Education Secretariat
Introduction: ChaplainWelcome to our Annual Carol Service. This is one of my favourite days each year as it is a great opportunity to see exactly who we are , it is amazing to be up here and see the entire school community gathered in the one space and for me it is a great day for really entering into the Christmas spirit and getting that Christmassy feeling that I love. Our celebration today is all about the spirit of Christmas. All you need to do is sit back relax, join in with the carols that you know and support your fellow students as they present us with this years carol service.Tallaght Youth Band: Adeste FidelesOpening PrayerWe gather together today to hear with joy the message brought to the world through the birth of a child over 2000 years ago. We shall journey in heart and mind to Bethlehem, to reflect on the nativity story, to try and really hear the Christmas story as if for the first time, and consider how we can bring the Christmas message of love and peace to life in today’s world. We will listen to some well known carols and maybe even sing along! And we shall also pray: for peace on earth, for fellowship among all the peoples of the world, for care for the poor and needy, for our families and our communities.Today, as we gather for our annual carol service we ask Gods blessing on each of us. Free us from any worry or distress that we may have and help us to welcome the light of Christ into our lives, a light that gives us the gift of hope. May hope fill our hearts, our minds and our homes. We ask this through Christ Your Son, AmenThe Invitation: O Come All Ye FaithfulThis carol is believed to have been written in 1743 in France by a Roman Catholic Layman called John Wade. Originally written in Latin and called Adeste Fideles, the carol was not translated into English for almost 100 years. The original version had just 4 verses and this is the one most frequently used today although there are 38 versions on record. It is based on the account of the birth of Jesus found in Luke’s gospel.The carol is an invitation to step into the nativity story, to make our journey of the imagination to be there in the Bethlehem stable, and to join with the others who have already travelled to this place. This carol goes straight to the heart of why Christmas is so special to Christians across the world, it is filled with statements which sum up many of the beliefs said in the Creed. O Come, all ye faithful strikes a note of pure celebration which is why like today it is often used as the opening song to set the scene for the whole carol service. The chorus of “O come let us adore him’ is not just for the one day of Christmas or the one event of the baby in the manger, but it is for all people, on all places and at all times. Choir: O Come All Ye FaithfulMovie: Christmas In A Nutshell (found online)LinkIt’s what we all want, what we all need, what we all desire. HOPE We hope for a brighter day, a better world,We search for hope, grasp for hope,Yet it seems so difficult to findAt the heart of the Christmas story is hope and that hope comes in the shape of a baby.Beyond the puke and the dirty nappies and the crying what is it that a baby represents. We look at a baby and see not just a new life but a future of hope, we see dreams to be realized, a life to be lived.And on that first Christmas night the feelings of those gathered in the manger were no different than any modern parent or vistor. They looked upon the baby Jesus and they were filled with hope.Our next carol takes us to the manger and that hopeful scene. Introducing this carol is __________________Stars and Salvation: Away in a MangerNo Christmas carol service is ever complete without this carol, indeed many of us remember it as one of the first Christmas carols we sang ourselves.The first 2 verses of Away in a Manger were first published in 1885 in an American Lutheran Sunday School book. This created the misconception that the words were written by Martin Luther when in fact the original author remains unknown. The tune was a well known melody called the ‘Cradle Song’ which gives the carol the feel of a lullaby. The carol ends with a prayer of blessing “Bless all of the children”Choir Sing: Away In A MangerLinkThis carol paints a simple picture of a baby trying to sleep and being lulled by the sounds that are around him. It is easy to forget the simplicity of the Christmas story, not only is it at odds with the commercial holiday that is Christmas but it can also seem far removed from the rituals and actions of the Church itself. But let us pause this morning and remind ourselves what we are celebrating. Birth is something we have all experienced but thankfully do not remember, the miracle of birth, of life, the miracle that each of us are is celebrated in the Christmas story and the in the birth of Jesus.As we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus we ask Gods blessing on everyone gathered here today. Open our hearts to the good news that this birth represents and help us to welcome the light of Christ into our lives, a light that gives us the gift of joy.May this joy fill our heart, our mind and our home.We ask this through Christ Our Lord. AmenOur next carol is another traditional favourite and captures the spirit of welcome that plays a part in the Christmas story, and to introduce it I now invite ____________Choir Sing: The First NowellOutside In: The First NowellNowell is the French word for Christmas, which suggests that the word Nowell had Norman origins. Some scholars trace its roots back to the Latin for birthday, the medieval English word for news and the French/German words for new and light.It is perhaps no surprise therefore that the original author remains a mystery but they may have lived as far back as the 13th century.This carol invites us to focus on the outsiders who come to visit the baby Jesus. Christmas with its good news comes first to the shepherds on the cold hillside, they are the unexpected witnesses and the faraway Wiseman. Outsiders are drawn to Jesus, his birth attracts a lot of interest, we sing Nowell, Christmas news and it is indeed headline stuff, after all here we are still celebrating it today. The birth of a baby is a great event a great leveler. Shepherds stand beside wealthy Wiseman from afar united by the birth of Jesus. By inviting outsiders in, God turns everything inside out. Choir Repeat Refrain x2 LinkAre we willing to enter into the spirit of Christmas that involves welcoming and including others? Are we willing to be like a baby and view the world and people through eyes that are not prejudiced. A baby does not see skin colour, gender, age, sexual orientation, race or creed. The Christmas story celebrates this and throughout his life everything he did showed us that Jesus had the unprejudiced eyes of a baby. Jesus was born into the world to bring the good news to all.Our next carol is about the gift of kindness and will be introduced by ______________ The Gift of Kindness: Good King WenceslasHow on earth did this carol end up in any collection of must sing favorites at Christmas? It isn’t about the Christmas story and it doesn’t even mention Jesus. This carol is based on a legend from the Czech Republic and its about a king born some eight centuries after the Baby Jesus but its message of generosity captures an important aspect of what Christmas means for many people. We hear a story from the life of Wenceslas, of a time when he showed kindness to a poor labourer who he spotted gathering wood in the bitter cold on St. Stephens’s day. Moved by what he saw he set out to take a Christmas box of food and drink to this man accompanied by his page, who in turn learns from his example how to care for others.This carol reminds us that at the heart of Christmas is a spirit of generosity and kindness. It is a theme picked up my many charities at this time of the year, whose appeals urge us not to forget others in our headlong rush to spend, spend, spend. This carols message allows us to see Christmas as a time to remember the pleasure of giving to others as opposed to simply receiving. However giving isn’t always that easy and some f the challenges are captured in the following short sketch as King Wenceslas is interviewed about his St. Stephens Day kindness. Choir Sing: Good King Wenceslas Our DonationsIn our school we use the carol service as an opportunity to highlight some of the charitable activities that happen throughout the term. Choir Sing: Jesus Is Here Link: Nativity StoryAnother aspect of the Christmas story is love, the love of a young couple Mary and Joseph who become parents in extraordinary circumstances. (brief nativity)Joseph trusted, he had faith, he loved Mary. This is also an important element of the Christmas story. Movie: Social Network Christmas (found online) Our Christmas Wishes and PrayersIntercessionsWe pray for all families who are expecting the birth of a baby at this time. Maythese new born children bring much joy and many blessings to these families. Lord Hear UsALL: Lord Graciously Hear UsChrist was born among the poor of this world. We pray today for all who are inneed that they may experience kindness and generosity this Christmas. Lord Hear UsALL: Lord Graciously Hear UsAt the birth of Jesus the angels proclaimed peace on earth. Today, we pray forpeace in our hearts, in our families, in our country and in our world. Lord Hear UsALL: Lord Graciously Hear UsHelp us to make good choices so that, through our actions, the world will be abetter place. Lord Hear Us. All: Lord Graciously Hear UsThat this Christmas is a time of peace and happiness for each member of our school community and their families. Lord Hear Us. All: Lord Graciously Hear UsFaithful God, we remember today all those who are mourning the loss of a family member or friend. May they experience your healing grace during this Christmas season. Lord Hear Us. All: Lord Graciously Hear UsPray for 1st Years and 6th YearsOn this Advent Day we turn to you in prayer. As we prepare to celebrate the birth of your Son, we ask your blessing on each of us. Help us to welcome your light into our lives, a light that gives us the gift of love. You showed us the greatness of you love in Jesus, Emmanuel, God with us. May love fill our hearts, our minds and our homes this Christmas. We ask this through Christ Our Lord.Amen Chaplain: Our FatherOur final carol this today is another well known Christmas favourite. ______________ will now tell us a little about it. Redeeming Grace: Silent NightThere is a legend that has grown up alongside our next carol ‘Silent Night’. It tells of an Austrian parish priest who on Christmas Eve discovered to his horror that the bellows of the church organ had been nibbled by mice. No church organ meant no music, disaster. The story goes that he then remembered a poem he had written some time before that, a simple poem perhaps too simple for a big event such as Christmas Eve Mass. Hours later, with the help of a guitar-playing friend a simple melody was written in time for the Christmas mass. The day was saved and arguably the most famous of all carols was born. The legend continues that the carol was lost and all but forgotten until a workman repairing the church organ discovered its manuscript in 1825.The carol paints a picture of a moment of stillness and silence at the manger of the newborn baby. It is as if nothing else exists: even Joseph isn’t included. There are no animals, nothing in the first verse except Mary and Jesus, a mother and her baby in a pool of light, which seems to be a circle of peace and protection letting them sleep within it. Choir Sing: Silent NightFinal LinkLoving God, as our time of prayer comes to a close we ask you to be with us throughout this Advent and Christmas season and to help us to be people who bring more light than darkness into this world. Help us to “give something back” to our families and communities this Christmas season, and to remember the importance of having a generous heart. Bless those gathered here today and may the hope, peace, joy and love of Christ be with you and your loved ones this Christmas.We ask all these things in the name of Jesus who is our light and lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.Principal ................
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