In this time of year as we are poised to go headlong into the end-of-the-year holiday season and everywhere we go the sounds of familiar carols are piped into elevators, stores, and restaurants, Rev. Maddie Sifantus will consider the hymn sung in this season which was written by Unitarian minister Edmund Hamilton Sears: It Came Upon the Midnight Clear. What is this so-called angel song and who was the man who wrote it? And how about his some-time parishioner at the First Parish in Wayland, Lydia Maria Child, who wrote Over the River and Through the Woods?

Here’s the video of this Service:

If joining by Zoom, please use the regular First Parish Zoom account: https://zoom.us/my/firstparishdot  For our in-person gathering, wearing masks is now optional, and we encourage everyone to respect each other’s comfort levels.