Donald Trump Celebrates Christmas in Church

President-elect Donald Trump and his wife, Melania spent the Christmas season this year in worship. Trump and his wife Melania attended Christmas Eve services at the same Florida church where they were married 11 years ago.  They were at the 10:30 p.m. at the Episcopal Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea in West Palm Beach.

The Washington Post reports that the Trumps arrived at the Episcopal Church sparking a round of applause from fellow congregants as they entered the sanctuary.  They even took Communion.

The Rev. James Harlan, the church rector, preached. In his sermon, he says, "All of us have some hurts, some resentments, some fears, some ways that someone has hurt us or offended us in the past that we won't let go of," Harlan said. He added, "I can tell you over time those little hurts, those little slights, those little things consume us, and they will push out that space for God's love all too easily."

In 2005, the Trumps were married at Bethesda-by-the-Sea - they held their reception at Mar-a-Lago, Trump's private club about three miles down the coastline - and a year later they christened their son, Barron, in the sanctuary. 

While campaigning to be elected president, Trump denounced the practice of many businesses to use the phrase "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas," vowing the bring the latter term back into more common use. "You take your boy to Macy's and you take your boy to these stores and they don't have the word. And I want Christmas ... I want people to be able to celebrate Christmas," said Trump, receiving a loud ovation in response.

"Somebody said 'well that's not the biggest part' - let me tell you that's a big part! It's a big part. You know what they're doing. Every year it gets worse and worse and before you know it, you won't be able to go to church the way they are doing it."

The Episcopal Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea was founded in 1889, with its current historic building having been completed in 1925.

 

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