Lessons and Carols

Coming this Sunday to Seneca Presbyterian: a service of Lessons and Carols! It has been our tradition in the past several years to include this service on the third Sunday of Advent. Once again, we highlight the ministry of music in worship, and once again we owe a great thank you to all our musicians in the chancel choir and the hand bell choir. We especially thank their leaders: Emmalyn Frye, choir director, Stan Hinton, organist, and Martha Holleman, director of the hand bell choir.

So... what do you know about the tradition of Lessons and Carols? Here are some facts:

• The tradition comes to us from Kings College in Cambridge, England.
• It began in 1918 as a way to add new vitality to Anglican (The Church of England) worship.The tradition has continued ever since. If you have access to a NPR station around 10:00 a.m. on Christmas Eve, you should be able to listen in to a live broadcast (traditionally beginning at 3:00 p.m. England time). 
• The service tells the story of our faith through the reading of nine biblical lessons, beginning with the fall of humanity in Genesis, continuing through the promise of the Messiah in Isaiah, and culminating in the birth of Jesus. Each lesson is followed by an carol by the choir or a hymn sung by the congregation - or both.
• The service traditionally begins with the singing of "Once in Royal David's City." The first verse is always sung as a solo by a member of the boys choir and for many has the effect of announcing the advent of that holy night. In order to avoid undue anxiety, the selected chorister isn't told until just before the service begins. Can you imagine what it must be like to get that last minute "nod"?

The Anglican worship tradition is "high on liturgy." Our Presbyterian/Reformed worship tradition is high on preaching. Too often, we think of that choice as either/or rather than both/and. Because John Calvin was such a educator, we Presbyterians have always placed great importance and emphasis on the sermon. Sometimes that leads to thinking that liturgy is just a bunch of dead words in a dusty book. Yet for me, traditions and words that have been spoken across the ages by thousands upon thousands of faithful worshipers have great power to lead us into the presence of God.

What do YOU think?