Carol Service

3 December 2011

Part 1 - Prepare a way for the Lord

Entrance	Yonder come day (Georgia Sea Islands Spiritual)
	Soon and very soon (Crouch)
Opening Responses
Reading	Isaiah 40:1–5 The prophet Isaiah tells the people of Israel to prepare a way for the Lord
Song	Did you not know (Bill Tamblyn)
Reading	Mark 1: 1-8 St Mark writes of John the Baptist who prepares a way for the Lord
Prayer
Hymn	O come, O come Emmanuel

Part 2 - Behold the virgin will conceive

Reading	Isaiah 7: 10-14 The prophet Isaiah tells of the coming of Emmanuel — God is with us
Carol	Tomorrow shall be my dancing day (English traditional)
Reading	Luke 1: 26-38 St Luke tells of the Incarnation of Jesus
Carol	No wind at the window (Irish/Bell/Haugen)
Prayer
Carol	O little town of Bethlehem

Part 3 - Today is born a Saviour, Christ the Lord

Reading	Luke 2:1-14 St Luke tells of the birth of Jesus
Song	While shepherds watched (John Foster)
Reading	Luke 2:15-20 St Luke tells of Mary who treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart.
Song	I saw a maiden (Pettman)
Prayer

CarolSilent Night

Part 4 - The Word was made flesh and lived among us

Reading	1 John 1:1–4 St John reflects on the Incarnation
Motet	Love came down at Christmas (mtgf)
Reflection
Intercessions	Holden Evening Prayer Marty Haugen
Lord's Prayer & Blessing
Carol	O come all ye faithful

The idea last year was to set up a pattern for this service which could be repeated - to form a tradition. So this year the structure remained the same with some of the musical items changed. The second reason given then for the liturgy and its celebration of Christmas in these the earliest days of Advent is one of new evangelisation. We have also been carol singing this week and I have interested in the requests for particular carols (more so that secular songs). So this is a service of proclamation.

The musical changes were from the beginning. We have discovered that the back of chapel is a resonant place to sing and a dramatic way to begin the service. We sang two african-american pieces the first static, the second in procession. Musically I think with these pieces we have found a way to begin - I suspect that come next November when we prepare them again there will be looks of expectation.

Bill Tamblyn's joyous piece provided a good contrast to the other pieces with its ringing accompaniment and was actually connected with the last reading and so was a framing device.

'While shepherds watched' was once one of the very few permitted hymns in the Church of England. This scarify of texts led to a range of tunes including this Handelian setting knowing as Old Foster - which definitely has some sparkle. As John Foster was Yorkshireman it is unlikely we are related - my antecedents are the other side of the Pennines.

The second part of our tradition is that we offered some lighter fare afterwards with the mulled wine and mince pies.