A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols

The beautiful service of 9 Lessons and 9 Carols. A spoken and sung “traditional” Christmas Eve service that retells the story of the fall of humanity and the birth of Jesus through nine biblical readings, or "lessons," interspersed with carols and hymns. The service begins with the hymn "Once in Royal David's City" and includes readings from Genesis, Isaiah, and the Gospels.

Born from the profound grief and turmoil of the First World War, mere weeks after its conclusion, the author of the service was The Rev. Eric Milner-White, chaplain at King’s College, Cambridge, England. The service embodies a powerful narrative of resilience and hope - as important today as it was at its first offering Christmas Eve 1918.

We invite you to be still and listen. We invite you to sing with joy. We invite you to welcome the Christ Child and the loving purpose of God in the warmth of community and sacredness.