Evensong

Due to a recent business trip, Liza and I found ourselves in London this past Palm Sunday afternoon. We had flown all night and had arrived at our hotel in Ascot, England around noon that day. Even though we were tired, we decided to make our way to London which is about an hour train ride from Ascot to Waterloo Station.

After visiting the London Eye and Parliament Building, we made our way to Westminster Abbey to see if we might be able to attend a service. As luck would have it, we arrived at 2:59 PM and found that the Evensong Service started at 3:00 PM.


Westminster Abbey, pictured above, was built between 1245 and 1517. In addition to being an acting church, it is in effect, as most abbeys are in England, an indoor cemetery. No less than a dozen kings and queens of England are buried in the Abbey. Others buried there include Sir Issac Newton, David Livingstone, William Wilberforce, Rudyard Kipling and even Charles Darwin. Some of you may remember seeing the Abbey on television in recent years as it is where Charles and Diana were married and where Diana's funeral was held.


The Nave is tall and majestic. Ancient stained glass allows light from the upper reaches. The stone work of the varies tombs is intricate. It is in this Nave that Liza and I were directed to take a seat just as the Westminster Choir began to sing.


This choir is world famous. It is made up of 30 young boys. The sound of their voices filling the ancient Nave is indeed a profoundly spiritual experience. The fact that it was Palm Sunday added to the experience. It was a true blessing from God.






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