The Great O Antiphons were Latin Chant from the 12th century. One for each of the seven days leading up to Christmas Eve. In the 19th century, John Mason Neale took these chants and put them into carol form. We know them as the lyrics to "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel." Not all hymnals print all seven verses, but if you want to see them, I recommend looking in a Lutheran hymnal. Our newest book, the Lutheran Service Book (LSB) has the Great O's also printed, in English, on page 357.
The final Great O, for Dec. 23: "O Emmanuel, our King and Lord, the anointed for the nations and their Savior: Come and save us, O Lord, our God."
And the English translation by John M. Neale: "O Come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel, that mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear: Rejoice, rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel."
Emmanuel means "God with us." What better way to say that when all is said and done, Jesus loves you. Wishing you and yours a Blessed Christmas.
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