The Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols is traditionally associated with King’s College, Cambridge, but its roots go back to 1880 when George Somerset Walpole, a priest in Truro Cathedral, conceived of a carol service interspersed with Bible readings on Christmas Eve as a means to keep his parishioners from enjoying too much of the wrong kind of joyful spirit in the local pubs.
The service was well-received, yet, despite its early popularity it lay dormant for decades until Dean Eric Milner-White revived it at King’s College, Cambridge on Christmas Eve 1918. He wanted to offer a Christmas service that was a ‘feast of colour, warmth, and delight’ that would appeal to a grieving generation disillusioned with faith in the horrors of the war. And so the service of Nine Lessons and Carols was born as it took its inspiration from the 1880 format.
Dean Milner-White re-arranged the original sequence of the Lessons to create a more logical flow from the Old Testament prophecies of Christ’s coming to the New Testament accounts of His birth.
His care in re-ordering the Lessons resulted in a mirrored, symmetrical format that is symbolically significant. In the over-all design, Lesson 5 ( The Annunciation ) functions as a central axis which reflects Lessons 4-3-2-1 in Lessons 6-7-8-9.
This structure has its root in the Greek letter chi ( Χ ) and has been used to symbolise the Cross as well as Christ’s name by its initial letter. It relates to the significance of the Cross in terms of redemption and the narrative arc of salvation. Central in this chiastic structure is Lesson Five, ‘The angel Gabriel salutes the Blessed Virgin Mary.’ It reflects the profound mystery of God becoming man, the intersection of the divine and human realms, and the fulfilment of God’s promise to redeem mankind.
Complementing this symmetry, the Lessons are framed by the opening and closing prayers. In his Bidding Prayer, Dean Milner-White movingly remembers those who have died : ‘…all those who rejoice with us, but upon another shore and in a greater light, that multitude whom no man can number, whose hope was in the Word made flesh, and with whom, in this Lord Jesus, we for evermore are one.’
The Bidding Prayer is wonderfully mirrored by the Collect and Blessing, echoing the truth of Lesson 5 – which is unique to the Christian faith – namely that God and man became one person in our Lord Jesus Christ for our redemption.
There is both an intellectual depth to the order of service as well as simplicity : Each of the lessons is interspersed with one or two musical selections : carols, which are sung by the choir, and hymns sung by the congregation. Both carols and hymns vary year by year, but there are three hymns that never change : ‘Once in Royal David’s City‘ is always the processional hymn, ‘O Come, All Ye Faithful‘ is always sung after the Ninth Lesson, and ‘Hark! The Herald Angels Sing‘ always concludes the service. In the 1918 Christmas Eve Order of Service, Dean Milner-White included a comment encouraging the congregation to ‘join heartily in the singing of the hymns and verses specially marked for that purpose.’
Thus, the Lessons, Carols, and Hymns invite us to prepare ourselves to hear again the message of the angels ; in heart and mind to go even unto Bethlehem and see this thing which is come to pass, and the Babe lying in a manger. And to make this church glad with our carols of praise.
© 2024 Dr PJ Janson
St. James’ will hold A Festival of 9 Lessons & Carols on Sunday, December 22 at 3:00 pm, with an organ prelude beginning at 2:30 pm.
