StoneBridge Community Church
Pastor Jeff Cheadle
The Service of Nine Lessons and Carols was first celebrated at King's College, Cambridge (United Kingdom) on Christmas Eve, 1918. It was an adaptation of a similar service that had been written for the cathedral at Truro in 1880. The lessons were reordered in 1919, and what follows are the lessons that have been used since that time. The carols and other musical selections are not the same as those used in Cambridge. At King's College, the Festival is a Christmas Eve service.
Bidding Prayer: Beloved in Christ, at this Christmastide let it be our care and delight to hear again the message of the angels, and in heart and mind to go even unto Bethlehem and see this thing which is come to pass, and the babe lying in a manger. Therefore let us read and mark in holy Scripture the tale of the loving purposes of God from the first days of our disobedience unto the glorious redemption brought us by this holy Child. But first, let us pray for the needs of the whole world; for peace on earth and goodwill among all his people; for unity and brotherhood within the church he came to build, and especially in this, our own community. And because this would rejoice his heart, let us remember, in his name, the poor and helpless, the cold, the hungry, and the oppressed; the sick and them that mourn, the lonely and the unloved, the aged and the little children; all those who know not the Lord Jesus, or who love him not, or who by sin have grieved his heart of love. Lastly, let us remember before God all those who rejoice with us, but upon another shore, and in a greater light, that multitude which no man can number, whose hope was in the Word made flesh, and with whom in the Lord Jesus we are one forevermore. These prayers and praises let us humbly offer up to the throne of heaven, in the words which Christ himself hath taught us: Our Father, Who art in heaven . . .
The First Lesson Genesis 3: 8–15, 17–19. God tells sinful Adam that he has lost the life of Paradise and that his seed will bruise the serpent’s head.
Genesis 3:8-19 NIV
Genesis 3:17-19 NIV
The Second Lesson Genesis 22. 15–18. God promises faithful Abraham that in his seed all the nations of the world will be blessed.
Genesis 22:15-18 NIV
The Third Lesson Isaiah 9: 2; 6-7. The prophet foretells the coming of the Savior.
Isaiah 9:2 NIV
Isaiah 9:6-7 NIV
The Fourth Lesson Isaiah 11: 1–3a; 4a; 6–9. The peace that Christ will bring is foretold.
Isaiah 11:1-9 NIV
The Fifth Lesson The Gospel of Luke 1: 26–35; 38 The angel Gabriel salutes the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Luke 1:26-38 NIV
The Sixth Lesson The Gospel of Luke 2: 1; 3–7. St. Luke tells of the birth of Jesus.
Luke 2:1-7 NIV
The Seventh Lesson The Gospel of Luke 2: 8–16. The shepherds go to the manger.
Luke 2:8-16 ESV
Sheep Fast Asleep is a rare Japanese Christmas carol. Hitsuji wa nemure ri was written by Genzō Miwa in 1907 and translated into English by John Moss in 1957. The tune Korin was written by Chugoro Torii in 1941. The hymn is a favorite among Japanese Christians.
The Eighth Lesson The Gospel of Matthew Matthew 2: 1-12. The wise men are led by the star to Jesus.
Matthew 2:1-12 ESV
Follow That Star was written by former StoneBridge Worship Arts Director Rob Krabbe, Jr. in 1999 and is included on his CD At Christmastime.
The Ninth Lesson The Gospel of John 1: 1-14. St. John unfolds the great mystery of the Incarnation.
John 1:1-14 ESV