BURTON JOYCE COMMUNITY CHURCH
DIY Community Carols by Candlelight
Sunday 20th December 2020
A service of Lessons, Readings & Carols (mostly carols!)
Prepared for Burton Joyce Community Church by Phil Colbourn.
SoF = Songs of Fellowship; RSC = Rejoice & Sing at Christmas
With Youtube links for all the carols!
(Apologies: There may be adverts on Youtube links)
Readings 1-5 can be found at the bottom of this post
WELCOME
You may wish to light candles as we begin
READING 1:
A Journey to Bethlehem (see below)
It is cold and dark. A young woman is about to give birth
In the bleak midwinter (SoF 243; RSC 23) [Youtube]
See amid the winter snow (SoF 489) [Youtube]
LESSON: Isaiah: 9, 2-7
Light for a dark World
READING 2:
Annunciation by G Lewis (see below)
A COLLECT
Almighty God, you sent your Son Jesus Christ to be the light of the world. Free us from all that darkens and ensnares us, and bring us to eternal light and joy; through the power of Him who is alive and reigns with You, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen
It is cold and dark. A young woman is about to give birth
Silent night (SoF 498; RSC 12)
O little town of Bethlehem (SoF 420; RSC 9)
CONFESSION
Loving God, we have sinned against You in what we have thought, said and done. We have not loved You with our whole heart and we have not loved our neighbour as ourselves. We are truly sorry and turn away from what is wrong. Forgive us for the sake of Your Son Jesus, the Christ Child. Amen
(Extracts from Mice in the hay by Leslie Norris)
Out of the lamplight, whispering worshipping, the mice in the hay
timid eyes pearl-bright, whispering worshipping, whisking quick and away
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. This is his gracious word: ‘Your sins are forgiven.’ Amen. Thanks be to God.
LESSON: Luke: 1, 26-38
“The Son of the Most High”
They were there that night, whispering worshipping, smaller than snowflakes
quietly, making their way, whispering worshipping, close to the manger
It is cold and dark. A young woman has given birth to a child
Angels from the realms of glory (SoF 23; RSC 25)
Hark! the herald angels sing (SoF 155; RSC 19)
LESSON: Luke: 2, 8-19
Shepherds come to the Light
READING 3:
Every evening by T Shuman (see page 4 below)
O Come, all ye faithful (SoF 408; RSC 21)
Yes, they were afraid, whispering worshipping, as the journey was made
from a dark corner, whispering worshipping, scuttling together
but He smiled to see them there, whispering worshipping in the lamplight
PRAYERS
Let us make our prayers for others:
For all the people and all places on our hearts this Christmas season
Lord in Your mercy, Hear our prayer.
We say: Our Father …
LESSON: John: 1, 1-14
“Full of grace and truth”
A simple promise: we can all be in God’s family.
It’s a wonderful gift
It is cold and dark. (A young woman has given birth to a child)
See him lying in a bed of straw (SoF 491; RSC 13)
Away in a manger (SoF 36; RSC 11)
He stretched out His hand to them, whispering worshipping
they saw the baby King and hurried back out of sight,
whispering worshipping, whispering worshipping
LESSON: Matthew: 2, 1-12
Magi follow the star
It is cold and dark. A young woman has given birth to a child!
Ding, dong, merrily on high (see below)
As with gladness men of old (SoF 31; RSC 28)
READING 4:
Winter Paradise by K Raine (see below)
READING 5:
Fern Hill by D Thomas (see below)
CLOSING PRAYERS
Let the Light of the World shine into your hearts & lives, today and always. And the blessing of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit rest and remain with you each one, now, today and for evermore. Amen
and one extra carol
READING 1: A Journey to Bethlehem from The Advent Journey booklet prepared for Nottingham North East Methodist Circuit By Revd John and Deacon Helen
“Surely it wasn’t meant to be like this,” Joseph thought as he led the donkey into the stable. “Not here. This can’t be God’s plan”.
And yet the woman who had offered them the place to stay had been true to her word. It was warm, it was dry, it was safe. Even the smell didn’t seem too bad after a while. And a space had been created next to the animals feeding trough for Mary to rest.
It wasn’t what they had planned but then nothing that had happened to them in the past nine months had been what they had planned. Now looking around him the reality hit home. “I’m a complete failure. I can’t even provide a safe place for my wife to give birth.” Joseph sank to his knees to pray but felt a hand on his shoulder. “Come on,” said Mary, “It’s happening”.
Thankfully for all concerned the woman who ran the house had had children of her own and was able to help Mary as the contractions became stronger and stronger and stronger. It was all Joseph could do to remember to breathe...
It was the most beautiful sound that they had ever heard: their new born son announcing his arrival into the world at the top of his voice; a healthy baby. It was all that any parents could wish for.
“What are you going to call him,” the inn keeper asked.
They both knew the answer to that. “Jesus” they replied.
As Mary wrapped the baby in swaddling clothes and held him tight, Joseph reflected on the role he now faced. To help bring up the son of God as the earthly father to the child the angel had told him about, born to save all of humanity. He looked down at his sleeping son. “No pressure there then!”
READING 2: Annunciation by Gwyneth Lewis
[see online here][More on Gwyneth Lewis]
When first he painted the Virgin the friar filled
the space around her with angels' bright wings,
scalloped and plated, with skies of gold,
heavy with matter.
He thought that he knew that heaven was everywhere.
He grew older, wiser and found that he drew
more homely rooms with pots and beds,
but lavished his art on soft furnishings
and the turn of the waiting angel's wings
(still gorgeous with colour and precious dust).
Much later, he sensed that his God had withdrawn,
was spacious. On smaller frescoes he painted less,
let wall be wall, but drew - in each lawn -
the finer detail of sorrel and weeds.
Still later, he found his devotion drawn
to nothing - shadows hinted at hidden rooms,
at improbable arches, while angel's news shattered the Virgin,
who became a view as open as virtue
her collapsing planes easy and vacant as the evening breeze
that brought a plain angel to his grateful knees
READING 3:
Every Evening by Thom M Shuman
Every evening at the same time
I put the key in the deadbolt, turn and lock,
Check the windows, put out the cat,
Leave a light on …
All these routines to feel safe
And fall asleep in peace
But some night, in the midst of my security
You tiptoe into my house
Rearrange the furniture
Crack the combination of my heart
And ransack all my fears
Then,
softly whistling: “Come, thou long expected Jesus”
You slip away, leaving the door wide open
That I might follow You
into the kingdom.
READING 4: Winter Paradise by Kathleen Raine
[Read online][Collected poems]
Now I am old and free from time
How spacious life
Unbeginning unending sky where the wind blows
The ever-moving clouds and clouds of starlings on the wing,
Chaffinch and apple-leaf across my garden lawn
Winter paradise
With its own birds and daisies
And all the near and far that eye can see
Each blade of grass signed with the mystery
Across whose face unchanging ever-changing pass
Summer and winter, day and night
Great countenance of the unknown known
You have looked upon me all my days,
More loved than lover’s face,
More merciful than the heart, more wise
Than spoken word, unspoken theme
Simple as earth, in whom we live and move.
READING 5: Fern Hill by Dylan Thomas (selection)
[Full text] [Richard Burton reads 'Fern Hill', Youtube]
And as I was green and carefree, famous among the barns
About the happy yard and singing as the farm was home,
In the sun that is young once only,
Time let me play and be golden in the mercy of his means,
And green and golden I was huntsman and herdsman, the calves
Sang to my horn, the foxes on the hills barked clear and cold,
And the sabbath rang slowly in the pebbles of the holy streams.
All the sun long it was running, it was lovely, the hay
Fields high as the house, the tunes from the chimneys,
It was air and playing, lovely and watery
And fire green as grass.
And nightly under the simple stars
As I rode to sleep, the owls were bearing the farm away,
All the moon long I heard, blessed among stables, the nightjars
Flying with the ricks, and the horses
Flashing into the dark.
Ding, dong, merrily on high
Ding-dong! Merrily on high
in heaven the bells are ringing.
Ding-dong! Verily the sky
is riven with angels singing:
Gloria
Hosanna in excelsis!
E'en so, here below, below,
let steeple bells be swungen;
and i-o, i-o, i-o,
by priest and people sungen!
Gloria
Hosanna in excelsis!
Pray you, dutifully prime
your matin chime, you ringers;
may you beautifully rhyme
your evetime song, you singers:
Gloria
Hosanna in excelsis!
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