AUBURN - In the church, the Christmas season does not end with Christmas Day.
The season is extended to encompass the following several weeks, in a season that is known as Christmastide.
At Westminster Presbyterian Church, this was celebrated Sunday morning with a special service, “Nine Lesson and Carols.”
This is a unique service, which combines Bible stories with hymns and carols, but also for the fact that it is a service that for at least the past several years has been predominantly led by lay people at Westminster.
Audrey McNally a church elder, who led this year's service, said that the church's pastor, the Rev. Phil Windsor, usually takes this time to visit with family, which adds to the unique quality of this service.
With readings from members of the congregation that span from Genesis to Luke and Matthew, the story of the birth of Jesus is told through the course of the service.
“This gets more people involved,” McNally said. “People get up to do readings, people that wouldn't normally be comfortable leading a whole service by themselves will get up to read a passage. We get young people, older people, men and women. We get a good group of people involved.”
The service of Nine Lessons and Carols has been celebrated at Westminster for at least the past 27 years, but its roots extend back to the early 1900s, having its roots in the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols which was first held at Kings College, Cambridge on Christmas Eve 1918.
The service was broadcast from Kings College in 1928 and even persisted through the bombings of World War II.
While the service is deeply rooted in tradition, Westminster does add a few of its own traditions to it. In particular the sharing of peace and closing with The Lord's Prayer are important additions.
McNally said that over the years that Westminster has held the service, the readings and the lessons conveyed by those passages have largely remained the same, but with the help of choir members the musical selections have varied from year to year
“I think that is something unique about what we do,” McNally said. “With this service we get to tell the whole story (the Christmas, birth of Jesus story) from beginning to end. A lot of time with other services it will be broken up and you will get it in bits and pieces. The music is also a big part of it. We don't really sing carols, but with this service we get that opportunity.
The service was celebrated with songs like, “Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus” and “We Three Kings of Orient Are.”
“It really is a beautiful service,” McNally said. “And it is a nice way to welcome people that might not normally attend the church and to celebrate this time of year.
Next Sunday, the church will celebrate Epiphany, the time when the magi found the baby Jesus with a similar service of prayer, music and readings as well as what is known as the “degreening” of the church, a time when the Christmas decorations are taken down.
And while the services and themes may change, the goal of Christmastide remains the same.
“We want everyone to be able to celebrate the joy and peace of this season,” McNally said. “That is what these services are all about and we hope everyone that comes here can take that feeling with them.”
At Westminster Presbyterian Church, this was celebrated Sunday morning with a special service, “Nine Lesson and Carols.”
This is a unique service, which combines Bible stories with hymns and carols, but also for the fact that it is a service that for at least the past several years has been predominantly led by lay people at Westminster.
Audrey McNally a church elder, who led this year's service, said that the church's pastor, the Rev. Phil Windsor, usually takes this time to visit with family, which adds to the unique quality of this service.
With readings from members of the congregation that span from Genesis to Luke and Matthew, the story of the birth of Jesus is told through the course of the service.
“This gets more people involved,” McNally said. “People get up to do readings, people that wouldn't normally be comfortable leading a whole service by themselves will get up to read a passage. We get young people, older people, men and women. We get a good group of people involved.”
The service of Nine Lessons and Carols has been celebrated at Westminster for at least the past 27 years, but its roots extend back to the early 1900s, having its roots in the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols which was first held at Kings College, Cambridge on Christmas Eve 1918.
The service was broadcast from Kings College in 1928 and even persisted through the bombings of World War II.
While the service is deeply rooted in tradition, Westminster does add a few of its own traditions to it. In particular the sharing of peace and closing with The Lord's Prayer are important additions.
McNally said that over the years that Westminster has held the service, the readings and the lessons conveyed by those passages have largely remained the same, but with the help of choir members the musical selections have varied from year to year
“I think that is something unique about what we do,” McNally said. “With this service we get to tell the whole story (the Christmas, birth of Jesus story) from beginning to end. A lot of time with other services it will be broken up and you will get it in bits and pieces. The music is also a big part of it. We don't really sing carols, but with this service we get that opportunity.
The service was celebrated with songs like, “Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus” and “We Three Kings of Orient Are.”
“It really is a beautiful service,” McNally said. “And it is a nice way to welcome people that might not normally attend the church and to celebrate this time of year.
Next Sunday, the church will celebrate Epiphany, the time when the magi found the baby Jesus with a similar service of prayer, music and readings as well as what is known as the “degreening” of the church, a time when the Christmas decorations are taken down.
And while the services and themes may change, the goal of Christmastide remains the same.
“We want everyone to be able to celebrate the joy and peace of this season,” McNally said. “That is what these services are all about and we hope everyone that comes here can take that feeling with them.”
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