Festival of Lessons and Carols - with a Mennonite Accent?

[Bootstrap]

King's College has a Festival of Lessons and Carols every year, oriented around these 9 texts:

https://www.lectionarypage.net/YearABC/ ... arols.html

A local Mennonite church is considering using this format for a service close to Christmas and I'm helping with some of the planning. Each Scripture reading has a carol before and after it, but the ones used in the King's College service are mostly not in the Mennonite hymnals or well know in America, so we are thinking of replacing them with carols more familiar here. Some are simpler, though, and easier to work in.

I'd be interested in some opinions ... so I'll ask some questions in this thread. First off, what do you think of this format - an introductory prayer, 9 Scripture readings with carols before and after, no real sermon, a blessing at the end.

[Bootstrap]

In the King's College service, they usually start with this hymn. Would you use this? If not, what would you substitute for a more Mennonite take that tells the overall story?

Obviousy, a Mennonite church would do all of this much less formally ... and in this church it would be acapella or perhaps with piano or guitar. With a very simple arrangement.

[video][/video]

1 Once in royal David's city
stood a lowly cattle shed,
where a mother laid her baby
in a manger for his bed:
Mary was that mother mild,
Jesus Christ, her little child.

2 He came down to earth from heaven
who is God and Lord of all,
and his shelter was a stable,
and his cradle was a stall:
with the poor, and mean, and lowly,
lived on earth our Savior holy.

3 And thro' all his wondrous childhood
he would honor and obey,
love and watch the lowly maiden
in whose gentle arms he lay:
Christian children all must be
mild, obedient, good as he.

4 And our eyes at last shall see him,
thro' his own redeeming love;
for that child so dear and gentle
is our Lord in heav'n above:
and he leads his children on
to the place where he is gone.

5 Not in that poor lowly stable,
with the oxen standing by,
we shall see him, but in heaven,
set at God's right hand on high;
when like stars his children crowned
all in white shall wait around.

[ohio jones]

In the King's College service, they usually start with this hymn. Would you use this? If not, what would you substitute for a more Mennonite take that tells the overall story?

I would probably omit verse 3; it doesn't really add much to the story line, and seems to have been included mostly because it was originally written as a children's song. Interestingly, John D. Martin chose to include that verse and omit verse 4.

[appleman2006]

What you are describing sounds similar to how we would normally conduct our Advent service.

[Bootstrap]

In the King's College service, they usually start with this hymn. Would you use this? If not, what would you substitute for a more Mennonite take that tells the overall story?

I would probably omit verse 3; it doesn't really add much to the story line, and seems to have been included mostly because it was originally written as a children's song. Interestingly, John D. Martin chose to include that verse and omit verse 4.

Yes, I agree - verse 3 is weak and distracts from an otherwise solid carol.

[Bootstrap]

Here's a challenge. The first Scripture reading is this:

First Lesson from 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.

In the Mennonite tradition or common American Christmas carols, I don't know any Advent or Christmas carols about that. Here are hymns that they have used at King's College for this reading:

Hymns for Lesson 1

Looks like they had the same problem, there are some hymns in Latin (Veni, redemptor gentium) or archaic English(Adam lay y-bounden).

The Wexford Carol is very nice musically, and they have used it, but it isn't directly related to the story of Adam. Is there a better choice for after this reading?

The next reading is:

Second Lesson from Genesis 22: 15–18
God promises to faithful Abraham that in his seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.

I also need a carol to introduce this second reading ... here are their choices:

Hymns for Lesson 2

So maybe "lo, how a rose e'er blooming"? Not sure if I can match these texts better than that ... I'd like to if I could ...

[video][/video]

Good people all, this Christmas time,
Consider well and bear in mind
What our good God for us has done
In sending his beloved son
With Mary holy we should pray,
To God with love this Christmas Day
In Bethlehem upon that morn,
There was a blessed Messiah born.

The night before that happy tide,
The noble Virgin and her guide
Were long time seeking up and down
To find a lodging in the town.
But mark how all things came to pass
From every door repelled, alas,
As was foretold, their refuge all
Was but a humble ox's stall.

Near Bethlehem did shepherds keep
Their flocks of lambs and feeding sheep
To whom God's angels did appear
Which put the shepherds in great fear
Prepare and go, the angels said
To Bethlehem, be not afraid
For there you'll find, this happy morn
A princely babe, sweet Jesus, born.

With thankful heart and joyful mind
The shepherds went the babe to find
And as God's angel had foretold
They did our Saviour Christ behold
Within a manger he was laid
And by his side the virgin maid
Attending on the Lord of Life
Who came on earth to end all strife.

There were three wise men from afar
Directed by a glorious star
And on they wandered night and day
Until they came where Jesus lay
And when they came unto that place
Where our beloved Messiah lay
They humbly cast them at his feet
With gifts of gold and incense sweet.

[ohio jones]

In the King's College service, they usually start with this hymn. Would you use this? If not, what would you substitute for a more Mennonite take that tells the overall story?

I would probably omit verse 3; it doesn't really add much to the story line, and seems to have been included mostly because it was originally written as a children's song. Interestingly, John D. Martin chose to include that verse and omit verse 4.

Yes, I agree - verse 3 is weak and distracts from an otherwise solid carol.

I would recommend it for inclusion in the Third Verse Hymnal, though.

[ohio jones]

First Lesson from 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.

In the Mennonite tradition or common American Christmas carols, I don't know any Advent or Christmas carols about that.

The Race That Long in Darkness Pined might be suitable, at least the first verse. Alternate words are available for the politically correct, as well as a variety of tunes. This song is not familiar to me, and the only Mennonite book I know of that includes it is Hymns of the Church.

The race that long in darkness pined
has seen a glorious light;
the people dwell in day, who dwelt
in death’s surrounding night.

[ohio jones]

First off, what do you think of this format - an introductory prayer, 9 Scripture readings with carols before and after, no real sermon, a blessing at the end.

I'm not sure it's necessary to have exactly 9 readings, or to use the same ones as anyone else. I was just at a service that included a segment "inspired by the tradition of" the Kings College lessons and carols, with only 3 readings. Naturally, they omitted the one you were having trouble with.

The highlight of the evening was the congregational singing of Silent Night, accompanied by Phil Keaggy.

[Bootstrap]

We had this service on Sunday, two other people led the service and chose the carols - I gave them a first draft and they took it from there. They used some of the carols I suggested but leaving out others. They did keep the original 9 readings. The carols that came after the Genesis readings were not that close to the text ... but that didn't detract too much from the service.

I like a service that is very close to the text but still reminds us of the big picture. I think it went very well. I liked the fact that 9 different people read out loud from the front and we all sang the whole time, acapella. That made it feel like something we were all part of, and you could tell that from the happy chatter after the service.

We had a pot-luck breakfast before the service instead of Sunday School.