The dates have been set, the volunteers have been trained, the music has been rehearsed, and the speakers have been chosen. That means it’s time once again for Moravian College’s annual Christmas Vespers!
As I stated in my last post, the Christmas Vespers take place every year during the first two weekends in December at the Central Moravian Church, which is right across the street to the college’s Hurd campus.
The Christmas Vespers has been a tradition of the Moravian Church for nearly 300 years. It combines two other worship traditions of the Moravian Church: the Singtunde (singing hour) and the Candlelight Service. In other words, Vespers is a church service that features mostly singing and also uses candlelight.
Putting on Vespers is no simple task. It requires months of preparation.
Every year, there is a head usher and two head sacristans, all of whom are students, and they take on a leadership role in helping to organize Vespers. There are also a slew of volunteers who help with everything from door greeters and ushers to prepping and passing out the candles.
All semester long, the Moravian Choir and the Women’s Chorus rehearse their repertoires of music that they will sing throughout the service. Some are pieces that they sing alone and others are the hymns that they sing along with the congregation. Vigorous rehearsal is needed for both in order for the music to sound as beautiful as it does every year.
Meanwhile, speakers for each service must be chosen. There are three sets of speakers for each service: a liturgist, a scripture reader, and a prayer leader.
- The liturgists are usually either the college president, one of the vice presidents, or the associate chaplain
- The scripture readers are seniors of both the college and the seminary
- The prayer leaders are members of the faculty, administration, and staff
Only after all of this is done is Vespers finally ready. Over those six nights of services, nearly 6,000 people come out and every year, it's absolutely phenomenal!
If you've been to Vespers before, then you know exactly what I'm talking about. If you haven't been to Vespers, I highly encourage you to come. It's a wonderful experience and it's sure to put you in the Christmas spirit.
Admission is free but unlike most events, you cannot show up to Vespers without a ticket. If you don't have one yet, be sure to contact the public relations office ASAP!
Here's all the dates and times:
Friday December 2: prelude is at 7:30 p.m., service is at 8 p.m.
Saturday December 3: prelude is at 7:30 p.m., service is at 8 p.m.
Sunday December 4: prelude is at 4:30 p.m., service is at 5 p.m.
Friday December 9: prelude is at 7:30 p.m., service is at 8 p.m.
Saturday December 10: prelude is at 7:30 p.m., service is at 8 p.m.
Sunday December 11: prelude is at 4:30 p.m., service is at 5 p.m.
What do you think of Vespers? Have you been to them before? If so, what did you think? If you haven't been, would you like to go? Post your thoughts!
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