Advent is about Jesus. It is about celebrating Him as our King and Rescuer. He is our joy and our hope. He is our treasure, our greatest good. We love Him and long for Him.
Christ Church NYC’s Advent Devotional Guide is ultimately intended to help us treasure Christ more, as we enter into the journey of God’s people through the ages—a journey of promise and hope. Beginning with God’s promises of salvation in Genesis, waiting and feeling the angst of Israel’s hope for a Messiah, to our own longing for God to come and set things right, this guide will take us into that biblical story as we set our hope more firmly on Christ.
We invite you to use this guide digitally, or to download it and print it off at home. If you would like a hard copy, just ask us about it on Sunday. We wish you a joyous Advent season!
Lessons & Carols
“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.”
The Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols is a special service celebrating the birth of Jesus that is traditionally followed at Christmas. It is one of the many events surrounding the season of Advent in the liturgical Church calendar.
Through specially selected music and traditional scripture readings, the service spotlights essential events in the Christian narrative: the story of the fall of humanity, the promise of the Messiah, and the birth of Jesus. The nine short readings—or “lessons”—come from Genesis, the prophetic books, and the Gospels, and are interspersed with Christmas carols, hymns, and choir music.
The annual service of Lessons and Carols at King’s College in Cambridge has popularized the service, ever since its first debut in 1918. Since then, it has spread and become a traditional holiday favorite all over the world. Our own service follows the traditional style of King’s College, with a few selections from hymns and arias. It is truly a delight for the whole family. We invite you to join us!
Christmas Service
- Christmas Eve Carols & Candlelight, Dec 24 at 5PM