Christmas Day is one of the most holy in the Christian calendar. As we Christians celebrate the holy Day each December 25th, as I do, we do it in ways most appropriate to our religious views and life work. Christians find it important to continue with their life work through the holidays: nurses and doctors, flight attendants and pilots, as well as organists and church ministers.
The point is we all experience this great holiday, if we are Christians, in ways appropriate to our circumstances. And therewith we can find contentment and satisfaction, especially if we can take time to give God the space to enter our lives. There is not only one perfect way to spend Christmas. Life is a kaleidoscope and so is this special day.
Washington National Cathedral in Washington, DC has online broadcasts of three Christmas services broadcast live, in color. Two were recorded on Christmas Eve and one just now on Christmas morning. The same Organist, choir and most of the same religious officials showed up again only a few hours later on Christmas morning.
All three worship services brought tears to my eyes; I wish I had been there in person. Just to be able to stop what one is doing and watch it online is priceless to me now.
The entire religious spectacle is one of the finest in all the world. The Organist, Scott Dettra, is surely one of the best in the world, if not the best.Wherever in the world you are, you can enjoy Christmas by taking the time to watch it online at Washington National Cathedral.
Please give generously to the National Cathedral. The church has wonderful services, and the institution supports many social services for those less fortunate - the homeless and hungry - and offers many affiliated social programs for education, with weekday classes and the Sunday Forums. The Cathedral is a tourist magnet, with many extra worship events to attend. Volunteers offer tours and a gift shop is now also online. The spectacular services, sermons and special events are accessible in archives at National Cathedral's website. The online program of webcasts are significant in at least three ways:
1) They are useful for other houses of worship to follow as examples of fine practices.
2) They are available for all of us to enjoy, both live and recorded.
3) For the future, they will be historically significant recordings.
In full disclosure, this post was not in any way paid for by the National Cathedral or with any communication whatsoever.
I watch (and write about) these recordings 250 miles away in New Jersey.
I watch (and write about) these recordings 250 miles away in New Jersey.
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