12/11/2022 Lessons and Carols

For a detailed document of all information and lyrics for our 25th Lessons and Carols, go to huntsvillefirst.org/Lessons/ Nine Lessons and Carols, also known as the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols and Service of Nine Lessons and Carols, is a service of Christian worship traditionally celebrated on or near Christmas Eve. The story of the fall of humanity, the promise of the Messiah, and the birth of Jesus is told in nine short Bible readings or lessons from Genesis, the prophetic books and the Gospels, interspersed with the singing of Christmas carols, hymns and choir anthems. Although the tradition of Nine Lessons and Carols is popularly associated with King’s College, Cambridge, its origins are attributed to Truro Cathedral in Cornwall. Up to the late 19th century, the singing of Christmas carols was normally performed by singers visiting people’s houses, and carols had been excluded from Christian worship. In the Victorian era, the rising popularity of hymnody encouraged church musicians to introduce carols into worship. At around this time the composer and organist John Stainer was compiling a collection, Christmas Carols New and Old, and during Christmas 1878 he introduced carols into the service of Choral Evensong at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. Other cathedrals also began to adopt carols at Christmastide that year and the Royal Cornwall Gazette reported that the choir of Truro Cathedral would sing a service of carols at 10:00 pm on Christmas Eve. Two years later the Bishop of Truro conducted the first formal service of “Nine Lessons and Carols” on Christmas Eve 1880. Concerned at the excessive consumption of alcohol in Cornish pubs during the festive season, they sought a means of attracting resellers out of the pubs and into church by offering a religious celebration of Christmas. In 1883, and the Nine Lessons service began to gain popularity across the Church of England and the wider Anglican Communion, as well as Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales. The original liturgy has since been adapted and used by other churches all over the world, particularly in English-speaking countries. Lessons and Carols most often occur in Anglican churches. However, numerous Christian denominations have adopted the service as part of their Christmas celebrations. In North America, the Lessons and Carols tradition spread to other US and Canadian institutions. This is our 25th service of Nine Lessons and Carols at Huntsville First; first celebrated on December 14, 1997. Please turn off all cell phones and audible devices and enjoy this introduction into the the Christmas season.