Advent Carol Service live from Trinity College Chapel

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ENJOY

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Advent Carol Service: St John’s College Cambridge 1981 (George Guest)

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The Trinity College Chapel pipe organ is beautiful. It is huge, judging just by the banks of stops on both sides of the keyboard, and the video of the organ loft as the people were leaving the chapel. However I liked the music and the sound of the St John's College organ much better. It is almost like the choir at Trinity College Chapel is too large and loud. I enjoyed the music from St John's much more.

Going back to my early forties when I was an active member of a Baptist church we studied the story of advent in depth one year. I remember reading verses from the book of Isaiah and other prophets referencing the times leading up to the birth of Jesus. I don't remember all of what we studied but I remember reading about the tree of Jesse, the father of King David, and about the genealogy leading to Christ's birth. I remember studying about the four Sundays of Advent, although I don't remember the significance of each of the four. Tonight when I go to bed I think I will break out my Nave's Topical Bible and my King James or NIV bible and read the scripture concerning advent as referenced in the topical bible. There was a time when I was fairly well versed in the bible. The Christmas season, beginning with the four weeks of advent, is a good time to get back to the real reason for the holiday and to refresh my mind and memory. My dad read us the Christmas story from the Book of Luke when we were kids, and I read it to my boys. I think I would enjoy reading it again.

It is funny how something from long ago will stick in a person's mind. I hadn't thought about the tree of jesse in many years and several months ago we were discussing genealogy as a result of a friend telling me he had gone to Ancestory.com to get a bit of insight into his roots. He said that what they sent him was not very revealing or of much value so he was going to research further and find another source for his family history. Not thinking anything about advent, I just happened to be reminded of reading about the tree of Jesse many years ago and asked him jokingly if he wanted to go back that far or just a couple of hundred years. He laughed at me and asked me where I ever heard that story. I told him that there are advantages to being an avid reader. My mind sometimes is clogged with trivia and things that I have read, going back many years and once in a while something like that just pops back to mind.

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While thinking about, and reading about the period leading up to the birth of Christ, about Christmas, and about the Epiphany, I came across a Presbyterian site that provided a devotional readings for advent, the 12 days of Christmas, and Epiphany.

storage.cloversites.com/gracecovenantpresbyterianchurch2/documents/AdventChristmas%202011-2012.pdf

In the midst of all the commercial Christmas chaos it is spiritually refreshing to take a bit of time and reflect on the real reason for the season. I am as guilty as anyone of getting caught up in what I am going to buy for this one or that one, on wrapping gifts for Kathy, what we might have for dinner on Christmas day, and on the cookie trays that are exchanged with neighbors and friends. I am fortunate in that I can get lost in thought and time when reading. I read on-line and also from the bible before I fell asleep last night and I slept like a baby and awoke refreshed and rested. Reading has always been a sedative for me. I am able to set the world and it's turmoil aside and fall asleep with my mind at rest. Whether it be the bible or just a good book, I find peace in drifting off to sleep reflecting on what I have read.

I browsed about looking for some pipe organ Christmas music to listen to this morning and found this:

www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Pipe+Organ+Hymns+for+Advent&ru=%2fvideos%2fsearch%3fq%3dPipe%2bOrgan%2bHymns%2bfor%2bAdvent%26FORM%3dVRIBIP&view=detail&mid=DC99F525E9F9D4757932DC99F525E9F9D4757932&rvsmid=270510E5EA22C0EE7DA9270510E5EA22C0EE7DA9&FORM=VDMCNR

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It is important to take quiet time during the weeks leading up to Christmas that being advent. It is nice the we have this important time to prepare. The same is true of Easter and the time moving to it called Lent.

Here is a nice Jesse




Tree




And the symbols behind the people

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Interesting. I enjoy your religious threads PB. There is much to be learned from your monastic background. While I don't make a regimented daily routine of reading from the bible, when you post things such as this discussion of advent, it tends to send me browsing for more information on the subject at hand.

When you are not posting a thread with religious significance, I enjoy some of the stories you tell about your time at the monastery.

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Found some more advent music on You tube. It was linked on FB a little while ago.



I was not terribly impressed with this music. Sounded like just a bunch of noise.