Maundy Thursday is full of light -- until it isn't. It's traditional in many places to sing the Gloria at the beginning of the Eucharist, the hymn of praise that hasn't been heard since the Last Sunday after Epiphany (can you even remember February 10, 2013? We were so young then!).
We finally get some answers to our questions.
Except those pesky, nagging questions like, who does what during the stripping of the altar, exactly?
But, mostly, it's full of light at the start. There was an extra light on the pulpit tonight for Bishop Jack Spong, who preached the sermon at the Eucharist at the parish where I serve.
He gave us a talking to about the Gospel of John, and how it's characters all symbolize something or other. I forget exactly what. I'm sorry.
As I write this in the wee hours, the experience of my shift at the all-night vigil looms much larger in my memory. It was in that space that I encountered John 7:6, which I've never paid any attention to.
Jesus said to them, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always here."
And before that, I took a moment to read "I do not know the man" in the collection of sermons A Ray of Darkness by Rowan Williams.
We had a bit of fun with the musical selections at Westminster Cathedral last week, but the pope's visit to London, and specifically to Westminster Abbey was a big deal.
Highlights, from the Abbey's YouTube channel. The Dean points out the 20th century martyrs over the west door of the Abbey. These 10 minutes are recommended ecumenical viewing:
The choir sings some great rep for the service, solidly Anglican, of course. Beati Quorum Via of Stanford as dignitaries arrive, "Prevent us, O Lord" of Byrd as men in red smocks run around looking for something to do, and a new work by Gabriel Jackson that is really really conservative.
For me, Henry G. Ley's chant in D Major is the icing on the cake. This was the first Anglican chant I ever accompanied (to Psalm 29), and it holds a special place in my heart.
Prevent us, O Lord
Beati Quorum Via
New work by Gabriel Jackson
Sounds a bit dated, doesn't it?
Let's try again, shall we?
Fun! Sounds like he may have been eavesdropping in Westminster Cathedral at the MacMillan rehearsals.
Psalm 138 (Ley)
Stanford in A, Magnificat
I have to admire the work of Philip Stopford in getting so many of these videos online. If you haven't heard of him, you just have.
In my ongoing ability to ignore books by prominent theologians whom I admire and respect, I have so far overlooked the publication of Rowan Williams's Tokens of Trust: An Introduction to Christian Belief, published in March.
Williams, as you may know, is the Archbishop of Canterbury -- the symbolic head of the Anglican Communion.
In reading the Publishers Weekly review, it becomes immediately clear that Williams is an "Anglican" rather than an "Episcopalian":
"At the heart of the desperate suffering there is in the world," writes Williams, "suffering we can do nothing to resolve or remove for good, there is an indestructible energy making for love."
Had this been written by an "Episcopalian" the last bit would have read ". . . an indestructible energy for making love."
The author of this website is an organist whom the New York Times calls “repeatedly, insisting that he pay for his subscription”.
He likes to read parking meters, music, Indianapolis Monthly, and weather forecasts in Celsius, particularly whilst wearing cassock and surplice.
He serves lasagna, overhand, as an example to many, and on ecclesiastical juries. He mixes salads, drinks, and metaphors. He takes photos, lots of dinner mints, and a little bit of time to get to know.
In my ongoing ability to ignore books by prominent theologians whom I admire and respect, I have so far overlooked the publication of Rowan Williams's Tokens of Trust: An Introduction to Christian Belief, published in March.