Christmas Eve - A Candlelight Festival of Lessons and Carols
Schedule
Tue, 24 Dec, 2024 at 06:00 pm
UTC-07:00Location
St. James the Apostle, Tempe, AZ | Tempe, AZ
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Experience the magic of Advent and Christmas with the Festival of Lessons and Carols performed by St. James'choir and guest musicians.It is free admission.
What is the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols?
The tradition of such carol services is now widely observed throughout the world, but its origin is only a little over 100 years old. The first service of this kind was sung in Truro, England, in 1880. The first Bishop of Truro, Edward White Benson, became Archbishop of Canterbury in 1883 and introduced it into parish churches throughout England. One of the most noted is the service at King’s College, owing largely to the influence of the annual broadcast from Cambridge. In 1919, the second year of the Festival at King’s, the service opened with the beautiful children’s hymn “Once in Royal David’s City” rather than a carol. As harmonized by the then college organist, Dr. A. H. Mann, this hymn has become another of the legacies from King’s.
The Festival narrates 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 Advent & Christmas carols, hymns and choir anthems.
At St. James, our choir, musicians and guest musicians will lead the carols and members of the congregation will lead the readings and prayers.
Join us for this powerful Christmas tradition.
Watch here a traditional Lessons and Carols liturgy:
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Where is it happening?
St. James the Apostle, Tempe, AZ, United StatesEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
