see.

3. Those dear tokens of his passion, still his dazzling body bears;
Cause of endless exultation to his ransomed worshippers:
With what rapture gaze we on those glorious scars!

4. Yea amen! Let all adore thee, high on thine eternal throne;
Saviour, take the power and glory, claim the kingdom for thine own;
O come quickly; Hallelujah! Come, Lord, come.

Recessional: Intermezzo in A, Op 118 No2
Johannes Brahms