Junior King's Carol Service 2020

A Celebration of Christmas The Junior King’s School Carol Service St Nicholas’ Church, Sturry Saturday 5th December 2020

Introduction and Welcome

from The Very Reverend Dr Robert Willis, The Dean of Canterbury and Reverend Lindsay Collins, Senior Chaplain

Carol - Once in Royal David’s City

by Head Choristers Alex and Emily Once in royal David’s city, Stood a lowly cattle shed, Where a mother laid her baby In a manger for His bed: Mary was that mother mild, Jesus Christ her little child.

He came down to earth from heaven, Who is God and Lord of all, And His shelter was a stable, And His cradle was a stall; With the poor, and meek, and lowly, Lived on earth our Saviour holy.

And our eyes at last shall see Him, Through His own redeeming love; For that child so dear and gentle, Is our Lord in heaven above, And He leads His children on To the place where He is gone.

Opening Reading - The Birth of Jesus Is Announced Read by Harry, Lina and Martha

God sent the angel Gabriel to a town in Galilee named Nazareth. He had a message for a young woman promised in marriage to a man named Joseph, who was a descendant of King David. Her name was Mary. The angel came to her and said, “Peace be with you! The Lord is with you and has greatly blessed you!”

Mary was deeply troubled by the angel’s message, and she wondered what his words meant. The angel said to her, “Don’t be afraid, Mary; God has been gracious to you.You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High God. The Lord God will make him a king, as his ancestor David was, and he will be the king of the descendants of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end!”

Mary said to the angel, “I am a virgin. How, then, can this be?”

The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and God’s power will rest upon you. For this reason the holy child will be called the Son of God. Remember your relative Elizabeth. It is said that she cannot have children, but she herself is now six months pregnant, even though she is very old. For there is nothing that God cannot do.”

“I am the Lord’s servant,” said Mary; “may it happen to me as you have said.” And the angel left her.

How far is it to Bethlehem? by the Year 6 Choir

How far is it to Bethlehem?

Not very far?

Shall we find the stable room, Lit by a star?

Great kings leave precious gifts, And we have nought.

Little smiles and little tears are all we brought.

Can we see the little Child, Is He within?

If we lift the wooden latch, May we go in?

For all weary children Mary must weep; Here, on His bed of straw, Sleep, children, sleep.

May we stroke the creatures there, Ox, ass, and sheep?

May we peep like them and see Jesus asleep?

God in His mother’s arms, Babes in the byre, Sleep as they sleep who find their heart’s desire.

If we touch His tiny hand, Will He awake?

Will He know we’d come so far, Just for His sake?

For all weary children Mary must weep; Here, on His bed of straw, Sleep, children, sleep.

God in His mother’s arms, Babes in the byre, Sleep as they sleep who find their heart’s desire.

The Birth of Jesus Read by Casper and Sophie

At that time Emperor Augustus ordered a census to be taken throughout the Roman Empire. When this first census took place, Quirinius was the Governor of Syria. Everyone, then, went to register himself, each to his own hometown.

Joseph went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to the town of Bethlehem in Judea, the birthplace of King David. Joseph went there because he was a descendant of David. He went to register with Mary, who was promised in marriage to him. She was pregnant, and while they were in Bethlehem, the time came for her to have her baby. She gave birth to her first son, wrapped him in cloths and laid him in a manger - there was no room for them to stay in the inn.

Away in a Manager by the Year 5 Choir

1

Away in a manger No crib for His bed The little Lord Jesus Lay down His sweet head

3

The cattle are lowing The Baby awakes But little Lord Jesus No crying He makes

2

The stars in the sky Look down where He lay The little Lord Jesus Asleep on the hay

4

I love Thee, Lord Jesus Look down from the sky And stay by my side ‘Til morning is nigh

The News of God’s Gift to the World is shared firstly with Shepherds Read by Ella and Guy

There were some shepherds in that part of the country who were spending the night in their field, taking care of their flocks. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone over them. They were terribly afraid, but the angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid! I am here with good news for you, which will bring great joy to all the people. This very day in David’s town your Saviour was born, Christ the Lord! And this is what will prove it to you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Suddenly a great army of heaven’s angels appeared with the angel, singing praises to God: “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom he is pleased!

When the angels went away from them back into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us.”

Ding Dong Merrily on High by the Year 8 Chapel Choir

Ding dong! Merrily on high in heaven 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!

Words: G R Woodward Music: 16th century French arr. Alan Smith (born 1962)

Wise Men bring their gifts to the Christ Child Read by Sophie and Ayoyimika

Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem in Judea, during the time when Herod was king. Soon afterward, some men who studied the stars came from the East to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the baby born to be the King of the Jews? We saw his star when it came up in the east, and we have come to worship him.”

So Herod called the visitors from the East to a secret meeting and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem with these instructions: “Go and make a careful search for the child; and when you find him, let me know, so that I too may go and worship him.”

And so they left, and on their way they saw the same star they had seen in the East. When they saw it, how happy they were, what joy was theirs!

It went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. They went into the house, and when they saw the child with his mother Mary, they knelt down and worshipped him. They brought out their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, and presented them to him.

Sans Day Carol

by pupils in Year 3 and Year 4 Now the holly bears a berry as white as the nilk, And Mary bore Jesus, who was wrapped up in silk: Chorus And Mary bore Jesus Christ our Saviour for to be, And the first tree in the greenwood it was the holly, holly! holly! and the first tree in the greenwood, it was the holly.

Now the holly bears a berry as green as the grass, and Mary bore Jesus, who died on the cross Chorus Now the holly bears a berry as black as the coal, and Mary bore Jesus, who died for us all: Chorus Now the holly bears a berry as blood is it red, then trust we our Saviour who rose from the dead: Chorus

Prayer

Read by Ayshia, Mackenzie, Pani, Theo and Onize Almighty God, in this season of giving gifts, help us not to overlook the greatest gift of all. Thank you Jesus, for bringing Christmas to us and for lighting our world and bringing hope to our days.

God of all, as we hear the Christmas story, we are reminded that the gift of your Son was given to the whole world. Help us to remember that we are all your children, and may we treat everyone as created, chosen and loved by you.

Christ, born of Mary, help us like Mary to listen for your message of good news this Christmas, may we too say yes to bringing your love into the World.

Christ, worshipped by the shepherds, give peace on earth to all who are sick, anxious or lonely. May they feel your good news of love and comfort this Christmas time.

Christ, before whom the wise men knelt, give humility and wisdom to all in positions of power and authority. Guide them in their decision making to seek your ways of justice and peace.

God of love, thank you for the greatest gift of love you gave in Jesus.

Help us this Christmas to remember to give you the gift of our lives that we might shine as lights of love and hope in our world. Amen

Reading from the First Chapter of the Gospel of John

Read by Emma Károlyi, Head of the Junior King’s School In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling amongst us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

A Child of God

by the Year 7 Chapel Choir If anybody asks me who I am, who I am, who I am, If anybody asks me who I am, tell him I’m a child of God. Glory, glory, The Christ child born in glory.

The little cradle rocks tonight in glory, rocks tonight, rocks tonight, The little cradle rocks tonight, the Christ child born in glory Peace on Earth, Mary rock the cradle, rocks the cradle, rocks the cradle Peace on Earth, Mary rock the cradle, the Christ child born in glory.

The Christ child passing singing softly, singing softly, singing softly, The Christ child passing singing softly, the Christ child born in glory.

If anybody asks me who I am, who I am, who I am, If anybody asks me who I am, tell him I am a child of God. Glory, glory, The Christ child born in glory, glory, glory, and tell him I am a child of God. Words:Traditional Music: Richard Rodney Bennett (1936 – 2012)

God’s Greatest Gift

Read by Oliver, Melody and Findlay God’s greatest gift was sent to all He was born in a lowly manger stall The gift of Jesus to those who believe Is a gift of love and life for all.

God’s love was shown in his Son He came that we may live as one Our thanks and praise can not express Our love for God that brings happiness.

So at this Christmas time rejoice Praise the Lord with your voice The miracle of that special birth Shows how much God thinks you’re worth.

by Catherine Pulsifer © 2017

Blessing

by The Reverend Lindsay Collins May the joy of the angels, the eagerness of the shepherds, the perseverance of the wise men, the obedience of Joseph and Mary, and the peace of the Christ-child be yours this Christmas time; and may the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, be upon you and all those you love, this day and forever more. Amen.

O Come All Ye Faithful by the Year 6 Choir

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 heav’n 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!

Yea, Lord, we greet thee, born on Christmas morning, Jesus, to thee be all glory giv’n; Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing; O come, let us adore him, O come, let us adore him, O come, let us adore him, Christ, the Lord!

CO-EDUCATIONAL | 3 - 13 YEARS | DAY & BOARDING

Junior King’s School, Sturry, CT2 0AY +44 1227 714000 | www.junior-kings.co.uk