A Traditional Canterbury Christmas Carol Service - Christmas Eve, 2020 | Canterbury Cathedral

[Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] welcome to canterbury cathedral for our christmas carol service normally the cathedral will be full of hundreds of people filling every corner of the cathedral twice over and we will be singing our carols as we process sometimes with candles around the building of course things are very different this year and with the severity of the lockdown even in this period now it's best for us to put things online for you to enjoy and also to use with others at christmas time so as our service begins come in heart and mind to bethlehem and feel the joy of christmas in your own homes [Music] my [Music] is [Music] is [Music] [Applause] [Music] oh [Music] is [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] uh [Music] [Music] uh [Music] [Applause] so [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] one of my favorite moments of the year is christmas eve when once in royal david city has been sung and the choir is in place and we've all come in to a packed cathedral and i find myself in the pulpit looking out over a sea of faces ready to begin christmas i have the happy choice of two completely different reflections because i'm allowed to do this twice since so many people want to come that we follow up the first carol service with another one this year though none of that is happening and i'm speaking to you in an empty cathedral as we have the opportunity to pre-record a service for you and you can then have this service whenever you would like during the christmas holiday it's a time when families come together and i remember in growing up most of my uncles had been away to war and they had so many stories to tell and when they came together they would share them and there was much laughter all this would happen after an enormous christmas meal and they would sit and reminisce as families do but a favorite moment was when one of my uncles who could play the accordion would get out the instrument and everyone would begin to sing grandparents would join in as well a huge family occasion christmas is about the memories and the telling of stories and carol services are no different each evening when people gathered here from right across the county and filled to this holy place the christmas story would unfold as it will in this carol service and the christmas story is a telling of a human tale with divine dimensions heaven seems to touch earth as the baby jesus comes to share our human life in all its joy and all its sorrows but in this story he is in the care of mary and joseph and is seen in the scene of a stable with animals around him and shepherds visiting and wise men coming and we know the story only too well the telling of that human story well we can still do that and we can still hear the music of christmas they're in church at the moment we're not allowed to sing and that's a a great disadvantage for singing together joins us all together nevertheless in heart and mind we can sing and at home we can sing and so the music that you hear you can join in with either silently in your minds and memories or else actually beginning to sing at home these are wonderful times but there are times at the moment of separation this year has given us new terms to learn social distancing lockdown words which last christmas we hardly heard of and it's been a hard year in that way for separation is hard but thanks be to god by the means i'm using now with you we can come together and we not only can think of the past and remember old friends and members of the family we've shared christmases with we can actually look to the future as individuals and in families as communities as we normally would here with the city of canterbury and the county of kent joining together in great carol services and then out in the streets of the city that's normal too thousands sing their carols on the evening of christmas eve this year there's a silence in that way and that silence gives us chance for more memories chance to think who we might contact over the christmas period across the world for all of us need hope and encouragement all of us also need the sharing of resources at a time when many are needy and many are sad but in this service we remember the gift of the christ child to prompt that encouragement to prompt those memories remembering that it's a story from long ago but it's a human story and one in which we can share now in our family and community lives and in heart and mind go to bethlehem as we celebrate the birth of our lord jesus christ we bring before him the needs of the whole world praying for peace and good will over all the earth for unity and fellowship within the church for those who suffer through the inhumanity of their neighbors for the sick the bereaved and the lonely the poor the hungry and the oppressed we pray also for those who have loved and served god here and are now at rest that he may grant them with thomas and all the saints of canterbury refreshment light and peace these prayers we offer in the words which christ himself has taught us saying 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 trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil for thine is the kingdom the power and the glory forever and ever are men may almighty god bless us with his grace and grant us the joys of eternal life and unto the fellowship of the citizens of heaven may the king of angels bring us all [Music] amen [Music] r [Music] [Music] oh [Music] [Music] is [Music] yes [Music] is [Music] is [Music] r christ's birthing kingdom our foretold a shoot shall come out from the stock of jesse and a branch shall grow out of his roots the spirit of the lord shall rest on him the spirit of wisdom and understanding the spirit of counsel and might the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the lord his delight shall be in the fear of the lord he shall not judge by what his eyes see or decide by what his ears him but with righteousness he shall judge the poor and decide with equity for the meek of the earth he shall strike the earth with wicked righteousness shall be the belts around his waist and faithfulness the belt around his loins the wolf shall live with the lamb the leopard shall lie down with the kid the calf and the lion and the fat ling together and a little child shall lead them the cow and the bear shall graze their young shall lie down together and the lion shall each straw like the ox the nursing child shall play over the whole of the asp and the weaned child shall put its hand on the addis den they will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the lord as the waters cover the sea thanks be to god [Music] r [Music] r [Music] [Music] is [Music] is [Music] is [Music] [Music] me [Music] is [Music] the archangel gabriel visits the blessed virgin mary in the sixth month the angel gabriel was sent by god to a town in galilee called nazareth to a virgin engaged to a man his name was joseph of the house of david the virgin's name was mary and he came to her and said greetings favored one the lord is with you but she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be the angel said to her do not be afraid mary for you have found favor with god and now you will conceive in your womb and bear a son and you will name him jesus he will be great and will be called the son of the most high and the lord god will give to him the throne of his ancestor david he will reign over the house of jacob forever and of his kingdom there will be no end mary said to the angel how can this be since i am a virgin the angel said to her the holy spirit will come upon you and the power of the most high will overshadow you therefore the child to be born will be holy he will be called son of god then mary said here am i the servant of the lord let it be with me according to your word then the angel departed from her thanks be to god [Music] [Music] is [Music] is [Music] oh [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] is [Music] [Music] [Music] oh [Music] is [Music] [Music] is [Music] [Music] is [Music] is [Music] saint luke tells of the birth of jesus in those days a decree went out from emperor augustus that all the world should be registered this was the first registration and was taken while quirinius was governor of syria all went to their own towns to be registered joseph also went from the town of nazareth in galilee to judea to the city of david called bethlehem because he was descended from the house and family of david he went to be registered with mary to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child while they were there the time came for her to deliver her child and she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth and laid him in a manger because there was no place for them in the inn thanks be to god [Music] is [Music] oh [Music] oh [Music] is [Music] is [Music] here we go the shepherds go to the manger in that region there were shepherds living in the fields keeping watch over that flock by night then an angel of the lord stood before them and the glory of the lord shone around them and they were terrified but the angel said to them do not be afraid for see i am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people to you as born this day in the city of david a savior who is the messiah the lord this will be a sign for you you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger and suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising god and saying glory to god in the highest heaven and on earth peace among those whom he favors when the angels had left them and gone into heaven the shepherds said to one another let us go now to bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place which the lord has made known to us so they went with haste and found mary and joseph and the child lying in the manger thanks be to god [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] [Applause] is uh [Music] is [Music] [Applause] [Music] is [Music] is [Music] [Music] so [Applause] uh cheers [Music] [Music] saint john unfolds the mystery of the incarnation in the beginning was the word and the word was with god and the word was god he was in the beginning with god all things came into being through him and without him not one thing came into being what has come into being in him was life and the life was the light of all people the light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it there was a man sent from god whose name was john he came as a witness to testify to the light so that all might believe through him he himself was not the light but he came to testify to the light the true light which enlightens everyone was coming into the world he was in the world and the world came into being through him yet the world did not know him he came to what was his own and his own people did not accept him but to all who received him who believed in his name he gave power to become children of god who were born not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man but of god and the word became flesh and lived among us and we have seen his glory the glory as of a father's only son full of grace and truth thanks be to god [Music] oh [Music] [Music] oh [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] us [Applause] uh [Applause] [Music] foreign [Music] [Applause] [Applause] [Music] so [Music] [Applause] [Music] so [Music] school [Music] [Applause] is so [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Applause] oh [Applause] [Music] so [Music] christ who by his incarnation gathered into one all things in earth and heaven fill you with his peace and the blessing of god almighty the father the son and the holy spirit be amongst you and remain with you always amen [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] so [Music] [Music] you

Channel: Canterbury Cathedral

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Keywords: notre dame, black prince, Christian, saint, coronavirus, archbishop, faith, choral, cathedral, carols, England, church, carol, Christmas, concert, cat, holy, Episcopal, becket, organ, communion, Lincoln, covid, leo, service, eucharist, st paul, mother, corona, chorister, Canterbury, lockdown, cats, tiger, durham, Anglican, prayer, evensong, pray, Worship, online, choir, advent

Id: 7pqQ4y9_sBU

Length: 44min 7sec (2647 seconds)

Published: Thu Dec 24 2020