December 5, 2024
Second Sunday of Advent
A Service of Lessons and Carols
The tradition of the Lessons and Carols service has its origins in late nineteenth century Anglicanism. The first formal service was conducted on Christmas Eve at Truro Cathedral in Cornwall, England in 1880. According to one source, the Anglican bishop of Truro, Edward White Benson, created the service “as a response to discourage a different festive spirit found in the local Cornish pubs.” Bishop Benson later went on to become the Archbishop of Canterbury, and his son, Robert Hugh Benson, became a renowned author and priest.
The lessons (or readings) and carols provide us with a kind of communal Lectio Divina or Divine Office – a time to pray, sing, and ponder over the sacred texts in common, a time to contemplate the great mystery of Christ’s Incarnation and joyfully anticipate his second coming.
The “carols” will be sung by the Chancel Choir and by you – the assembled faithful – if a carol includes a UMH Hymn Number, please open your hymnal and join in singing! We open our Service of Lessons & Carols with the hymn which the Chancel Choir sang last Sunday in an effort to familiarize you with the tune before we invited you to join us this Sunday. “Lo, He Comes With Clouds Descending” is not often sung outside of the Anglican/Episcopal Communion, but I grew up loving it and try to share my passion for it whenever possible!
The second carol is a setting of the great Lutheran Advent Chorale “Wachet Auf”, most famously set by Bach in his Organ Prelude BWV 645 and Cantata 140 where he sets the chorale melody for Tenor voice. The Chancel Choir will be singing the English translation “Sleepers, Wake!” in a rousing setting by Felix Mendelssohn from his oratorio Saint Paul.
Following the reading from Jeremiah foretelling a righteous branch from the root of Jesse, the Chancel Choir will sing a modern arrangement of the 16th-century German carol “Es ist ein’ Ros Entsprungen” which is best known in its harmonization by Michael Praetorius. We will sing an evocative new arrangement of “Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming” by Howard Helvey which utilizes motifs from the famous melody throughout the flowing piano accompaniment and closes with an homage to Praetorius as the choir sings his original harmony for their last phrase.
Our Third Lesson speaks of the coming reign of peace which Messiah brings, and John Purifoy’s anthem “His Name Shall Be Called Peace” is a beautiful setting of texts from Isaiah with their eternal longing for an end to war and hoped-for peace.
Following our Fifth Lesson by Isaiah promising renewal and redemption, the Choir offers Sergei Rachmaninoff’s solemn prayer of trust from Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom of 1919 – “To Thee, O Lord, Do I Lift Up My Soul”, a text long-associated with this Advent season of patient expectation for the revelation of God in our world and in our lives.
The final carol sung by the Chancel Choir is an arrangement of an atmospheric organ prelude by Paul Manz which I have played for years, and was arranged by T. A. Ohnesorge for choir and organ. The much-loved carol “Gabriel’s Message” is the only music from the Basque region of Spain known by most of us, even though their musical traditions are rich with many styles and instrumentations. Maurice Ravel was actually of Basque origin, though he was a French-born composer.
I pray this Service of Lessons & Carols nourishes your spirit and helps to make your Christmas celebrations even more meaningful!
With a Thankful Heart,
Kenton