Christmas in St Mary’s (with a twist at the end)

Christmas is a time of joy and celebration, and there is perhaps no better place to experience the magic of the season than at St Mary’s Cathedral in the Scottish Episcopal Church. With its stunning architecture and rich history, this beautiful space offers a truly special and meaningful way to celebrate the birth of Jesus.

One of the highlights of a Christmas service at St Mary’s Cathedral is the music. The cathedral’s choir is known for their beautiful voices and their ability to bring the festive carols to life. The church also features a grand organ, which adds a sense of grandeur and majesty to the service. Whether you’re a fan of traditional carols or more modern hymns, you’re sure to be moved by the beautiful music at St Mary’s Cathedral.

Another highlight of a Christmas service at St Mary’s Cathedral is the sense of history and tradition. The cathedral dates back to the 19th century and is known for its stunning Gothic architecture. The service itself is filled with rich traditions, such as the lighting of the Advent wreath and the reading of the Christmas story from the Bible. These traditions help to create a sense of awe and wonder that is so fitting for the holiday season.

But perhaps the most special aspect of a Christmas service at St Mary’s Cathedral is the sense of community and togetherness. As people from all walks of life come together to celebrate the birth of Jesus, there is a feeling of unity and love that is truly special. Whether you’re a lifelong member of the cathedral or a newcomer to the community, you’ll feel welcome and included in the celebration.

In short, Christmas services at St Mary’s Cathedral in the Scottish Episcopal Church are a truly special and meaningful way to celebrate the holiday season. With their beautiful music, rich traditions, and sense of community, these services offer a chance to experience the magic and wonder of Christmas in a truly special and meaningful way.

If you’ve made it through this blog post this far and you have a slight sense that there’s something odd about it the you’d be correct. The post above, not in italics wasn’t written by me. It was written by a machine – specifically the ChatGPT bot that has recently been released to the world. You tell  it what you want it to write and it does it.

This one was generated by the prompt, “Write a blog post about how wonderful Christmas services are at St Mary’s Cathedral in the Scottish Episcopal Church”.

Now, it doesn’t sound quite like me and it isn’t the most exciting writing there is. Perhaps it is even slightly stilted. But it is a fairly convincing attempt at the problem I gave it to do.

This technology is going to make all things new. Academia in particular is going to have to change very quickly in the way it assesses students.

This is disruptive technology. It can be used to do funny things – I could just have easily got it to write the above post in the voice of Donald Trump.

Thus: “Let me tell you, folks, this place is amazing. The music is absolutely incredible, with the choir singing all of your favorite carols in the most beautiful way. And the organ! Wow, what a sound. It’s truly something to behold…”

But this isn’t just entertainment. It is something completely and utterly new. Nothing you ever read again comes with a guarantee that it was written by a human being.

The world is changed. As someone once sent with a telegraph key, “What hath God wrought”?

Comments

  1. Rosemary Hannah says

    Academically it might just get 55. Attracting people to the church? It won’t. It sounds utterly insincere and it trivialises what it writs of. There’s no spark anywhere. Like a book of which I read three chapters and return to the library. The real tragedy that people will think it’s better than their worst efforts and use it. But it isn’t even as good as that.

    • I agree. But plenty of people write badly and get less than 55 in academic papers.

      And I suspect that it is going to get better very, very quickly.

      • Robert McLean says

        And even now, as is, it might just be the sort of thing you could place in nearby hotels where its copy-written feel might be just the ticket to get non-churchy visitors into church. For that purpose, I have to say I think it’s not bad at all.

        I think you’re right about its being likely to improve very quickly. Soon we’ll all be able to ask it to write a novel featuring the Provost of Glasgow and the llamas at the moonlit seaside ritual.

  2. Meg Rosenfeld says

    Well, I did think it sounded a little gushy and puzzlingly non-specific. It could have been an ad for a choir just about anywhere. If I were to write about my own parish choir, for instance (six people at best, with a very lively organist, in a 120-year-old little church in the infamous Haight-
    Ashbury neighborhood of San Francisco, California) I would talk about the types of music we use–traditional, overall, but not always the same tradition–and the rather endearing mixture of dignity and originality which pervades much of the service. And for the past couple of years, we’ve had hardly any congregation at all, mostly due to the pandemic scaring many of the older members of the parish into staying home and “attending” via ZOOM. Ah well, we’v eall got our own local personalities–and this blurb which you’ve cleverly sent out doesn’t relly sound like any actual, specific parish!

    • Do you mean this parish?

      If you’re looking for a truly special and meaningful way to celebrate Christmas, a small episcopal parish in Haight Ashbury is the perfect place. Though the church may have a small choir, the sense of community and togetherness more than make up for it. As the congregation begins to return after the pandemic, there’s no better time to experience the magic and wonder of Christmas in this beautiful and welcoming space.

      One of the highlights of a Christmas service at this small episcopal parish is the music. Though the choir may be small, their voices are big and their passion for the music is contagious. A typical service might feature a mix of traditional carols and more modern hymns, creating a sense of diversity and originality that is truly endearing.

      Another highlight of a Christmas service here is the sense of community and togetherness. As people from all walks of life come together to celebrate the birth of Jesus, there is a feeling of unity and love that is truly special. And be sure to look out for Meg, a local personality and such a welcoming presence in the church. Her warmth and kindness add to the special atmosphere of the service.

      But perhaps the most special aspect of a Christmas service in this place is the endearing mixture of dignity and originality that pervades much of the service. From the beautiful architecture of the church to the variety of music and traditions, every aspect of the service is infused with a sense of history and tradition that adds depth and meaning to the celebration.

      In short, Christmas services at this small episcopal parish in Haight Ashbury are a truly special and meaningful way to celebrate the holiday season. With their beautiful music, sense of community, and endearing mixture of dignity and originality, these services offer a chance to experience the magic and wonder of Christmas in a truly special and meaningful way. Don’t miss out on this special opportunity to celebrate the holiday season in this beautiful and welcoming space.

      • If I was editing it, I’d be cutting some fluff and tightening it a bit. However, I’ve edited far, far worse from real adults.

        Who says that you can’t start with this and edit it?

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