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Advent Lessons and Carols: Offering a Valuable Opportunity for Preparation
Although last year’s event was scaled down due to pandemic restrictions, this year St. Philip Neri Church will hold our eighth Advent Lessons and Carols at 2 p.m. on Dec. 12. Not only will our adult choir, handbell choir, and brass quintet be taking part, but there also will be elements incorporated for the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
“There will be Spanish readings and several songs that will be presented in Spanish by the choir and a soloist,” says Linda Liberty, Director of Music. “It will be something a little different.”
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Last year there were readings, and there was a small group of choir members and handbell players. The event was livestreamed, and only 40 were in attendance.
“Even with COVID restrictions, I was determined that we’d do something,” Linda says. “People were very appreciative of what was done as we tried to maintain a normalcy, especially with the liturgy and music.”
Our Advent Lessons and Carols service, while modeled after the traditional Episcopalian and Anglican service, will have no readings or songs about the birth of Christ.
“We will be doing only readings from the New Testament regarding the Annunciation and the Magnificat,” Linda says. “We also will do the readings from John 1, ‘In the beginning was the word...’ but nothing about the birth of Jesus or any of the readings done on Christmas Eve. These will be strictly Advent Lesson and Carols. All the music will be for Advent, and a lot of Isaiah and the reading from Genesis, the fall of Man. This is the purpose of Advent, to go to the beginning and go from there.”
With so much emphasis put on the celebration of Christmas, Linda wants our parish to recognize the importance of Advent — the preparation for the birth of Jesus.
“We hold the Advent Lessons and Carols because we’re a liturgical church, and Advent is passed over a lot,” she says. “As a liturgical church, it is important to highlight this season of the church year. Christmas trees are put up before Halloween, but poor Advent tends to get passed over. You’re preparing for the birth of a child, and this takes time.”
Linda encourages all to attend this special event in order to help our focus remain true to the season.
“We’re highlighting the season of Advent, and if you haven’t experienced this, people are amazed about how much this prepares them for the Christmas season,” Linda says. “It foreshadows the birth of Jesus, and how the prophets foretold it.”
