Categories: uncategorized
Date: 29 November 2004 20:10:32
Hooray, Advent is here! The first candle on the advent wreath was lit in the morning, and we sang 'Call to Remembrance, O Lord', by Farrant.
The evening service was the Advent Carol Service, one of my favourites - I much prefer it to the 9 lessons and carols at Christmas. We all sang lots of adventy hymns, beginning with 'Come thou redeemer of the earth' and ending with 'Lo, he comes with clouds descending'. The choir items were: Advent Response (Jarvis), The truth sent from above (Vaughan Williams), Lift up your heads (Harwood), The cherry tree (trad.), The world's fair rose (Praetorius), God so loved the world (Stainer); and People look east (Besancon Tune, arr. Bramma), sung from behind the high altar. I love the evocative words of the spoken responsory at the end of the service (beginning with: 'The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness and put on the armour of light......') I also love the mince pies and mulled wine we have once all the robes and books are put away, and the chance to catch up with old friends who make a point of coming to these sorts of services, even though they may normally worship elsewhere.