The Advent Antiphons — O come thou Rod of Jesse, free…

For the past few weeks, we’ve been exploring the Advent Antiphons. This week, we look and listen to the third antiphon: O come, thou Rod of Jesse, free… During this time of year (as we approach Christmas), for the podcast we will look at a particular ‘hymn’ that has helped worshippers prepare for Jesus’s arrival. Since the 8th century, the Church has been singing the “O” antiphons. An antiphon is a short sentence sung or recited before or after a psalm or canticle. The “O” antiphons are so named as each line begins with an “O” — perhaps the most famous of these are the words and verse which begins: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. Altogether, there are 7 antiphons. They are typically said or sung in the evening of the week (December 17-23) leading to Christmas, but for our intents and purposes, we will learn and hear one each week. A short reflection will be followed by the antiphon said and then sung. From the Touchline is a short-feature (10-15 min) podcast with Rev Brad Kenney, Founder and Executive Director of Soccer Chaplains United and Volunteer Chaplain to the Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer. Rev Brad and occasional guests touch on various issues around the topics of faith, family, and football (soccer). Also, don’t forget that you can listen in our app, SoccrChapUtd, in the Apple and Google store.