Carol Service
Bible readings
Carol services appeal to a broad range of people, including many unaffiliated people, and for some people it will be the only church service they attend all year. For this reason, it makes sense to include all the key passages that tell the Christmas story as part of your service.
For example:
- Isaiah 9:2–7
- Luke 1:26–38
- Luke 2:1–7
- Luke 2:8–20*
- Matthew 2:1–12
- John 1:1–14
* We suggest that the sermon focuses on this passage and the background notes refer to these verses.
Songs and hymns
Choose carols that are well known, using tunes and words that are likely to be familiar to unaffiliated people. Traditional is good, as this may connect with people’s memories of childhood Christmases, and unaffiliated people can get just as grumpy as church folks about messing with tradition!
For example:
- Hark! the herald-angels sing (StF 202)
- O come all ye faithful (StF 212)
- Silent night (StF 217)
- O little town of Bethlehem (StF 213)
- Once in royal David’s city (StF 214)
- In the bleak midwinter (StF 204)
If in doubt, ask unaffiliated friends and family which carols they know.
Background notes
Out of all the services you hold each year, your carol service is the most likely to attract unaffiliated visitors. Lots of people who would not usually attend church love Christmas and enjoy singing carols. Perhaps it brings back memories of Christmases when they were children. Perhaps they enjoy the familiarity of the traditional words and tunes. Perhaps they simply want to enjoy feeling Christmassy in a candlelit church. Whatever the reason they’ve come, we want them to hear a simple, clear message of good news: that God loves them unconditionally, no strings attached. Ideally this will be no more than 5–10 minutes long, to keep people’s attention: it’s about quality, not quantity. We suggest that this message focus on the shepherds (Luke 2:8–20).
The shepherds were ordinary people doing a hard, unglamorous job in a dark field when they were visited by the angels.(1) They reflect a recurrent theme of Luke’s Gospel: that people experiencing poverty, marginalisation and disability are on the guest list of the kingdom of God.(2)
Some commentators have traditionally suggested that shepherds were particularly disreputable: this is not necessarily supported by evidence, but the shepherds certainly did not have a high position in society.(3) Here, then, is an opportunity to help people connect their ordinary – and perhaps, for some, very difficult – lives with God’s love in Jesus.
The shepherds are no one special, yet they are the ones who bring Mary and Joseph the message of the angels, giving Mary a gift that she ponders in her heart (Luke 2.19).(4) They declare that the baby Jesus is a gift from God – or rather, the gift of God. The 19th century rabbi, Menachem Mendel of Rymanov, said “Human beings are God’s language.” We human beings are gifts, just as we are, communicating God’s love to one another.
Use the example of the shepherds to help people think about the gifts they give others. Whether it’s a text or phone call with a message of encouragement, a practical helping hand, a homemade cake, or the gift of time, they make a difference in other people’s lives.(5) Invite people to notice how God uses them to bless others, as the shepherds blessed Mary and Joseph with the message of the angels. You might want to reference Gary Chapman’s 5 Love Languages® here, to help people think about different ways they might do this: acts of service, gifts, quality time, words of affirmation and physical touch.(6)
(1) Luke Timothy Johnson, The Gospel of Luke, Sacra Pagina Series Volume 3 (1991) Collegeville: The Liturgical Press, p. 52.
(2) Fred B. Craddock, Luke, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching (1990), Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, p. 36.
(3) Johnson, p. 52.
(4) Craddock, p. 35.
(5) Harold S. Kushner, When Bad Things Happen to Good People, 20th anniversary edition (2011), London: Pan Books, Kindle edition, p. 2.
(6) See: 5lovelanguages.com/learn
Questions for discussion
Think of a time when someone gave you good news. What was it and how did it feel?
- What’s your favourite way of helping others – practical help, kind words, gifts, something else?
- Have you ever had the experience of helping someone and discovering it was just what they needed, at just the right time? What happened?
Hands-on activities
Materials:
- A variety of blue gift wrap supplies: blue tissue or crepe paper; wrapping paper with a blue background; blue ribbons and gift tags
- Washi tape (the more eco-friendly option) or sellotape
- Scissors
- Christmas ornaments – you could have people donate ones they rarely use or don’t need
- Instruction cards so that people can quietly move to this table and participate without waiting for instructions
Activity: People are invited to take a Christmas ornament and wrap it in blue paper. As they wrap, they can think about the sadness or pain they feel, that for them is wrapped around Christmas. (The response activity will give people options for what to do with their wrapped ornament).
Hands-on activities
Carol services aren’t always very child-friendly, so if your carol service happens before children’s bedtimes, consider having an activity table with some of the options below. Provide some simple written instructions. The activities are based on The 5 Love Languages®:
Gift tags
Materials: Plain kraft gift tags, Christmas stencils or washi tape, coloured pens.
Activity: Invite people to design a gift tag to attach to a gift they’ll give someone. They can decorate using stencils, washi tape and coloured pens.
Reflection: Encourage people to think about the person who will receive the gift and what makes that person special as they create their tag. How does personalising a gift tag add meaning to giving?
A cuppa with a friend
Materials: Box of paper-wrapped tea bags, kraft paper, washi tape, coloured pens.
Activity: Have people take two tea bags – one for themselves and one for a friend. They wrap the tea bags in kraft paper, decorate the package with washi tape and pens, and write a message like “one for me, one for you”.
Reflection: Invite participants to consider the value of sharing simple moments with others. How might this small gesture nurture friendship and connection?
Thank you cards
Materials: Pack of the Methodist Church’s thank you cards, pens.
Activity: Encourage people to write a thank you card to someone for a small act of kindness they’ve experienced.
Reflection: Ask people to reflect on the impact of gratitude in relationships. How does expressing thanks affect both the giver and the receiver?
Novelty gift vouchers
Materials: Printed blank vouchers (simple templates), pens.
Activity: Invite people to think of helpful things they could do for someone and write them on the vouchers – for example, doing the washing up, going to the shops, or helping fix something.
Reflection: Encourage participants to consider acts of service as meaningful gifts. How can offering our time or skills be a powerful way to show care?
Kind hands
Materials: Paper, pens, scissors.
Activity: Have people draw around their hands on paper and cut out the shapes. On each finger, they write something they could do for someone who appreciates physical touch, such as shaking hands, a gentle hand on the shoulder, a high five, or a hug (with mutual consent).
Reflection: Invite reflection on the ways physical touch can communicate kindness and support. How do small gestures of touch express love and reassurance?
Prayer ideas
Give everyone a thank you card and pen. Invite people to think of someone they would like to bless, as the shepherds blessed Mary and Joseph by bringing the news of the visit of the angels. Have them write a simple message of thanks: for something the person has done for them or something they appreciate about who the person is.
The good news to get across
God wants to give others hope through your words and actions.
Ways people can respond
Encourage people not simply to write a card to someone but to take it away and give or send it to the person.