The “Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols” was first conducted by an Anglican bishop named Edward W. Benson in a humble wooden shed, which then served as his cathedral in Truro, Cornwall, at 10 p.m. on Christmas Eve 1880. In the service, nine short Bible readings or “lessons” from Genesis, the prophetic books, and the Gospels tell the story of the Fall of Humanity, the Promise of the Messiah, and the Birth of Jesus, interspersed with the singing of Christmas carols, hymns, and choir anthems.

After Bishop Benson was appointed Archbishop of Canterbury in 1883, his Nine Lessons Service spread across the English-speaking world, especially the version developed at King’s College Chapel at the University of Cambridge. That service was planned for Christmas Eve 1918 by Eric Milner-White, whose experience as an army chaplain in the First World War had convinced him that the Church of England needed more Imaginative Worship.

The BBC began radio broadcasts of the King’s College service in 1928, and, except for 1930, it has been broadcast every year—even during the Second World War, when the ancient glass (and also all heat) had been removed from the Chapel. The BBC began television broadcasts of Carols from King's in 1954, resulting in millions of yearly listeners and viewers worldwide.

Over the years, the Lessons and Carols Service has become a widespread practice conducted by local churches on Christmas Eve across the globe. As a beloved annual Christmas Tradition, many listen at home, busy about their own preparations for Christmas. Some have listened to the service in a tent on the foothills of Everest; others, in the desert. Wherever the service is heard and however it is adapted, whether the music is provided by choir or congregation, the pattern and strength of the service derives from the lessons. As Milner-White pointed out, “The main theme is the development of the loving purposes of God” seen “through the windows and the words of the Bible.”

It is our pleasure to continue this tradition of lessons and carols here at Christ Church for the local community of Santa Clarita.