Christmas carol service St Mary’s Church
Once the church was jam-packed Reverend Chris Smith gave a warm welcome and introduced the service. Following his welcome, the lovely bell plate girls played “Good King Wenceslas” and the bewitching sound that came from the small bells reverberated through the church; it was music to the ears. As the girl’s music ended, our head teacher also gave a welcome speech. Subsequently, the school sang the “Calypso carol”, which is about Jesus’ birth in the stable and the star of Bethlehem, which lead the wise men to the baby.
Once we were seated, a reading called the Birth of Jesus foretold of his arrival with a freeze frame starring Mary and Joseph. In this particular scene an angel sent by God comes to Mary and Joseph to tell Mary she will give birth to God’s son. Then there was a special performance by the year 6 choirgirls who sang a touching song with Mary accepting that she would be the mother of the saviour; many mothers watching were moved and were reduced to tears.
Following that emotive song, another reading about the journey Mary and Joseph had to make was read along with another freeze frame. Two more hymns were sung with a third reading in between clarifying the birth of Jesus on that special night.
A reading following the classic hymn, “Silent Night”, explained the arrival of the Angels before the Shepherds and how they discovered the Messiah. “It was on a starry night” was then sung, followed by a final reading finishing the nativity story with a freeze frame of the stable.
After the hymn “We Three Kings”, was an amazing performance by the year threes, with Christingle candles. As the lights were low and the candles lit, the only source of light were those candles and their precious flame. Reverend Chris Smith then gave a Christmas address and said prayers, including the Lord’s Prayer.
“Away in a Manger” was charmingly sung by the choir and the acoustics created a calm and reflective atmosphere. Two more hymns were then sung by the school; “It’s a magical time of the year” followed by “We wish you a Merry Christmas.” This is a favourite with the public and brought joy to many hearts, a fitting finale to a great celebration of Advent and the Christmas story.
Written by Svea R and Rachel D (Kingfisher class)
