A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols at King's College, Cambridge

Today was the most AMAZING experience I think I may have ever had. Attending the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols at King's College, Cambridge.a defining moment of faith. People from all over the world came together to celebrate the birth of Jesus with awe, reverence, humility, joy, laughter and cameraderie. New friendships were formed and old friendships were made stronger. And God was worshipped in a way that moved many to tears.

The day began for me at 4:30 am GMT with a quick cup of tea and a brisk walk down Pembroke Street to join the queue at the King's College gate. ("Queue" is the word the British and Europeans use for "line," as in "queue up" or "line up," and is pronouced like KEW or CUE). Some very dedicated attendees had camped out at the gate the night before, to be sure they were first in the queue! The local coffee shops on King's Parade began opening at 6:00, so there were places to get a cup of coffee and warm up briefly. Many people brought chairs, and I was thankful for my little camping stool which fit nicely in my suitcase. A couple of local student chipped the ice off the wall so they could sit down occasionally.

The gates were opened at 7:30 and we were led in by the doormen. We moved to the Cam River side of the campus, which was out of the wind. It was still quite cold so the hand warmers were also appreciated. The College Coffee Shop opened at 8 and we were able to leave the queue for short periods of time to get hot drinks and food, and warm up in the student lounge. A couple local students made snowmen. The Mayor of Cambridge and the Dean of King's College visited with everyone about midday, and then the choral scholars came outside to perform some entertaining holiday melodies such as "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" and "We Wish You a Merry Christmas."

At 1:30 the Chapel doors were opened and we were led inside, a group at a time. Because Melinda and I - and our new friends Jeannette and Chun Yi - had arrived so early, we were able to sit in the choir, with a good view of the choir and celebrants. The organ played from 2:00 - 3:00 while everyone was seated.

Then at a few minutes past 3:00, the magic began. 12-year old George Gibson sang the opening verse of "Once in Royal David's City" and time seemed to stop. I've been listening to the live broadcast for years, but it does not begin to compare to being present in that magnificent accoustic and hearing the soaring boy soprano.The choir processed into the stalls and then 16 fidgety little boys were glued to Stephen Cleobury's every nuance, as he led them through carols and hymns. The service included Jan Sandstrom's haunting setting of "Lo How a Rose E're Blooming" and a new carol commissioned for the service by Einojuhani Rautavaara.

I have dreamed of attending this service for many years, and it was worth every cold, shivering moment of waiting in the queue for 8 hours. I would go again in a heart beat! Next, Christmas services at Saint Paul's Cathedral in London.

Christmas Eve Preparations

I arrived at Heathrow Airport in London this morning with my travelling companion Melinda, after a crowded but relatively uneventful flight. We immediately took the train to Cambridge to prepare for tomorrow's Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols at King's College.

The Centre was bustling with shoppers making last minute gift purchases and tourists taking in the sights and sounds of Cambridge, King's College is actually closed this week for rehearsals and sound checks. The BBC portable uplink is parked on King's Parade (the main thoroughfare through the Centre), and the Chapel is closed to the public. So we did some sight-seeing and shopping, and had lunch at Auntie's Tea Shoppe. Auntie's is a MUST during a visit to Cambridge.

Tomorrow morning, Christmas Eve, we will queue up at 5:00 a.m. GMT, in order to get a seat in the Quire for the service. The tea shops and restaurants on King's Parade will open fairly early, and the gift shops will be open as well, to attract the several hundred cold congregants waiting in the queue. King's College will also reopen early in the morning to offer food services and toilets. I packed a camping chair and the cold weather gear I wear for tailgating at Buffalo Bills football games.

For many years, the custom has been to choose the boy chorister who will sing the opening verse of "Once in Royal David's City" just moments before the start of the service. But according to an article in today's paper, 12-year-old George Gibson has already been chosen to sing. We'll hear him tomorrow, a few minutes past 15:00 GMT.

Christmas in England

One of the big items on my "bucket list" has been Attend the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols at Kings College, Cambridge on Christmas Eve. Well, this year is the year. My home church, Third Presbyterian in Rochester, has been undergoing renovations for the past 10 months. The sanctuary has been closed and our services were held at Incarnate Word Lutheran Church. The date of our return to our own facilities changed a few times over the summer, so it seemed that this would be a good year to celebrate the Christmas holidays in Great Britain.

My plans are to attend the Christmas Eve service in Cambridge and then return to London for the midnight service at Saint Paul's Cathedral and the Christmas Day Evensong at Westminster Abbey.

Things were going well. My cards were mailed, my shopping was done, hotel and dinner reservations were made. Then winter weather struck London and closed Heathrow Airport earlier this week. I've been obsessively watching the weather channel and BBC, hoping that my plans of a life time aren't ruined by a few inches of snow. Fortunately the runways have all been reopened, and my flight is on schedule. I'm waiting to board and start the adventure!