Carols for the First Lessons and Carols Reading

The Lessons for Use in a
Festival of Lessons and Carols
for Christmas Eve
	as celebrated at King's Higher, Cambridge

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The Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols was first celebrated at Male monarch's College, Cambridge on Christmas Eve, 1918. It was an accommodation of a similar service that had been written for the cathedral at Truro in 1880. The lessons were reordered in 1919, and what follows are the lessons that accept been used since that time. At Rex's College, the Festival is a Christmas Eve service, and the lessons, and music, motility deliberately from the flavour of Appearance into Christmastide. Many other parishes have adopted the tradition, occasionally modifying information technology as needed. The consummate service can be a chip lengthy, and information technology is not unusual to omit a lesson. The lesson texts presented here utilize the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, but at King'southward College, the Authorized Standard (also known as King James) Version is always used.

Start Lesson from Genesis 3: 8–15; 17–19
God tells sinful Adam that he has lost the life of Paradise and that his seed will bruise the serpent'due south head.

2d Lesson from Genesis 22: xv–18
God promises to faithful Abraham that in his seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.

Third Lesson from Isaiah nine: 2; 6–seven
The prophet foretells the coming of the Saviour.

4th Lesson from Isaiah 11: 1–3a; 4a; 6–9
The peace that Christ volition bring is foreshown.

Fifth Lesson from the Gospel of Luke ane: 26–35; 38
The angel Gabriel salutes the Blest Virgin Mary.

Sixth Lesson from Luke 2: 1; 3–7
St Luke tells of the birth of Jesus.

7th Lesson from Luke ii: 8–16
The shepherds go to the manger.

8th Lesson from the Gospel of Matthew two: ane–12
The wise men are led by the star to Jesus.

9th Lesson from the Gospel of John 1: ane–14
St John unfolds the great mystery of the Incarnation.

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Genesis three: 8–15; 17–19

The human and his married woman heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and they hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amidst the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, "Where are yous?" He said, "I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself." He said, "Who told you that y'all were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded y'all not to eat?" The man said, "The adult female whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate." Then the Lord God said to the woman, "What is this that you take done?" The adult female said, "The serpent tricked me, and I ate." The Lord God said to the serpent,

"Because you have done this,

cursed are y'all amidst all animals

and amid all wild creatures;

upon your abdomen you shall go,

and dust you shall swallow

all the days of your life.

I volition put enmity betwixt yous and the woman,

and between your offspring and hers;

he will strike your caput,

and y'all will strike his heel."

And to the man he said,

"Because you have listened to the voice of your wife,

and have eaten of the tree

about which I commanded you lot,

'Y'all shall not swallow of information technology',

cursed is the ground considering of you lot;

in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life;

thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for y'all;

and you shall consume the plants of the field.

By the sweat of your face

you shall eat bread

until y'all return to the ground,

for out of it yous were taken;

you are grit,

and to grit you shall return."

Genesis 22:15-18

The angel of the Lord chosen to Abraham a second fourth dimension from sky, and said, "Past myself I take sworn, says the Lord: Because you have washed this, and accept non withheld your son, your simply son, I will indeed bless y'all, and I will make your offspring every bit numerous as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of their enemies, and past your offspring shall all the nations of the earth gain blessing for themselves, because y'all accept obeyed my voice."

Isaiah ix: 2; 6-seven

The people who walked in darkness

have seen a nifty light;

those who lived in a land of deep darkness--

on them lite has shined.

For a kid has been born for us,

a son given to us;

authority rests upon his shoulders;

and he is named

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

His authority shall grow continually,

and at that place shall be endless peace

for the throne of David and his kingdom.

He volition found and uphold information technology

with justice and with righteousness

from this time onward and forevermore.

The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

Isaiah eleven: one–3a; 4a; 6–nine

A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse,

and a branch shall grow out of his roots.

The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him,

the spirit of wisdom and agreement,

the spirit of counsel and might,

the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.

With righteousness he shall judge the poor,

and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;

The wolf shall live with the lamb,

the leopard shall lie down with the kid,

the calf and the lion and the fatling together,

and a little child shall lead them.

The moo-cow and the bear shall graze,

their young shall lie down together;

and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

The nursing kid shall play over the hole of the asp,

and the weaned kid shall put its hand on the adder's den.

They will not hurt or destroy

on all my holy mountain;

for the globe will be full of the knowledge of the Lord

as the waters cover the body of water.

Luke 1: 26–35; 38

In the sixth calendar month the angel Gabriel was sent past God to a boondocks in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a homo whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, "Greetings, favored 1! The Lord is with you." Only she was much perplexed past his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might exist. The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for yous have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will proper noun him Jesus. He volition be great, and will be called the Son of the Near Loftier, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He volition reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end." Mary said to the affections, "How can this exist, since I am a virgin?" The angel said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow y'all; therefore the kid to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God." Then Mary said, "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; permit it exist with me according to your word." Then the angel departed from her.

Luke 2: one; iii–7

In those days a prescript went out from Emperor Augustus that all the globe should exist registered. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, considering he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a kid. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of textile, and laid him in a manger, because at that place was no place for them in the inn.

Luke 2: viii-16

Inorthward that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping scout over their flock by dark. Then an affections of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. Simply the angel said to them, "Do not be agape; for come across-- I am bringing you expert news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for y'all: y'all will find a kid wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and maxim,

"Glory to God in the highest heaven,

and on earth peace amidst those whom he favors!"

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us become now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to usa." And then they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the kid lying in the manger.

Matthew ii: 1-12

In the fourth dimension of King Herod, later on Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, "Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its ascension, and accept come to pay him homage." When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to exist born. They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for then it has been written by the prophet:

`And yous, Bethlehem, in the state of Judah,

are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;

for from you shall come a ruler

who is to shepherd my people Israel.'"

And so Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, maxim, "Get and search diligently for the kid; and when you have found him, bring me word and so that I may also go and pay him homage." When they had heard the king, they gear up out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On inbound the firm, they saw the child with Mary his female parent; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gilt, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

John 1: 1-fourteen

In the beginning was the Give-and-take, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the offset with God. All things came into beingness through him, and without him not one thing came into existence. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

At that place was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came every bit a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was non the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true lite, which enlightens anybody, was coming into the world.

He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; still the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were built-in, non of claret or of the will of the mankind or of the will of homo, but of God.

And the Word became flesh and lived amongst us, and nosotros take seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth.

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The Bible texts of the lessons are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Partitioning of Christian Educational activity of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, and used by permission.

The lesson summaries are taken from the Order of Worship for the Festival of 9 Lessons and Carols, Male monarch's College, Cambridge, 2005.

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