Christmas Eve at Liverpool Cathedral is a day of contrasts. For many of its hours, the whole place is strangely quiet. From the stillness of Morning Prayer at 8.30am and for much of the morning, only a handful of people are to be seen. As happens each day, one or two make their way through the presbytery to kneel quietly before the High Altar. A few children are delighted to be given the last of the presents which have been left for our young visitors under the Christmas Tree. Vergers change the High Altar frontal from the darkness of Advent purple to the White and Gold of Christmas. When they have finished their work, the Christmas Flowers suddenly come to life as they enhance the beauty of our building.

Just before Noon, midday prayers are offered at the ambo, as they are every day. The visitors stand still as we are all reminded that this is first and foremost a place of worship and of prayer. A few accept the invitation to come to the Chapel of the Holy Spirit for the service of Holy Communion which follows at 12.05pm. The president welcomes the people, and explains gently that this is not the first service of Christmas, but the final service of the season of Advent. The concluding prayer sums this up so well, and it is a pity that it is used but once a year, and then only for a tiny handful of people:

Eternal God, for whom we wait,

you have fed us with the bread of eternal life:

keep us ever watchful,

that we may be ready to stand before the Son of man,

Jesus Christ our Lord.  

Only an hour or so later it would appear that the waiting is over! The constables do a wonderful job as the car park fills up and others are directed to the campus below. This year we were overwhelmed by the number of people who wanted to attend Carols for Christmas Eve at 3pm. The service has grown in popularity, but this year it was standing room only, with a packed Central Space and Derby Transept and lots and lots of children. About 2000 people were in the Cathedral. We ran out of service booklets and we could not get everyone into the Well for the final part of the service which takes place around the Crib. Further thoughts about this in good time for next year! But it was wonderful to greet so many people for whom this 45 minute act of worship has become an essential part of their Christmas celebration.

By five o clock the Cathedral was still again in time for Evening Prayer at 5.30pm with its sense of anticipation summed up in the words of the first lesson from Zechariah:

Be silent, all people, before the Lord, for he has roused himself from his holy dwelling.

After Evening Prayer, the Cathedral closed for a few hours. The final visitors left and all was still. Then as night draws on, further preparations began. Vergers setting up the altar, stewards arranging service booklets, the chamber choir rehearsing and the car park filling up up once again as people arrive early to be sure of a good seat for the Midnight Eucharist. As the service proceeded, the Cathedral was filled with those who have guessed that the service began at Midnight! The preacher spoke about the wonder of the Incarnation, the Word made Flesh, that whether we approach Christmas in sorrow or in joy, in hurt or in desolation, all can find a friend in Jesus. The organist followed the Sermon with an improvisation on “What a friend we have in Jesus,” capturing the mood perfectly.  The congregation received Communion, or a blessing, with great reverence, and those whose privilege it is to distribute the sacrament noticed that we were welcoming one of the most internationally diverse congregations of the year.

After “Hark the Herald..” and hundreds of “Merry Christmases” everyone was for home. But not quite! One of the stewards was asked to unlock the Dulverton Bridge once the service was over. Two young people climbed to the top of the Bridge and a young man “popped the question” to his loved one.  We wish them both every happiness.

A wonderful end to a great Christmas Eve at Liverpool Cathedral!

Myles Davies

Acting Dean.