Continuing Huw Raphael's Challenge Challenge a day late. The Second of the O Antiphons.

O Adonai,
et dux domus Israël,
qui Moyse in igne flammae rubi apparuisti,
et ei in Sina legem dedisti:
veni ad redimendum nos in brachio extento.

O Mighty Lord,
and leader of the house of Israël,
who appeared to Moses in the burning bush,
and on Sinai gave him the law,
come to redeem us with outstretched arm.


Today is one of the 12 Great Feasts in the Orthodox Church, the Feast of the Presentation of the Theotokos in the Temple.

One of the Old Testament archetypes of Mary is the Burning Bush (as it contained God but was not consumed, just like Mary contained God in her womb "more spacious than the heavens" but was not consumed) Top Icon "The Burning Bush" bottom Icon "Theotokos of the Sign" both available from St. Isaac of Syria Skete


This was a new thought for me when I became Orthodox that not only Christ had been foretold in the Old Testament, but that Mary had as well. Not just in the passage from Isaiah 7:14
14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you [a] a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and [b] will call him Immanuel but throughout the Old Testament. Standing in a dark and quiet church last night for Vespers, we heard three of these archetypes: About the Tabernacle in Exodus. About the Temple of Solomon and the Ark of the Covenant from Kings and finally, the most beautiful one from Ezekiel Ezekiel 43:27-44:4 (Vespers)
27 ‘When these days are over it shall be, on the eighth day and thereafter, that the priests shall offer your burnt offerings and your peace offerings on the altar; and I will accept you,’ says the Lord God.”
1 Then He brought me back to the outer gate of the sanctuary which faces toward the east, but it was shut.
2 And the Lord said to me, “This gate shall be shut; it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter by it, because the Lord God of Israel has entered by it; therefore it shall be shut.
3 “As for the prince, because he is the prince, he may sit in it to eat bread before the Lord; he shall enter by way of the vestibule of the gateway, and go out the same way.”
4 Also He brought me by way of the north gate to the front of the temple; so I looked, and behold, the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord; and I fell on my face.

The fact that the outstretched arm of the Lord has been recorded throughout history and in the life of Mary, of the Old Testament Prophets and of me is just an awesome idea and one that I think I need to wrap my mind around every year. Through God's grace, maybe I get it a bit more each year.

May you find beauty in today’s Feast. And, to bring it back to the O Antiphon, my favorite Resurrection Troparion,


Tone 3:

Let the heavens rejoice and the earth be glad
For the Lord has shown strength with his arm
He has trampled down death by death
He has become the first born of the dead
He has delivered us from death
And Granted the world great mercy

(I couldn’t find the text online, so that’s my best recollection, if I am incorrect, please note the error is all mine)