Traditional Christmas Lessons & Carols with Full Choir!
A Festival of Lessons and Carols was first held at King’s College Cambridge on Christmas Eve 1918. It was planned by Eric Milner-White, who had just been appointed Dean after experience as an army chaplain; this experience convinced him that the Church of England needed more imaginative worship. The 1918 service was adapted from an order drawn up by E. W. Benson for use the Cathedral in Truro. The Kings College service was first broadcast over radio in 1928 and has become a worldwide favorite at Christmastide which has been adapted across the Anglican Communion.
The carols are sung by the choir or the congregation, and the pattern and strength of the service derive from the lessons which tell the story of the Incarnation from the beginning of creation, through the prophecies, up to the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem. The service is adapted from the Book of Occasional Services. Hymns are taken from the Hymnal 1982. All hymns and service music reprinted in this leaflet are either in the public domain or reprinted with permission under OneLicense.net license A-713125.