Village Carol Services – Order of Service

Opening carol: Once in Royal David’s City

Verse 1 – Solo by Choir Church Chorister

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 Saviour holy.

And, through all His wondrous childhood,

He would honour and obey,

Love and watch the lowly maiden,

In whose gentle arms He lay:

Christian children all must be

Mild, obedient, good as He.

For He is our childhood’s pattern;

Day by day, like us He grew;

He was little, weak and helpless,

Tears and smiles like us He knew;

And He feeleth for our sadness,

And He shareth in our gladness.

And our eyes at last shall see Him,

Through 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.

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;

Where like stars His children crowned

All in white shall wait around.

Words: C. F. Alexander

Music: ‘Irby’

Carol: O come, O come Emmanuel

O come, O come, Emmanuel,

And ransom captive Israel,

That mourns in lonely exile here,

Until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free

Thine own from Satan’s tyranny;

From depths of hell Thy people save,

And give them victory o’er the grave.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Dayspring, from on high,

And cheer us by Thy drawing nigh;

Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,

And death’s dark shadows put to flight.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Key of David, come

And open wide our heav’nly home;

Make safe the way that leads on high,

And close the path to misery.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Adonai, Lord of might,

Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai’s height,

In ancient times didst give the law

In cloud and majesty and awe.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel.

Words:

Music: ‘Veni, Veni Emmanuel

Carol: The angel Gabriel from heaven came

The Angel Gabriel from heaven came,

his wings as drifted snow, his eyes as flame;

‘All hail,’ said he, ‘thou lowly maiden Mary,

most highly favoured lady.’

Gloria!

‘For known a blessèd Mother thou shalt be,

all generations laud and honour thee,

thy son shall be Emmanuel, by seers foretold;

most highly favoured lady.’

Gloria!

Then gentle Mary meekly bowed her head,

‘To me be as it pleaseth God,’ she said,

‘My soul shall laud and magnify his holy name’:

most highly favoured lady.

Gloria!

Of her, Emmanuel, the Christ was born

in Bethlehem, all on a Christmas morn,

and Christian folk throughout the world will ever say

‘Most highly favoured lady.’

Gloria!

Carol: The first Nowell

The first Nowell the angels did say

Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay;

In fields where they lay, keeping their sheep,

On a cold winter’s night that was so deep:

Refrain: Nowell, Nowell, Nowell, Nowell,

Born is the King of Israel.

They looked up and saw a star,

Shining in the east, beyond them far:

And to the earth it gave great light,

And so it continued both day and night: