THE FESTIVAL OF LESSONS & CAROLS
For almost 45 years, people have been coming to the mountaintop campus of The University of the South to attend the Festival of Lessons and Carols.
The service was developed from ancient forms of worship and adapted from a service which has been sung annually at King's College Chapel in Cambridge, England, since 1918. Through music and readings, the Festival of Lessons and Carols explores Christian themes of God's Advent and Incarnation in Jesus Christ.
During the service, the University Choir sings carols appropriate to the season of Advent and Christmas after the reading of each lesson. In this service, we attempt to present the double meaning of the Advent season.
From the West Door, the responsory of ancient Matins on Advent Sunday announces the hope of the coming Messiah. Then, the Choir and Chancel party moves in procession from west to east, illustrating the theme “from darkness to light.” The subsequent readings and music direct attention to the coming of the Messiah, and further, to the Second Coming at the End of the Age. The Christian Church lives between these two points: the first, Christmastide with the Incarnation of the Son of God, and the second, His coming again to judge and to re-create His universe.
The Chapel is decorated with greens from the University forest by members of the college and community and with red poinsettias given in memory of loved ones.
The 2009 services of the Festival of Lessons and Carols will be held on Sunday, December 6th, at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m.
The doors open one hour before the beginning of the service. The waiting lines may be long - people are in line an hour or more before the doors open. Both services are open to the public at no charge, and reservations are not necessary, nor taken. Handicapped seating arrangements can be made starting mid-October. Please call (931) 598-1274.
The use of cameras, camcorders, artificial light or flash, and recording equipment is prohibited during the services. Copies of the video and audio recordings of this service may be purchased at the University Bookstore.
