We are so excited to welcome everyone back to Nine Lessons & Carols this Advent season. Amid the hustle of this holiday season, we invite you to slow down and listen. Through scripture and songs, we invite you to direct your attention and affections on the God who made you, who loves you, and who has come to redeem you.

In short – we invite you to wonder and worship.

The aim of this service is simply that – for wonder and worship. We worship a Holy God who came to us to be like us so that we might become like Him.

Event Information

WHEN

Saturday, December 20th
Service at 5 PM
&
Sunday, December 21st
Services at 1, 4 & 7 PM

Location

The Lyric Theatre
1800 Third Avenue North
Birmingham, AL 35203
lyricbham.com

Tickets

$7 General Admission*

Information on how to purchase tickets can be found below.

*If the cost of tickets is an issue, please reach out to us. We would be happy to assist.

Tickets

Member Ticket Presale - November 23 at 8 PM
Like past years, members of Redeemer will be able to purchase tickets during a special presale which will open Sunday, November 23, at 8 PM. If you're a member of Redeemer, you will receive an email with presale access details.

General Ticket Sales - November 25 at 8 PM
General ticket sales will open on Tuesday, November 25, at 8 PM.

The Lessons

While Nine Lessons & Carols is one of the closest things we have to a musical performance at Redeemer, the lessons are the core of its strength. Each lesson traces the development of the loving purposes of God seen through the windows and words of the Bible.

To prepare your hearts and minds for the performance, we encourage you to read through the scriptures in advance.

First Lesson
The Creation
John 1:1-5, 9-14

Second Lesson
The Fall
Genesis 3:8-19

Third Lesson
The Promise Of Redemption
Genesis 22:15-18

Fourth Lesson
The Great Light
Isaiah 9:2, 6-7; 11:1-5

Fifth Lesson
The New Covenant
Jeremiah 31:31-34, Psalm 74:9, Psalm 79:9-10

Sixth Lesson
The Annunciation
Luke 1:26-38, 46-55

Seventh Lesson
The Nativity
Luke 2:1-7

Eighth Lesson
The Great Rejoicing
Luke 2:8-20

Ninth Lesson
The Promise Fulfilled
Philippians 2:5-11

FAQ

General Information

  • The service dates back to 1918 at King’s College in Cambridge. Over the course of the service, nine lessons and a collection of carols walk through the central narrative of the Bible – the Fall, the promise of a Savior, the birth of Christ, and the Great Commission.

  • Our desire for Nine Lessons & Carols is for it to be foremost a worship service. While it is incredibly hard to hold our applause after each carol, we encourage those in attendance to wait until the end so that we can focus on the central narrative of Scripture.

  • Nine Lessons & Carols has been held downtown at the Lyric Theatre since 2017. The historic venue was built in 1914 and has an intimate atmosphere that is similar to Redeemer’s sanctuary. You can find out more about the theatre on the Lyric’s website.

  • While there are a few paid parking decks around the Lyric, your best bet is street parking. We encourage you to arrive early as the Alabama Theatre also has events that will fill up street parking.

  • We will not be providing childcare for any of the services.

  • Nine Lessons & Carols is a worship service and replaces our normal services at our Avondale sanctuary. You might get lucky and catch Joel at the sanctuary welcoming folks that missed the memo, however.

  • Doors open 30 minutes before services begin.

  • Feel free to reach out to our staff by emailing 9LC@rccbirmingham.org.

    If you have questions that are specific to ticketing, please email tickets@rccbirmingham.org.

Ticketing Information

  • It depends! If you think your child would like a seat to themselves, they will need a ticket of their own. If they will be sitting in your lap for the duration of the service, no ticket is needed.

  • Tickets will be available to members on November 23th at 8 PM via a presale link that was sent to the email address we have on file for them.

    Non-members can purchase tickets beginning on Tuesday, November 25th, at 8 PM.

    Tickets will be $7 and are general admission. We do expect tickets to eventually sell out.

    Lastly, if the cost of tickets is an issue, please reach out to us. We would be happy to assist.

  • Unfortunately, due to space limitations, our services can sell out quickly. To ensure the best chance of getting a ticket, we recommend:

    • Signing up for a Universe account in advance and making sure your payment information is saved and up to date.

    • Being “in line” on the Universe website 10 minutes before sales open.

    • Making sure you confirm the event details before submitting your order. If we sell out, we will not be able to guarantee tickets to another service time.

    • Choosing a less popular service time. Typically, Sunday’s 4 PM service is the most highly sought after, followed by the 1 PM service, and finally the 7 PM. All of the services are exactly the same, but you might have a greater chance of securing a ticket for the Saturday service or Sunday’s 1 or 7 PM services.

  • We will make every effort to free up as many seats as possible. In the meantime, we encourage you to sign up for the waitlist on the ticketing page. If tickets become available, Universe will send out emails to everyone on the waitlist. That is the best way to stay in the loop.

    If you have any other questions, send us a message.

  • Yes! We don’t want the cost of tickets to be a barrier to anyone’s attendance. Please reach out to us so that we can assist you.

  • We would be happy to look in to that for you. Please send us a message at tickets@rccbirmingham.org.

  • While we’re sad you won’t be able to attend, we’re so thankful that you would like to free up space for others.

    • If you know someone else that needs the tickets, transferring the tickets to someone else is simple.

    • If you don’t know someone else that needs the tickets, we would be happy to cancel your tickets and fully refund your order. That will free up additional tickets for individuals on our waitlist. Please let us know what tickets you’d like to cancel and we’ll take it from there.

  • Some attendees were assigned complimentary tickets due to their involvement in the production of the service.

    All complimentary tickets have now been assigned. If you have any questions or if you would like us to check on the status of your tickets, reach out to us at tickets@rccbirmingham.org.

  • If you have general questions about the services, feel free to reach out to our staff by emailing 9LC@rccbirmingham.org.

    If you have questions that are specific to ticketing, please email tickets@rccbirmingham.org.