Tomorrow, I come
'O Antiphons' with All the Household
“The last days of Advent invite us, more than ever, to pause in the midst of the busyness of daily life and to prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ, the one whom we will soon behold. Among the treasures afforded to us by the Christian tradition, the O Antiphons stand out as a particularly rich and meaningful way to enter into the quiet holiness of the Feast of the Nativity.”
Dr. Kristen Einertson & Mrs. Tessa Muench, “Tomorrow, I Come: Art and meditations for the final days of Advent”
For more Advent reflections - to enjoy at your own pace - visit Still Advent. December resources are collected in this month’s Almanac!
When we entered into Advent this time around, my sights were set on protecting the stillness of the season: moving within its natural boundaries, not chafing against them.
But, human that I am, I found myself still gravitating toward those habits of busy-ness…trying to mold Advent into the modern holiday pace, lists upon lists of Advent “calm” activities creeping into my journal despite all my intentions.
Suddenly, though, I had no choice but to lean into Advent’s stillness: over the past weeks, we’ve been buffeted by one flood after another. Though we live in a flood plain and do expect some high water in the winter, these have been catastrophic for our region…exceeding our previous record here on the farm, getting to levels I’d never seen before in the barn.
Our house (raised up above flood levels) was reduced to an island, and getting around meant we had to use a boat.1 The other side of all this devastation was an enforced Advent: after moving all the animals up high and lifting the equipment we could reach, all we could really do was wait…hoping for that first sign of the flood’s crest, and keeping our eyes peeled for fenceposts starting to poke out of the water.
Mercifully, I received the most delightful and timely package in the mail the day before we lost our roads: an O Antiphons devotional packet - “Tomorrow, I come” - gifted by my lovely friends Kristen & Tessa of All the Household.
“The O Antiphons are a series of seven prayers that are meant to be sung or recited in the evening in the final days of Advent, from December 17 to December 23. Each antiphon begins with the exclamation ‘O’ and addresses Christ by one of his ancient prophetic titles, drawn from the promises of the Old Testament…”
from the introduction
For all its destruction, the flood startled our Advent-pace into silence…helping to re-orient us more gently toward Christmas.
Having meditative art and reflections to be my companions through this last turn of Advent - and getting to encounter them during our time as an island - has been a welcome balm during this stressful season.
I tend to understand storytelling most deeply when I receive it through visual art…especially when steeping in the mysteries of the O Antiphons.
And this booklet is truly the immersive, multi-sensory approach to the “Great Os” that helps a visual-learner like me wrestle more deeply with these prophetic titles.
Each Antiphon is beautifully represented by Kelly Schumacher of Agnus Dei Liturgical Art, distilling their rich meaning into vibrant, classic symbols….that ongoing language of the Church that transcends boundaries of time, denomination, and place.
(And you know I absolutely love the Medieval-style border artwork and embellishments…vining floral symbols that reflect the Great Os. It’s like a bouquet of Advent antiphons!)
Kristen & Tessa frame this beautiful booklet with their wonderful introduction - filled with historical context & the theological underpinnings of the O Antiphons, and, crucially, an invitation for us to graft the Adventide longing of the Great Os into our own seasonal experience.
Each daily O Antiphon is provided in Latin and English, with a full-page meditation written by Rev. Dr. Christian Einertson & Rev. Josef Muench (recognize those names? I love family projects!) They draw us deeper into the Scriptural context of each Great O, helping to decipher & enrich some of the imagery that has become unfamiliar to us over generations.
And then, after meditating on art and Antiphon alike, we’re invited to move deeper into each Great O: reflection questions prompt us to wonder how each Antiphon describes Jesus in both Scripture and in our daily lives.
Simple activities are provided, of the actual doable sort that I can manage during this approach to Christmas: eat citrus (winter’s in-season crop!) to recall the brightness of O Oriens…share a special treat or beverage with friends, “recalling the monastic tradition of opening the cellar with a key to bring out a treasured wine” for O Clavis David.
Invitational Scripture closes the daily Great Os, helping us see each prophetic title in more varied and nuanced context throughout the Bible as a whole.
Many thanks to Kristen & Tessa for sending such a meaningful gift…with poignant flood-tide timing! This has been a much-needed comfort to rest in. And thank you to Kelly Schumacher for creating all of the beautiful art featured here…truly, it’s after my own heart.
If you’d like to learn more about this booklet and print it out to accompany your walk through the Great O’s this Advent (an additional art print ships separately, but you can get to the printable right away), please hop over to All the Household’s shop:
“It is our prayer that this resource - through art, history, song, prayer, and daily meditations - will deepen your experience of Advent, illuminate the beauty of God’s promises, and inspire a reflective preparation for the Nativity of Christ.”
from the introduction
READ ON
Though living in the flood plain is challenging, we’re incredibly fortunate: we’re fairly well-prepared for high water, however damaging it is. We have high ground to send our animals to, and all the farmhouses are raised up. Many other areas throughout the PNW were hit by flooding, though, suffering far more severe damage.
So sorry for the weather craziness!! Oof! Those atmospheric rivers are something else, that’s for sure. I’ve been checking the news and pics from afar here in the South as I have family there. Wow.
The timing of that devotional arriving right before the floods is almost eerie in its appropriatenes. Forced waiting through natural disaster really does echo the Advent rhythm, though obviously in a much more stresful way. I've been rethinking my own approach to this season after reading this, actually got pulled back into that modern habit of scheduling "quiet" instead of just letting quiet happen naturally. The connection between the visual art and the O Antiphons is smart since those prophetic titles can feel abstract without some kind of concrete anchor to help unpack their layers.