Lessons and Carols

Share the story of salvation history with your family this Christmas Eve.

I hope that everyone is having a blessed advent. Sorry there’s no story this week! With the Nutcracker last week and a hoarse voice all this week, it just wasn’t going to happen. I didn’t want to leave you empty-handed, however, so I am sharing with you all one of our family’s Christmas traditions.

I grew up going as a Protestant, going to church on Christmas Eve for Lessons and Carols. These beautiful services have a series of readings that walk through salvation history with accompanying hymns. The exact readings and hymns varied, but at our church the last hymn was always “Silent Night,” accompanied by candlelight.

Now as a Catholic, we, of course, go to mass, trekking out with small children for the gorgeous midnight mass at the cathedral or maybe waiting for the next morning. Still, Christmas Eve we gather together for Lessons and Carols, to tell once more the story of how God loves us so much that He came to see us face-to-face.

Lessons and Carols

Check out this YouTube playlist for the hymns.

Lesson 1 - Genesis 3:8-19 (shorter version Genesis 3:8-15)

Carol 1 - O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

Lesson 2 - Genesis 22:15-18

Carol 2 - Oh Come, All Ye Faithful

Lesson 3 - Isaiah 9:2, 6-7

Carol 3 - God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

Lesson 4 - Isaiah 11:1-9

Carol 4 - Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming

Lesson 5 - Luke 1:26-38 (shorter version Luke 1:26-31)

Carol 5 - What Child Is This?

Lesson 6 - Luke 2:1-7

Carol 6 - O Little Town of Bethlehem

Lesson 7 - Luke 2:8-18 (shorter version Luke 2:8-14)

Carol 7 - Angels We Have Heard on High

Lesson 8 - Matthew 2:1-12

Carol 8 - We Three Kings

Lesson 9 - John 1:1-14 (shorter version John 1:1-5, 14)

Carol 9 - Silent Night (with candles, if possible)