St. David’s hosts annual Christmas Carol service

The hall of St. David’s Church was filled with the lovely voices of its choir and congregation as they gathered for their annual Christmas Carol Service on Wednesday night.

Speaking with The Barbados Advocate, Reverend Cannon Burke noted that Wednesday night’s Carols and Lessons service was a part of the traditional way in which Christians celebrate Christmas.

“It is made up of the singing of Christmas carols, especially familiar carols, which is meant to put persons in the mood to understand that we are celebrating this Christmas season,” he said.

“In the midst of the carols, there’s also bible readings. The Bible readings trace the history of salvation, from the book of Genesis, to the time when our Lord came into the world. So you can see that there is a close connection between the book of Genesis and the Gospel according to John.”

The choir of St. David’s Church, who had rehearsed for last night’s event since the month of September, were a treat for everyone as their voices beautifully reached incredible octaves, much to the delight of the congregation.

The first reading, which was taken from the book of Genesis, tells of how human beings were at first disobedient. The following eight readings, which were read by members in the congregation,
including the Clergy, the Dean Emeritus, former Dean of the Cathedral, William Dickinson and Father Cortez Nurse, traced the history of salvation through the prophecies of the Messiah.

Reverend Burke noted that according to scripture, everything in life was incarnational.

“By that we mean that God Almighty is in all of us human beings; but not only in us as human beings, but God is in nature and in the historical events of the world,” he said.
He stressed that Christmas was not a fairy tale, or a fantasy, but it was “rooted in God’s tremendous love for us through God Almighty sending his Son into the world for us.”