Lessons & Carols West Virginia-Western Maryland Synod |
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Lessons & Carols (originally known as Nine
Lessons with Carols) is borrowed from our Anglican
cousins. The basic form includes multiple readings from
Holy Scriptures interspersed with hymns, carols, and other
music appropriate to the religious observation of the
season.
Most, however, know of Nine Lessons and Carols from
King's College, Cambridge. In 1918, Eric Milner-White
returned from the Great War and assumed the post of Dean
of King's College. As Christmas approached, the former
chaplain and veteran of both the Western Front and the
Italian Campaign looked for an alternative to evensong on
Christmas Eve. Nine Lessons & Carols presented itself
as an antidote to the horrors of the war and the
tremendous loss of life among the British. With some
adaptations, Milner-White inaugurated the Festival of Nine
Lessons and Carols tradition at King's College. The
post-war Zeitgeist is reflected in Milner-White's
bidding prayer that included a petition for "all those who
rejoice with us, but upon another shore and in a greater
light." If Lessons & Carols predates Milner-White and King's
College by nearly four decades, why should we so closely
associate the service with that institution? Radio! In
1928, BBC broadcast Nine Lessons and Carols from King's
College. Of course, King's College had fantastic musical
resources at its disposal, and the following decade the
BBC broadcasted the service world-wide. Since 1979, it has
been a regular feature on many public radio stations. The service continues to change—even in England. Comparing the different iterations over its now 140-year history is a study in world, cultural, and media history as much as it is a study in liturgics. |
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Why?Lessons & Carols comes to us from the Anglican
tradition. In terms of the long history of the Church, it
is a relatively recent development (late-19th
century). Still, a good devotional service is a good
devotional service, and there is little reason to eschew
it simply because it lacks a Wittenberg pedigree.
Furthermore, there is a place for corporate devotion
beyond the mass. Matins, Vespers, and Compline, for
example, all have their place within the church, and there
is room for other forms. Mere novelty, however, is
insufficient justification for the appropriation of this
Anglican service. Lessons & Carols has strengths,
chief among them is the recounting of salvation history
through the lessons. We must also admit that joining in
corporate song has its own value, especially when that
song is an expression of the Christian faith. So, as a
matter of congregational devotion, holding Lessons &
Carols is perfectly reasonable and potentially beneficial.
Lessons & Carols also presents an opportunity not
afforded by the mass. As it is a non-Eucharistic service,
questions related to Eucharistic discipline (i.e.,
who can receive?) do not apply. Consequently, it provides
excellent opportunity for the ecumenical community to
gather and also to invite those of different faith or no
faith. Two things militate against this opportunity:
conflating mass with Lessons & Carols and holding
Lessons & Carols on a Sunday morning. When?
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Notes & External ResourcesOur thanks to The Rev. Scott Moore for his assistance and counsel and also to The Rev. Dr. Frank Senn for his input. Further reading:
Photo copyright information: The picture of the original service bulletin of Nine Lessons with Carols is used under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. The photo is the work of Andrewrabbott. It has been modified by cropping. It is found on Wikimedia Commons. For more information, click here. |
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West Virginia-Western
Maryland Synod
℅ St. Paul Lutheran Church, 309 Baldwin Street, Morgantown, WV 26505 304-363-4030 + Porter@WV-WMD.org |