A Festival of Lessons and Carols Hosted by Nashotah House
The December that the first Festival of Lessons and Carols began was one full of chaos, the world reeling from the effects of the Great War. At a time far removed from joyful festivity, the story of the redemption of God’s people and his promise to return in majesty and glory was often a difficult message to preach.
At the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, in the French town of Redonthes, Germany signed an armistice with the Allies – the official date of the end of the first World War.
The peace conference in Paris would not begin until January 1919, and it would be rife with challenges that would follow all involved for years to come. Yet the church was still at work, placing orphans with families, feeding the homeless, assisting governments in the war-torn towns and cities across a continent.
And at Nashotah House in 1918, the Chapel of St. Mary the Virgin, celebrated its tenth anniversary; having originally begun in 1859 and finished in 1908. And the title ‘Father’ became the customary term used for the clergy professors. Throughout the neighboring towns of Oconomowoc and Delafield, Nashotah students were known for their mission and outreach to the communities.
Nashotah House Class of 1914, around the same time as the first Lessons and Carols in England.
But there in this setting of a dark December was inaugurated a lovely little service at King’s College Chapel, Cambridge, a ritual that would be adopted by Nashotah House many years later, and adapted across denominations: a service of hope, reminding God’s people of his promises and of their redemption through Jesus Christ. A collection of nine Scripture lessons - from Genesis, Isaiah, and the gospels - each followed by a carol or other song that reflects on the lesson's message and a brief prayer, this exquisite package covers the breadth of the Fall, the promise of a Messiah, the Incarnation, and the Great Commission to preach the Good News.
King’s College was and is a beautiful jewel of a place, and many colleges and universities have worked to model themselves after it in many ways. In 1918, King’s College was one of many universities that contributed to the war effort - most significantly, with the thousands of staff and students who fought as volunteers and combatants. By December 1918, of the Cambridge collegiate community who served, nearly twenty percent were dead. (1)
The Dean of King’s College is credited with instituting the first Festival as a way to offer hope to those remembering their dead. First held on Christmas Eve in 1918, it was planned by Eric Milner-White who, at the age of thirty-four, had just been appointed Dean of King’s College, following his experience as an army chaplain.
One year later, the order of service was revised, involving rearrangement of the lessons, and from that date the service has famously always begun with the hymn “Once in royal David’s City.” Almost every year, some carols have been changed and some new ones introduced. The backbone of the service, the lessons and the prayers, has remained virtually unchanged.
For this year’s Service of Lessons and Carols, Nashotah House offers an abbreviated service, with two prophetic lessons from Isaiah and the Annunciation from the Gospel of Luke read by a representative of each class. The Nashotah Brass will accompany the congregation and play voluntaries by Michael Praetorius. Twentieth-century carols by John Tavener and Peter Maxwell Davies will be sung by guest soprano Sarah Brailey, Dr. Geoffrey Williams, and Mrs. Emilie Williams.
Hymns:
Of the Father’s heart begotten
Hark, a thrilling voice is sounding
Lo, how a rose e’re blooming
O come, o come Emmanuel
O come, all ye faithful
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(1) Tomas Irish, The University at War (1914-1925) (New York: Macmillan, 2015), 242.