Hope & Peace through the music of the season

The tradition of a Service of Lessons and Carols is straight from the Anglican tradition. E. W. Benson, who later became Archbishop of Canterbury, created the first service of alternating

Truro Cathedral, Cornwall, readings from Scripture and United Kingdom, location of the carols for use in his cathedral first service of Lessons & Carols. in Truro, England. King’s College, Cambridge, began holding its annual Festival of Lessons and Carols in 1918 and the practice has been adopted by many other churches since. This service always begins with the carol “Once in Royal David’s City” sung by a solo chorister, chosen on the spot without any warning. A newly commissioned carol by a modern composer is always included also. This year, the Master Singers of Northern Virginia will revive their tradition of a Service of Lessons and Carols here at Trinity, for which I Carols from King’s will serve as organist. We will also host a concert by the Blue Ridge Singers, a choir from the Northern Shenandoah Valley, who will present a concert of new and old arrangements of familiar holiday tunes. Of course, our own Trinity Choir will prepare music to enhance our worship services over this period. Whatever the repertoire, music can provide a powerful force to draw people to the church. I encourage you to partake in the musical richness of Advent and Christmas at Trinity, and find hope and peace in the glorious music offered to the Glory of God.

Dan Miller

Rev. Jim Hammond introduces us to each of the four Sunday’s of Advent and explores their significance and traditions.

The Second Sunday of Advent

Jesus is coming! There are four Sundays in the liturgical season of Advent, a time of preparation for the birth of Jesus. There are multiple ways to think about each of the four Sundays in Advent, none of which is thoroughly established in Christian teaching or in Episcopal tradition. This year we will concentrate on the themes of 1) hope, 2) faith, 3) joy, and 4) love. The Second Sunday of Advent highlights faith. The aphorism is attributed to St. Augustine, whether correctly or incorrectly is hard to say: "Faith is to believe what you do not see." Some would prefer, "faith is believing what you cannot see." In the 29th verse of the 20th Chapter of the Gospel of St. John, it is reported that Jesus said to Thomas, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe." Mary's faith in accepting the message of the angel is an example of faith. Are we able to accept the requests of God for our lives with faith such as Mary's, or are we more like Thomas?