By Clifford Okyere
Carol’s service, also known as, the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols was first introduced in the Church in 1918 to create an ingenious way to observe the birth of Christ. As earlier Churches were of this notion, contemporary Christians are of the view that Carol Service kept people out of sinful deeds prior to the birth of Christ as they rekindle themselves and reflect on the essence of Christ’s birth to Christians.
The Nine Lessons and Carol Service which highlights man’s downfall as a result of sin, blessings of God to man as a result of his gift to earth and the eternal peace to be bestowed on man; the event is therefore characterized by nine Bible reading, reflection of the reading through a form of psalm or song, sometimes a play depicting the birth of Christ and a collective prayer which draws together the themes of the readings.
GBC, as a State Broadcaster serving the interest of all Ghanaian citizens along with its diverse religious backgrounds, has over the years planned and aired Carol Service events in collaboration with various stakeholders and agencies in their quest to highlight the essence of Christmas to all and also inform and educate the publics on religious feasts and festivals including the Christian festival of Nine Lessons and Carol in December every year.
This year’s festival is a collaboration between the GBC and the Ministry of Roads and Highways on the theme ‘Christ, our Saviour’ an excerpt taken from Mathew 1:21.
