St Giles’ Cathedral

Lessons And Carols

for

Advent and Christmas

Sunday 17th December 2023

Organ Music

J.S.Bach Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland

Jean Langlais Noël avec Variations

William Lloyd Webber Interlude on God rest ye merry, gentlemen

Harrison Oxley Prelude on Whence is that goodly fragrance

Édouard Commette Offertoire sur des Noëls Johannes Brahms Es ist ein Ros' entsprungen

Introit

Drop down ye heavens

Drop down ye heavens from above, And let the skies pour down righteousness. Comfort ye, comfort ye, my people; My salvation shall not tarry. I have blotted out as a thick cloud thy transgressions. Fear not, for I will save thee; For I am the Lord thy God, The holy one of Israel, thy redeemer. Drop down ye heavens from above, And let the skies pour down righteousness.

Text: Anonymous The Advent Prose

Music: Judith Weir b.1954

Processional Hymn

Lo, he comes with clouds descending, Christ, the Lamb, for sinners slain; thousand thousand saints attending join to sing the glad refrain: Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! God appears on earth to reign.

Every eye shall now behold him robed in dreadful majesty; those who set at naught and sold him, pierced and nailed him to the tree, deeply wailing, deeply wailing, deeply wailing, shall the true Messiah see.

Those deep wounds of cross and passion still his glorious body bears; cause of endless exultation

to his ransomed worshippers: Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! See! the day of God appears.

Yea, amen, let all adore you, high on your eternal throne; Saviour, take the power and glory, claim the kingdom for your own: oh, come quickly, oh, come quickly, oh, come quickly Alleluia! come, Lord, come!

Welcome and Prayer

First Reading

Isaiah 9 2b-7

On the Edge of Peace Jennifer Melton

Carol O Emmanuel Ēriks Ešenvalds

O Emmanuel, God with us, our King and lawgiver, the expected of the nations and their Saviour: come to save us, O Lord our God.

Second Reading

Micah 5 2-5 History says Seamus Heaney

Carol A spotless rose Herbert Howells

A spotless Rose is blowing Sprung from a tender root, Of ancient seers’ foreshowing, Of Jesse promised fruit; Its fairest bud unfolds to light Amid the cold, cold winter And in the dark midnight.

The Rose which I am singing, Whereof Isaiah said, Is from its sweet root springing In Mary, purest Maid; For through our God’s great love and might The blessed babe she bare us In a cold, cold winter’s night.

Hymn

It came upon the midnight clear,

that glorious song of old,

from angels bending near the earth

to touch their harps of gold:

'Peace on the earth, good will to men

from heaven's all-gracious King!'

The world in solemn stillness lay

to hear the angels sing.

Still through the cloven skies they come,

with peaceful wings unfurled;

and still their heavenly music floats

o'er all the weary world:

above its sad and lowly plains

they bend on hovering wing;

and ever o'er its Babel-sounds

the blessed angels sing.

But with the woes of sin and strife

the world has suffered long;

beneath the angels’ hymn have rolled

two thousand years of wrong;

and warring humankind hears not

the love-song which they bring:

oh, hush the noise and still the strife,

and hear the angels sing.

For lo, the days are hastening on,

by prophet-bards foretold,

when, with the ever-rolling years,

still dawns the Age of Gold;

when peace shall over all the earth

its ancient splendours fling,

and the whole world give back the song

which now the angels sing.

Third Reading Amazing Peace: a Christmas Poem Maya Angelou

Carol The Cherry Tree Carol Traditional arr. Peter Backhouse

Joseph was an old man, and an old man was he, When he married Mary in the land of Galilee

Fourth Reading

St Luke 1 46-55

The Place Where We Are Right Sheenagh Pugh

Carol The Christ Child Gabriel Jackson

The Christ-child on Mary’s lap, His hair was like a light.

Hymn

O little town of Bethlehem,

how still we see you lie!

Above your deep and dreamless sleep

the silent stars go by.

Yet in your streets is shining

the everlasting light;

the hopes and fears of all the years

are met in you tonight.

O morning stars, together

proclaim the holy birth

and praises sing to God the King,

and peace to men on earth;

for Christ is born of Mary;

and, gathered all above,

while mortals sleep, the angels keep

their watch of wondering love.

How silently, how silently,

the wondrous gift is given!

So God imparts to human hearts

the blessings of his heaven.

No ear may hear his coming;

but in this world of sin,

where meek souls will receive him, still

the dear Christ enters in.

O holy Child of Bethlehem,

descend to us, we pray;

cast out our sin, and enter in,

be born in us today.

We hear the Christmas angels

the great glad tidings tell:

O come to us, abide with us,

our Lord Emmanuel.

Carol I saw three ships Stuart Nicholson

I saw three ships come sailing in On Christmas day in the morn.

Fifth Reading

St John 1 1-5

Carols Candlelight Carol John Rutter

How do you capture the wind on the water? How do you count all the stars in the sky?

Benedicamus Domino Peter Warlock

A boy comes forth, Eya, this is our time, From the womb of a virgin. Glory! Praise! God is made man and immortal.

Prayer

Hymn

Hark, the herald-angels sing

glory to the new-born King,

peace on earth, and mercy mild,

God and sinners reconciled.

Joyful, all ye nations, rise,

join the triumph of the skies;

with the angelic host proclaim,

'Christ is born in Bethlehem.'

Hark, the herald-angels sing

glory to the new-born King.

Christ, by highest heaven adored,

Christ, the everlasting Lord,

late in time behold him come,

offspring of a virgin's womb.

Veiled in flesh the Godhead see:

hail, the incarnate Deity,

pleased as man with man to dwell,

Jesus, our Emmanuel.

Hail, the heaven-born Prince of Peace:

hail, the Sun of Righteousness.

Light and life to all he brings,

risen with healing in his wings.

Mild he lays his glory by,

born that man no more may die,

born to raise the sons of earth,

born to give them second birth.

Benediction

Organ Voluntary Toccata on Vom Himmel hoch Garth Edmundson