St. John's Episcopal Church, 239 E. Market St., Marietta, will offer a service of Nine Lessons and Carols on Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023, at 10:30 a.m.

Based on the traditional service originating at King's College, Cambridge, England, the service will feature nine Scripture readings tracing promises of God from the Old Testament to the epiphany of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles. Each lesson will be followed by a carol. The first eight carols will be read by eight different laypersons, with the last, from John 1:1-14, read by interim rector the Rev. Julian Eibin.

The congregation will sing most of the carols, led by Karl E. Moyer at the organ. Robert Moilanen, Edward Cardwell, and Scott Fouhrman will sing the parts of the three kings in John Henry Hopkins' carol "We Three Kings of Orient Are," with the congregation singing the refrain and the final stanza. Tara Johnson and Fouhrman will sing the final incarnation hymn, "Of the Father's Love Begotten."

Some of the other carols will be "Once in Royal David's City," "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear," and "O Little Town of Bethlehem." Closing the lessons-and-carols part of the service will be Charles Wesley's Christmas hymn "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing."

Every baptized Christian will be invited to participate in Holy Communion following the offering. Everyone present will also be invited to partake of refreshments in the parish social hall following the singing of the closing hymn of the service, "Joy to the World."

St. John's was founded in Marietta in 1866.