A Christmas Festival of Lessons & Carols 15 December 2019 – 4:00 o’clock p.m. First Congregational Church United Church of Christ 444 East Broad Street Columbus, Ohio 43215 Based on Ancient Sources, the first service of this kind in modern times was held in Victorian England. Father E.W. Benson, later Archbishop of Canterbury and father of E.F. Benson who authored the Lucia novels, began the practice of a Festival Service of Lessons and Carols in preparation for the Christmas Feast, first at Truro Cathedral (1880) and later at Canterbury Cathedral. Popularized by recordings from King’s College, Cambridge, this service has come to be associated with a traditional celebration of Christmas by millions of people throughout the world. Its spirit and content sum up the true spirit of the season, while taking us in heart and mind to the Christmas celebrations of former times. Many of our congregational carol arrangements today were composed and made famous by Sir David Willcocks (1919–2015). Today we honor the 100th anniversary of his birth by singing his beautiful and now very familiar carol arrangements. Happy birthday, Sir David! As we listen today to the great music of this holiday season, as we sing the familiar hymns of Advent and carols of Christmas, let us remember the true Spirit of Christmas—that God came among us and dwelt among us. We called His Name Jesus. It is His birth in a stable that we celebrate this afternoon. A blessed Christmas season to you all! This service is being recorded for podcasting throughout the Christmas season, and is available here: http:// concertsatfirstchurch.org/podcast/ or by clicking the QR link at the right. Please silence all electronic devices. Childcare is available for preschool, toddlers, and infants on the first floor of the Education Wing. A Deacon near the pulpit door can direct you. Assistive Listening Devices are available at the doors from any Deacon. Available for purchase after the service in the Ralph Fanning Room will be homemade fudge, sold by the Youth Groups, and the 2019 First Church Christmas Ornament featuring a detail from the East Chancel Window, which pictures Mary holding the infant Christ Child. Above are three descending white doves, symbolizing the Holy Spirit. The Ralph Fanning Room may be accessed through the forward doors of the Nave. The cover art is from an illuminated manuscript of the O Antiphons, sacred Christian texts dating from the eighth century that are used in the last seven days leading to Christmas. The popular hymn “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” is a lyric paraphrase of these texts. All other art used in this program is by Steven Erspamer and is used with permission. Bulletins are printed on recycled paper with a minimum 50% post-consumer content. All music in the bulletin is reprinted under OneLicense.net #A-717661. All rights reserved. Prelude (3:30 p.m.) The First Church Ringers He is Born Il est né, arr. Arnold Sherman I Wonder as I Wander Appalachian Carol, arr. Sherman Wexford Carol English Carol, arr. Judy Phillips The Exultate Choir En natus est Emmanuel Michael Praetorius En natus est Emmanuel, Dominus, This day is born Emanuel, God with us! quem praedixit Gabriel, Domi nus, As foretold by Gabriel; God with us! Dominus Salvator noster est. God with us! a Savior Christ the Lord. Hic jacet in praesepio, Dominus, Behold Him in the manger lie, God with us! puer admirabilis, Dominus. The admirable Child most high, God with us! Dominus Salvator noster est. God with us! a Saviour Christ the Lord. Laudetar Pater, Filius, Dominus! Praise we the Father, Son, God with us! Et Sacratus Spiritus, Dominus! And Holy Spirit, God with us! Dominus Salvator noster est. A Savior Christ the Lord. Mid-Winter Bob Chilcott In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan, Angels and archangels may have gathered there, Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone; Cherubim and seraphim thronged the air; Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow, But His mother only, in her maiden bliss, In the bleak midwinter, long ago. Worshipped the beloved with a kiss. Our God, Heaven cannot hold Him, nor earth sustain; What can I give Him, poor as I am? Heaven and earth shall flee away when He comes to reign. If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb; In the bleak midwinter a stable place sufficed If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part; The Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ. Yet what I can I give Him: give my heart. —Christina Rossetti (1830–1894) Let Every Heart Cary Ratcliff Let every heart prepare him room and heav'n and nature sing. Joy to the world, the Lord is come: let earth receive her King! While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains repeat the sounding joy, The Savior reigns: joy to the world, let us our songs employ. Sing Emmanuel. Sing God is with us. Hallelujah; sing gloria! He comes to make his glories known far as the curse is found. No more let sins and sorrows grow, nor thorns infest the ground. He rules the world with truth and grace and makes the nations prove the glories of his righteousness, and wonders of his love. Sing Emmanuel. Sing God is with us. Hallelujah; sing gloria! —Isaac Watts, adapt. G. Dene Barnard, organist La Nativité (The Nativity) Jean Langlais La Crêche (The Cradle) Les Anges (The Angels) Les Bergers (The Shepherds) La Sainte Famille (The Holy Family) Welcome The Reverend Dr. Timothy C. Ahrens, Senior Minister The Processional Carol Once in royal David’s city The first stanza is sung by Henry Wade, a solo chorister. (Aarav Peter, cover) The Choir sings the second and third stanzas. The People stand to sing stanzas four through six with the choirs. Text: Cecil Frances Alexander (1818–1895) Music: IRBY, Henry John Gauntlett (1805–1876) Stanza six Descant and harmonization: David Willcocks (1919–2015) The People remain standing. The Bidding Prayer The Reverend Emily Krause Corzine, Associate Minister Beloved in Christ, as we await the great festival of Christmas, let us prepare ourselves so that we may be shown its true meaning. Let us hear, in readings from Holy Scripture, how the prophets of Israel foretold that God would visit and redeem his waiting people. Let us rejoice, in our carols and hymns, that the good purpose of God is being mightily fulfilled. Let us celebrate the promise that our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, will bring all people and all things into the glory of God’s eternal kingdom. But first, let us pray for the needs of his whole world; for peace and goodwill over all the earth; for the mission and unity of the Church for which he died, and especially in this country and within this community. And because this of all things would rejoice his heart, let us at this time remember in his name the poor and the helpless; the hungry and the oppressed; the sick and those who mourn; the lonely and the unloved; the aged and the little children; and all those who know not the Lord Jesus, or who love him not, or who by sin have grieved his heart of love. Let us also remember before God his pure and lowly Mother, and all those who rejoice with us, but upon another shore and in a greater light, that multitude which no one can number, whose hope was in the Word made flesh, and with whom, in this Lord Jesus, we for evermore are one. These prayers and praises let us humbly offer to God, in the words which Christ himself taught us: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen. The People sit. The Bidding Carol Come, thou long expected Jesus Come, thou long expected Jesus, Born thy people to deliver, born to set thy people free; born a child and yet a King, from our fears and sins release us, born to reign in us forever, let us find our rest in thee. now thy gracious kingdom bring. Israel’s strength and consolation, By thine own eternal spirit hope of all the earth thou art; rule in all our hearts alone; dear desire of every nation, by thine all sufficient merit, joy of every longing heart. raise us to thy glorious throne. Text: Charles Wesley (1707–1788) Music: Daniel Gawthrop (b. 1949) The First Reading: Genesis 3:1–15 Sebby Kulwicki Exultate Choir chorister God announces in the Garden of Eden that the seed of woman shall bruise the serpent’s head. Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, ‘Did God say, “You shall not eat from any tree in the garden”?’ The woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; but God said, “You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.”‘ But the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not die; for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’ So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate.