“O Wisdom” - A Review of the O Antiphons This Advent
Wednesday’s Verses:
From Isaiah 11:2-3 ESV
And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear
As Advent unfolds, the Church starts to sing the ancient “O Antiphons.” The first one is O Sapientia—O Wisdom. We’re not asking for a nebulous flash of insight or some cunning thought. We are invoking a person.
Isaiah tells us that the promised Messiah, the shoot from Jesse’s stump, will have the Spirit upon Him in fullness. The fullness of wisdom and understanding; counsel and might; knowledge and the fear of the Lord. His wisdom is not governed by appearances or motivated by the pleasure of clever speech. It delights in fearing the Lord and does what is perfectly right.
That’s convicting. Our own wisdom is so thin and self-protective. We believe what we can see. We think what sounds right. We lean toward what’s good for us. Our religious thought, too often, is simply an art of self-justification. Left to ourselves, we don’t fear the Lord. We fear losing control.
But Christ is our Wisdom. He doesn’t just speak wisely; He lives wisely in our stead. He fears the Lord perfectly. He judges by righteousness. And when the world judges this Wisdom to be foolish and hangs Him on the cross, this Wisdom becomes our salvation.
Advent does not call us to be wiser. It calls us to receive the Wisdom made flesh. The Spirit who rested on Christ now rests on His Church. We preach forgiveness, faith, and new life in the Word and Sacrament.
So we pray: Come, O Wisdom. Not so that we can marvel at You safely from a distance, but that You would rule our hearts, judge us truly, and save us perfectly.
✝️ A Prayer for Today:
O Wisdom from on high, who orders all things mightily and well, come to us. Break our false wisdom, forgive our sin, and teach us to fear the Lord in faith. Rule us by Your Word until You come again in glory. Amen.
Apostles’ Creed:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Luther’s Morning Prayer:
I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.
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