A MEDITATION ON LORDSHIP (O ADONAI) FOR DECEMBER 18TH

The Lawgiver and Deliverer: Adonai Revealed in the Burning Bush and Fulfilled in the Incarnate Word (Icon by Uncut Mountain Press) 

“O Adonai, and Leader of the house of Israel, who appeared to Moses in the fire of the burning bush and gave him the Law on Sinai: come and redeem us with an outstretched arm.” 

By Bp. Joseph (Ancient Church of the West)

Introduction

The second of the O Antiphons, “O Adonai”, draws us into the mystery of Christ as Lord and Lawgiver, the Redeemer of Israel, and the Deliverer of His people. The Church calls upon Christ by His Old Testament name, Adonai, acknowledging Him as the same God who spoke to Moses in the unconsumed fire of the burning bush, who proclaimed His holy name: “I AM THAT I AM” (Exodus 3:14). In invoking this name, we confess that the eternal Logos, who appeared in glory on Mount Sinai, is the One who humbled Himself to take on our flesh and save us with His outstretched arm upon the Cross. 

This antiphon’s imagery is saturated with divine power and presence: the burning bush, aflame yet unburnt, is a type of the Theotokos, who bore the uncreated fire of God in her womb without being consumed. The Law given on Sinai, written on stone, foreshadows the new covenant, written on our hearts by the Holy Spirit through the grace of Christ. And the outstretched arm of God, which delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt, is revealed in the Incarnate Lord, who stretches His arms upon the Cross to deliver us from sin and death. 

The Burning Bush: A Sign of Divine Revelation and Deliverance 

St. Moses encountered the holiness of Adonai in the wilderness. The unburnt bush signifies God’s otherness, His eternal and unchanging nature, but also His nearness, as He draws close to redeem His people. The same Lord who appeared to Moses now comes in Christ to fulfill the Law He gave and to lead us into the promised inheritance of eternal life. 

Advent invites us to stand, like Moses, on holy ground. Do we approach this season with reverence and awe, aware of the divine fire that seeks to purify and illumine our hearts? Do we allow the Lord to reveal Himself in the wilderness of our lives, where distractions are stripped away, and we hear His voice more clearly? 

The Old Russian Style “Theotokos of the Burning Bush” Showing How the Images of the Old Testament Prefigure Fulfillment in the New Testament

A Contemporary Greek Burning Bush Icon, Showing St. John of Damascus and St. Moses the Righteous Lawgiver and Patriarch, Looking at the Burning Bush from the Perspective of Old and New, Revealing the Unburning Bush to be an Image of the Incarnation, Tying into the Christian Practice of the Christmas Tree

Theotokos of the Burning Bush by Uncut Mountain, Showing the Conception of the Uncreated Christ to be the Enwombing of Eternity and the Uncreated within the Finite and Created Cosmos

The Lawgiver: Fulfilled in the Incarnate Word 

“O Adonai… who gave the Law on Sinai.” Christ does not abolish the Law but fulfills it. In Him, the Law is no longer external, engraved on cold tablets of stone; it becomes living and active, written within us. He teaches us that true obedience flows from love: love for God and love for neighbor. To invoke Christ as Adonai is to submit to Him not as a distant ruler but as the loving Lord who calls us to holiness and communion with Himself. 

Are we willing to let Christ, the Lawgiver, govern our lives? Are we willing to yield to His commandments and embrace His call to love sacrificially? Just as Moses was transformed by his encounter with Adonai, so too are we invited to be changed, letting Christ’s Lordship shape every aspect of our being. 

The Redeemer: With an Outstretched Arm 

“O Adonai… come and redeem us with an outstretched arm.” The mighty arm of the Lord, revealed in the plagues of Egypt and the parting of the Red Sea, is now stretched forth in meekness and power upon the Cross. Christ, the eternal Adonai, becomes our Redeemer, leading us out of the bondage of sin and into the glorious freedom of the children of God. 

This Advent, let us look to His outstretched arm with hope and gratitude. In the Incarnation, God has drawn near to us in our weakness, offering His strength to save. In the Eucharist, He continues to stretch out His arm to feed us with His Body and Blood. In every trial, He is near, inviting us to trust in His deliverance. 

A Call to Reverence and Trust 

“O Adonai” reminds us of God’s majesty and might, but also His humility and love. He who is Lord of all became the servant of all, that we might share in His divine life. As we meditate on this antiphon, let us draw near to Him with reverence and trust, submitting to His holy will and allowing His redeeming grace to transform us. 

“O Adonai… come and redeem us with an outstretched arm.” 

COLLECT 

O Lord and Ruler of the house of Israel, who didst appear to Moses in the flame of the burning bush and give unto him the Law on Sinai: Come, we beseech Thee, and stretch forth Thy mighty arm to deliver us from the bondage of sin, that we may worship Thee in holiness and serve Thee in love; who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen. 

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