A ‘Wow!’ Christmas

After watching the weekly worldwide televised Hour of Power with Dr. Robert H. Schuller and his son, Dr. Robert A. Schuller, I put their production of “The Glory of Christmas” at the top of my “to do” list. Joyce Linnerud, a then-single friend, and I left our RVs at North Ranch and tackled the California bumper-to-bumper freeway traffic with her car. I navigated. That by itself was pretty iffy, but she is a good driver and we were lost only a few times before reaching our prime destination, Garden Grove’s Crystal Cathedral.

We attended the Sunday morning worship service, where first-time guests are seated in the front two rows. Even if you are in a balcony or in the back, a giant Sony Jumbotron screen allows you to easily participate. They say it is “the friendliest congregation you’ll ever find,” and it was true. We didn’t leave without a number of people saying, “We’re glad you’re here.” It is described as a community church of the world, and we experienced awe in many languages as we shared this fabulous all-glass cathedral together. Services are translated into French, Korean and German for international visitors, and you can also attend a Hispanic service.

Of course we took advantage of the Crystal Cathedral Books & Gifts store in the new International Center for Possibility Thinking. Downstairs takes you to the food court and patio for lunch or a cup of coffee. The third floor of the center houses the scripture-inspired Dreamers Dedication Chapel.

Drive-in Church
The second-floor Museum That Motivates tells Dr. Schuller’s story from the beginning, when he preached from the snack-bar roof of a local drive-in movie theater to inspire his autoflock. His wife, Arvella, played their organ that was pulled in on a trailer. This humble beginning grew into a 40-acre campus, and in 2005, the Schullers and their congregation, now numbering 10,000, are celebrating their 50th year.

The Crystal Cathedral, dedicated in 1980 by Dr. Schuller “To the Glory of Man for the Greater Glory of God,” is composed of ten thousand tempered silver-colored glass windows held in lacy white-steel truss frames. Behind the pulpit, two 90-foot tall doors electronically open, allowing sunshine or stars to enhance your experience. I understand that the evening atmosphere can actually produce falling snow inside.

Music is a major part of this ministry. The Bell Tower houses a 52-bell carillon in honor of Arvella Schuller. According to the ministry’s statistics, “The Cathedral’s pipe organ has 287 ranks of pipes, 16,000 individual, 549 horizontal trumpet pipes in the east and west balconies, and 5,000 additional pipes in the south balcony division, making it the largest collection of such pipes in the world.”

Joyce and I were tempted to answer the open invitation to join their 100-member choir but alas, coming from our 15-member Yarnell Community Presbyterian Church choir on the mountain in Arizona, we might have gotten lost.

Garden Tour
A free guided tour took us through the lush flower gardens and green areas landscaped with fountains and reflecting pools, and a prayer chapel that is available 24 hours a day. Tours provide the inside information, but then I enjoyed encountering the many life-sized, hand-sculpted bronze Biblical characters on my own. They, too, with their exquisite detail, were awesome.

A “Walk of Faith” follows 1,638 granite-inscribed Old and New Testament verse stepping stones through flower-bordered paths. From any angle, the Crystal Cathedral itself is absolutely mind-boggling, especially at night with one of the world’s tallest Christmas trees reflecting its 500,000 miniature lights. There isn’t anything about our visit that wasn’t “Wow!”

Sunday evening service in the Arboretum was Handel’s Messiah performed by the Cathedral Chorale and Orchestra. It would be exciting to join one of their seven Christmas Eve 100,000-candle candlelight services. Actually, we both wanted to stay for the whole season and participate in all their exciting activities.

Amazing Pageant
With barely a breath to spare, we went next door to “The Glory of Christmas.” This living nativity, first produced in 1981, has entertained and inspired over 3 million people in the flesh and countless viewers via television. Even with one of the world’s largest indoor stages (80 feet by 124 feet) using five miles of steel undergirding, the cathedral still seats nearly its capacity of 2,890. “Children’s Day”—actually two days with three free matinee performances each day—brings 18,000 local schoolchildren in by bus and carpool.

I can only imagine their excitement. It isn’t often we are up close and personal to an untethered, unbarred camel. Although your mind gets involved in the drama of the birth of Christ, it is nevertheless eye opening when kings on enormous camels and Roman soldiers on equally immense horses parade through the audience. Camel and water buffalo babies, a donkey, a yak, and a llama, plus numerous sheep and goats are all part of this animated portrait.

Thousands of tiny lights illuminate the backdrop behind dancers, soloists, and cast members. The technology and staff behind this amazing pageant, while truly extraordinary, are no more so than the number of volunteers. While professionals play the lead roles, over 300 volunteers offer 160 hours each to produce this creation. If you looked closely, you might discover that the clerk from the gift store, the usher who showed you to your seat and the soprano in the choir are all doing double duty as cast members.

Above this already dramatic staging are eight angels gliding ever so majestically into your line of vision. You really are so absorbed, and they approach so unobtrusively, that you are unaware of them until they are immediately above you, 80 feet in the air. Almost as quickly, they are propelled backward into the Cathedral hinterlands at 25 mph.

“The Glory of Christmas” has a different significance for everyone. For some it is merely a play, for others it is an affirmation of the miracle of Jesus’ birth.

Whether you are visiting California’s Crystal Cathedral or enjoying the world’s prettiest Christmas tree in your RV, I wish you a “Wow!” Christmas season. Merry Christmas and God Bless.

(“The Story of Christmas” is being presented this year from November 25 to December 30. For information, see www.hourofpower.org or www.crystalcathedral.org. You need to dress warmly since windows and doors remain open throughout the performance.)