Last year I learned about a series of prayers and reflection that the Church has historically used in the seven days leading up to Christmas. This is the first year I’m going to try and engage them, and I want to bring you all along. I also want to give you a bunch of cocktails to go along with them.
The “O Antiphons”
Let me introduce you to the O Antiphons, seven short Advent prayers that go back at least to the 6th-century.*
If you’ve been around religious settings during Christmas time, you’ve probably been exposed to the O Antiphons without even knowing it: the hymn “O Come O Come Emmanuel” incorporates all of them into its verses.
The O Antiphons come from the book of Isaiah, and are a series of seven titles attributed to the prophesied Messiah. Each day has a brief prayer focusing on one of these titles as a way focus our Advent longing on the God we need in Jesus. Here they are. As we get to each one, I’ll link to the post and cocktail for that day.
- O Wisdom | Wise Sage O’Fashioned (Bourbon)
- O Adonai | Burning Bush O’Fashioned (Rye)
- O Root of Jesse | Family Tree O’Fashioned (Vodka)
- O Key of David | Emancipation O’Fashioned (Gin)
- O Dayspring | Radiance O’Fashioned (Tequila/Mezcal)
- O Desire of Nations | Ambassador O’Fashioned (Scotch)
- O Emmanuel | Incarnation o’Fashioned (Rum)
Yeah, there are some titles a lot of us are likely not very familiar with or know what they mean. The idea here is that you meditate on one each day in the week leading to Christmas and you pray the brief antiphon during evening prayers as a way to add focus.
And Cocktails! Introducing the “O’Fashioneds”
I will be posting these prayers and some brief thoughts each day and offering a custom cocktail to accompany it. I will be offering variations on the Old Fashioned, and I’m calling them O’Fashioneds. Some are pretty out there, and I’m excited to share them.
So each day I’ll offer the recipe, some notes on the drink, some words about the Messianic title for the day, some Scripture readings, and the Antiphon Prayer itself. It should be really fun. So prepare your nightcaps and join me for some prayers and drinks in the week to come!
*The “O” comes from Hebrew. It is a poetic exclamation, as in “Hasten, O God, and come to my rescue”. An “antiphon” is just a brief sentence at the beginning or end of a reading or prayer that’s meant to focus or tune your mind to the main content.
[art credit: photo by Monica Ayers]
the long way home 