THE CATHEDRAL AND METROPOLITICAL CHURCH OF CHRIST, CANTERBURY Choral Evensong with Carols Christmas Eve Thursday 24th December 2020 5.30pm Welcome to Canterbury Cathedral for this Service For your safety Please keep social distance at all times Please stay in your seat as much as possible Please use hand sanitiser on the way in and out Please avoid touching your face and touching surfaces Cover Image: The Nativity (Christopher Whall) South West Transept, Canterbury Cathedral Transept As part of our commitment to the care of the environment in our world, this Order of Service is printed on unbleached 100% recycled paper Please ensure that mobile phones are switched off. No form of visual or sound recording, or any form of photography, is permitted during Services. Thank you for your co-operation. An induction loop system for the hard of hearing is installed in the Cathedral. Hearing aid users should adjust their aid to T. Large print orders of service are available from the stewards and virgers. Please ask. Some material included in this service is copyright: © The Archbishops' Council 2000 © The Crown/Cambridge University Press: The Book of Common Prayer (1662) Hymns and songs reproduced under CCLI number: 1031280 Produced by the Music & Liturgy Department: [email protected] 01227 865281 www.canterbury-cathedral.org ORDER OF SERVICE All stand as the choir and clergy enter the Nave Welcome The Dean Please remain standing Introit O little one sweet, O little one sweet, O little one mild, O little one mild, thy Father’s purpose thou hast fulfilled; with joy thou hast the whole world filled; thou cam’st from heav’n to mortal ken thou camest here from heaven’s domain equal to be with us poor men, to bring men comfort in their pain, O little one sweet, O little one sweet, O little one mild. O little one mild. Words: 16th century German carol Music: Old German melody Tr. Percy Dearmer (1867-1936) harmony by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) The Precentor and choir sing the Preces O Lord, open thou our lips and our mouth shall shew forth thy praise. O God, make speed to save us. O Lord, make haste to help us. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Praise ye the Lord. The Lord’s name be praised. Music: Richard Lloyd (b.1933) Sit as the choir sings Psalm 85 Lord, thou art become gracious unto thy land : thou hast turned away the captivity of Jacob. Thou hast forgiven the offence of thy people : and covered all their sins. Thou hast taken away all thy displeasure : and turned thyself from thy wrathful indignation. Turn us then, O God our Saviour : and let thine anger cease from us. Wilt thou be displeased at us for ever : and wilt thou stretch out thy wrath from one generation to another? Wilt thou not turn again, and quicken us : that thy people may rejoice in thee? Shew us thy mercy, O Lord : and grant us thy salvation. I will hearken what the Lord God will say concerning me : for he shall speak peace unto his people, and to his saints, that they turn not again. For his salvation is nigh them that fear him : that glory may dwell in our land. Mercy and truth are met together : righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Truth shall flourish out of the earth : and righteousness hath looked down from heaven. Yea, the Lord shall shew loving-kindness : and our land shall give her increase. Righteousness shall go before him : and he shall direct his going in the way. Stand Glory be to the Father, and to the Son : and to the Holy Ghost; As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be : world without end. Amen. Sit Old Testament Reading Zachariah 2 Choir Carol Please note that at present members of the congregation are sadly not able to join in with the singing, please remain seated While shepherds watch'd their flocks by night, The heav'nly Babe you there shall find All seated on the ground, To human view displayed, The angel of the Lord came down, All meanly wrapped in swathing bands, And glory shone around. And in a manger laid." "Fear not," said he, for mighty dread Thus spake the seraph, and forthwith Had seized their troubled mind; Appeared a shining throng "Glad tidings of great joy I bring Of angels praising God, who thus To you and all mankind." Addressed their joyful song: "To you, in David's town this day, "All glory be to God on high Is born of David's line And on the earth be peace. The Savior who is Christ the Lord, Goodwill henceforth from heav'n to men And this shall be the sign: Begin and never cease." Words: Traditional Tune: WINCHESTER OLD Please stand as the Choir sings Magnificat O Virgin of virgins, how shall this be? For neither before thee was any like thee, nor shall there be after. Daughters of Jerusalem, why marvel ye at me? The thing which ye behold is a divine mystery. My soul doth magnify the Lord : and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For he hath regarded : the lowliness of his handmaiden. For behold, from henceforth : all generations shall call me blessed. For he that is mighty hath magnified me : and holy is his Name. And his mercy is on them that fear him : throughout all generations. He hath shewed strength with his arm : he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He hath put down the mighty from their seat : and hath exalted the humble and meek. He hath filled the hungry with good things : and the rich he hath sent empty away. He remembering his mercy hath holpen his servant Israel : as he promised to our forefathers, Abraham and his seed for ever. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son : and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be : world without end. Amen. Music: Tone ii solemn Sit New Testament Reading Revelation 1.1-8 Please remain seated as the choir sings Choir Carol Hymn to the Virgin Of one that is so fair and bright, All this world was forlorn, Velut maris stella, Eva peccatrice, Brighter than the day is light, Till our Lord was y-born Parens et puella, De te genitrice, I cry to thee, thou see to me, with ave it went away, Lady, pray thy Son for me, Darkest night, and comes the day Tam pia, Salutis: That I may come to thee, The well springeth out of thee Maria. Virtutis. Lady, flow'r of everything, Rosa sine spina, Thou bare Jesu, heaven's king, Gratia divina. Of all thou bear'st the prize, Lady, queen of paradise; Electa, Maid mild, mother Es effecta. Words: Anon. Music: Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) Stand Apostles’ Creed I believe in God the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth: and in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried. He descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholick Church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. Please sit as the choir sings Choir Carols Once in royal David’s city 3 For he is our childhood’s pattern, Stood a lowly cattle shed, Day by day like us he grew, Where a mother laid her baby He was little, weak, and helpless, In a manger for his bed: Tears and smiles like us he knew; Mary was that mother mild, And he feeleth for our sadness, Jesus Christ her little Child. And he shareth in our gladness. 2 He came down to earth from heaven 4 And our eyes at last shall see him, Who is God and Lord of all, Through his own redeeming love, And his shelter was a stable, For that child so dear and gentle And his cradle was a stall; Is our Lord in heaven above; With the poor and mean and lowly And he leads his children on Lived on earth our Saviour holy. To the place where he is gone. Words: Phillips Brooks (1835-93) Tune: FOREST GREEN Nova! nova! Ave fit ex Eva. Then said the angel: ‘Dread not you, Gabriel of high degree, You shall conceive in all virtue He came down from Trinity A Child whose name shall be Jesu’. To Nazareth in Galilee. Nova! nova! Ave fit ex Eva. Nova! nova! Ave fit ex Eva. He met a maiden in a place, ‘It is not yet six months agone He kneeled down afore her face. Since Elizabeth conceived John, He said: ‘Hail, Mary, full of grace!’ As it was prophesied before.’ Nova! nova! Ave fit ex Eva. Nova! nova! Ave fit ex Eva. When the maid heard tell of this Then said the maiden verily: She was full sore abashed I-wys ‘I am your servant right truly. And wened that she had done amiss. Ecce ancilla Domini’. Nova! nova! Ave fit ex Eva.