Olton Friary Carol Service 2023

Choir – Song of Consolation

Opening Prayer

First Reading – Emmanuel: God with Us

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, come and cheer
Our spirits by thine Advent here;
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 heavenly 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, O come, thou Lord of might,
Who to thy tribes on Sinai’s height
In ancient times didst give the law
In cloud of majesty and awe:
Rejoice, rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

Second Reading – John 1: 1-15

Carol – Lo he comes with clouds descending

Lo! He comes with clouds descending,
once for favoured sinners slain;
thousand, thousand saints attending
swell the triumph of his train:
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
God appears on earth to reign.

Ev'ry eye shall now behold him
robed in glorious majesty;
those who set at naught and sold him,
pierced and nailed him to the tree,
deeply wailing, deeply wailing, deeply wailing,
shall their true Messiah see.

Those dear tokens of his passion
still his dazzling body bears,
cause of endless exultation
to his ransomed worshippers.
With what rapture, with what rapture, with what rapture,
gaze we on those glorious scars!

Yea, amen, let all adore thee
high on thine eternal throne;
Saviour, take the pow'r and glory,
claim the kingdom for thine own.
Come Lord Jesus, come Lord Jesus, come Lord Jesus
Everlasting God, come down!

Choir – Carol of the Bethlehem Cave

Third Reading – Annunciation  Luke 1: 26-38

Carol – Angels from the Realms of Glory

Angels from the realms of glory,
Wing your flight o’er all the earth;
You who sang creation’s story,
Now proclaim Messiah’s birth.
Come and worship, Come and worship,
Worship Christ, the new-born King.

Shepherds, in the fields abiding,
Watching o’er your flocks by night,
God on earth is now residing,
Yonder shines the infant light:
Come and worship, Come and worship,
Worship Christ, the new-born King.

Sages, leave your contemplations,
Brighter visions beam afar;
Seek the great Desire of nations,
You have seen his morning star:
Come and worship, Come and worship,
Worship Christ, the new-born King.

Though an infant now we view him,
He shall fill his heav’nly throne,
Gather all the nations to him;
Every knee shall then bow down.
Come and worship, Come and worship,
Worship Christ, the new-born King.

Carol – Ding Dong Merrily on High

Ding, dong! Merrily on high,
In heav'n the bells are ringing:
Ding dong! verily the sky
Is riv'n with angel singing
Gloria Hosanna in excelsis!

E'en so here below, below,
Let steeple bells be swungen,
And "Io, io, io!"
By priest and people sungen
Gloria Hosanna in excelsis!

Pray you, dutifully prime
Your matin chime, ye ringers,
May you beautifully rime
Your evetime song, ye singers
Gloria Hosanna in excelsis!

Fourth Reading – Visitation   Luke 1: 39-56

Choir – Hail Mary

Carol – It Came Upon the Midnight Clear

It came upon the midnight clear
That glorious song of old
From angels bending near the earth
To touch their harps of gold
Peace on the earth, good will to men
From heaven's all gracious King
The world in solemn stillness lay
To hear the angels sing

Yet with the woes of sin and strife
the world has suffered long;
beneath the angel-strain have rolled
two thousand years of wrong;
and man, at was with man, hears not
the love-song which they bring:
O hush the noise, ye men of strife,
and hear the angels sing!

For lo, the days are hastening on,
by prophets seen of old,
when with the ever-circling years
shall come the time foretold,
when the new heaven and earth shall own
the prince of peace their king,
and all the world send back the song
which now the angels sing.

Fifth Reading – Nativity Luke 2: 1-7

9am Choir – Now Light One Thousand Christmas Lights

Carol – God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

God rest ye merry, gentlemen
Let nothing you dismay
Remember Christ our Saviour
Was born on Christmas Day
To save us all from Satan's pow'r
When we were gone astray
Oh tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy
Oh tidings of comfort and joy.

In Bethlehem, in Jewry,
This blessed Babe was born
And laid within a manger
Upon this blessed morn
The which His Mother Mary
Did nothing take in scorn
Oh tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy
Oh tidings of comfort and joy.

From God our Heavenly Father
A blessed Angel came;
And unto certain shepherds
Brought tidings of the same,
How that in Bethlehem was born
The Son of God by Name.
Oh tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy
Oh tidings of comfort and joy.

The shepherds at those tidings
Rejoiced much in mind,
And left their flocks a-feeding
In tempest, storm and wind,
And went to Bethlehem straightway
The Son of God to find.
Oh tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy
Oh tidings of comfort and joy.

And when they came to Bethlehem
Where our dear Saviour lay,
They found Him in a manger,
Where oxen feed on hay;
His Mother Mary kneeling down,
Unto the Lord did pray
Oh tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy
Oh tidings of comfort and joy.

Choir – Hallelujah Chorus

Sixth Reading – Shepherd, leave your flock and fold

Choir – While Shepherds Watched (Cranbrook)

Carol – On Christmas Night

On Christmas night all Christians sing,
To hear the news the angels bring
On Christmas night all Christians sing,
To hear the news the angels bring
News of great joy, news of great mirth,
News of our merciful King’s birth.

Then why should me on earth be so sad,
Since our redeemer made us glad.
Then why should men on earth be so sad,
Since our redeemer made us glad.
When from our sin he set us free,
All for to gain our liberty

When sin departs before his grace
Then life and health come in its place,
When sin departs before his grace
Then life and health come in its place,
Angels and men with joy may sing,
All for to see the new born King.

All out of darkness we have light,
Which makes the angels sing this night
All out of darkness we have light,
Which makes the angels sing this night
‘Glory to God and peace to me,
Now and for evermore. Amen’

Tableau – Little Church

Final Blessing

Carol – Adeste Fideles/O Come all ye Faithful

Adeste fideles
laeti triumphantes,
Venite, venite in Bethlehem.
Natum videte, regem angelorum:
Venite adoremus,
Venite adoremus
Venite adoremus Dominum

Deum de Deo,
lumen de lumine,
gestant puellae viscera
Deum verum, genitum non factum
Venite adoremus,
Venite adoremus
Venite adoremus Dominum

O come, all ye faithful,
joyful and triumphant!
O come ye, O come ye, to Bethlehem
Come and behold Him
Born the King of Angels
O come, let us adore Him
O come, let us adore Him
O come, let us adore Him
Christ the Lord!

Sing, choirs of angels,
sing in exultation
Sing, all ye citizens of heaven above!
Glory to God
in the highest
O come, let us adore Him
O come, let us adore Him
O come, let us adore Him
Christ the Lord!