The Lord by Wisdom founded the earth, established the heavens by understanding; by his knowledge the deeps were broken open, and the clouds drop down the dew. (Proverbs 3:19–20)

<O Wisdom, you came forth from the mouth of the Most High and, reaching from beginning to end, you ordered all things mightily and sweetly. Come, and teach us the way of prudence. (O Antiphon, December 17)

During the last week of Advent the daily prayers of many Christians include the "O Antiphons." Each day God is addressed by a different title, the prayer remembers when God was revealed in that way, and the prayer asks that God come again in that way. The verses to the hymn "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" are based on these prayers.

In the prayer for December 17, God is addressed as O Wisdom. In the book of Proverbs, God's Wisdom is personified as a woman who has a hand in creating the heavens and the earth. It is God's Wisdom, we hear in Proverbs, that has ordered a chaotic world so that the skies stay up and the land stays down, so that rain comes down and the seas have their place. While nature is not without chaos and disorder, the constancy of the earth's revolution around the sun, the dependability of gravity, and all the other hidden mechanisms of creation is surely a wonder to behold.

It is this same Wisdom of God who also orders our relationships. Seeking Wisdom is seeking relationships with family, friends, and neighbors that are kind and just. In this Advent season, we pray for God's Wisdom, made human in Jesus, to come among us now and bring creative order to our lives.

Let us pray: O come, O Wisdom from on high, Embracing all things far and nigh; In strength and beauty come and stay; Teach us your will and guide our way. Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel. (ELW 257)

Contributed by Kristin
Monday December 17, 2012
Liturgical Year C: Week 3
Liturgical Color: Blue
Sunday Gospel reading: Advent3
Third Sunday of Advent