Calendar
A Festival of Nine Lessons & Carols (No Mass follows)
Sunday, December 19, 2010
4:00pm - Saint Thomas Church
Collect:
We beseech thee, Almighty God, to purify our consciences by thy daily visitation, that when thy Son our Lord cometh he may find in us a mansion prepared for himself; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
At the beginning of this service, the lights are lowered and the people stand. The choir begins to sing Once in royal David's city from the back of the nave. At the third verse, the congregation joins in singing and the choir and clergy process down the center aisle to the chancel.
The Rector gives the Bidding and the congregation says the Lord's Prayer and then the service beautifully proceeds in a rotation of twelve carols and hymns interwoven among nine lessons.
The nine lessons are read by nine representatives of our parish: a Chorister, a Member of the Sunday School, a Gentleman of the Choir, the Director of Music, the Headmaster of the Choir School, a Member of the Congregation, a Warden of the Parish, a Priest of the Parish, and finally the Rector.
Following the singing of Hark, the Herald Angels Sing, the choir exits during the playing of the voluntary. There is no mass following this service. If you would like to make your Holy Communion this Sunday, consider attending the 8am, 9am or 11am service.
►You may listen to the Rector's audio notes for the fourth week of Advent here.
►You may listen to John Scott's audio notes for this service here.
| Officiant: | Fr Mead |
| Preacher: | Fr Mead |
| Sung by: | The Saint Thomas Choir of Men and Boys |
| Prelude: | Der Tag, der ist so freudenreich, BWV 605, Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) |
| Berceuse Paraphrase, George Baker (b. 1951) | |
| Prelude on ‘Divinum Mysterium’, T. Frederick H. Candlyn (1892-1964) | |
| Works by: | David Willcocks, Philip Ledger, Wishart Jan Sandström, John Rutter, Pearsall, Mathias and Barry Rose |
| Voluntary: | Sortie on ‘In dulci jubilo’, David Briggs (b. 1962) |
