For this third Sunday of Advent 2013, my favorite Christmas carol:
The Choir of King's College, Cambridge dates back to 1441.
I had the privilege of attending one of their concerts at the Washington National Cathedral. What a soaring musical experience, particularly in a cathedral setting!
The choir's Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols is broadcast annually from King's College, Cambridge, on Christmas Eve. See this index at YouTube.
It's balm to the soul in this age of cynicism, discord, and bitter discontent just to know this near-perfect, radiant splendor is still regularly produced with unimpeded excellence in this magnificent, venerable setting, which happens to be one of the greatest architectural wonders of the world.
ReplyDeleteJust to stand quietly in the midst of the enormous lofty space of Kings College Chapel, fashioned almost entirely of delicately wrought filaments of stone lace framing wondrous scenes of jewel-bright stained glass, fills one with awe, wonder, delight and a miraculous sense of peaceful connection with more than six-hundred years of human history shaped in part and subtly influenced by the Presence of the Holy Ghost, God the Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace and His Holy Word.
The splendid artistic vision, careful planning, immense patience, dedicated effort, great skill, organizational ability, tremendous discipline, and selfless devotion to produce the very best in uniquely beautiful craftsmanship offers proof of the existence of Something higher, infinitely stronger, nobler, more brilliant, far-reaching, and eternally benevolent than anything earthy humanity would be inclined to produce left to its own coarse, sensual, innately selfish devices.
The extraordinarily high quality of the music written and performed there offers clear glimpses of the eternal sublimity that awaits those humbled and awed enough to hear the Voices of Heaven that lead them to envision the Spiritual Beauty of Jerusalem, the Holy City and Eternal Home of Our God.
I have spent weeks in Cambridge contemplating and luxuriating in these and other wonders -- weeks that changed my life permanently for the better -- so I feel I know whereof I speak.
My God bless us one and all, and lead us to restore Christendom -- refreshed and renewed with greater Understanding of God's Love for His Children -- to its rightful place in history.
Stand up. Stand up for Jesus, ye soldiers of the Cross;
Lift high His royal banner it must not suffer loss.
From victory unto victory His army shall He lead,
Till ever foe is vanquished, and Christ is Lord, indeed.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Thanks for the You Tube link, AOW. I will make use of it on Christmas Eve.
ReplyDeleteOne of my philosophy friends, Nietzsche Girl, applied to Kings College, but didn't get in. She got accepted into Trinity, but then transferred to Churchill College under a full scholarship. She starts in January, 2014.
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