Sunday, December 13 was our annual Lessons & Carols service. There are plenty of places you can hear the big English cathedral style of lessons and carols service, but that’s not our mojo here at COS. Instead, we take a bit more low-brow approach, with a variety of musical styles and lots of congregational involvement. In fact, one of the best compliments I heard about the service was from a church member who told a friend she was going to a lessons and carols service, and the friend warned her that lessons and carols services were long and boring. To her relief, she and her family found the service engaging for its entire 65 minute span.

Below is a complete list of the service’s scriptures and songs. Due to copyright I can’t post recordings of everything, but some of the titles are clickable MP3 files.

Opening: Zion Hears the Watchmen Singing (J.S. Bach from Cantata 140), On Jordan’s Bank the Baptist’s Cry, and All Earth Is Waiting

O Come All Ye Faithful

FIRST LESSON: Genesis 3:8-15

The Truth Sent from Above (Vaughan Williams)

SECOND LESSON: Isaiah 9:2,6-7

The People Who in Darkness Walked

THIRD LESSON: Isaiah 11:1-9

Lo, How a Rose

FOURTH LESSON: Isaiah 40:1-5

Baptismal Anthem (In Those Days Came John the Baptist, from Sacred Harp)

FIFTH LESSON: Luke 1:26-38

My Soul Will Magnify the Lord (Greg Scheer)

SIXTH LESSON: Matthew 1:18-23

Youth Choir: How Will We Know Him? (Charlotte Algozin)

SEVENTH LESSON: Luke 2:8-16

The Aye Carol (John Bell)

Before the Marvel of This Night (Schalk)

Benediction/Collect

Go Tell It on the Mountain