Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 

John 1:16-17

I mentioned earlier today how there was so much going on this Sunday (Dec. 17). Our community was soaked with well over three inches of rain; but – more profoundly – Rebekah and I were very much baptized, saturated, washed over by blessing upon blessing.

I have already written about the beautiful worship we experienced with our new church family at HMPC (“Celebrating, loving, sharing and sending“). Now I want to share a few impressions from the outstanding “Service of Lessons and Carols” we enjoyed with our brothers and sisters over at Calvary Episcopal Church.

Sunday in the relentless rain!

Rebekah and I grabbed my big golf umbrella and we sloshed our way over to Calvary’s classic traditional sanctuary, where we were warmly greeted by the rector, Rev. Stephen Mazingo. He and his wife, Abigail, have been here just a few months.

Director of music Josh Dumbleton assembled a fine orchestra to accompany the organ, the piano (played by our own Bill Hilderbrandt) and the combined voices of both church choirs.

All the music was wonderful, but I felt a wistful yearning, a visceral haunting call when I heard the carols arranged by contemporary composer/arranger Dan Forrest. Forrest has his own style, of course, but it made me imagine a kind of fusion between Ralph Vaughan Williams and John Rutter.

I was in a sense transported to the old Church of England sanctuary we would sometimes visit in my hometown. The rotten cold wet weather, the umbrellas, the old timbers in the church roof, the drafty doors, the traditional readings, the tight harmonies embedded in the lovely old carols. In particular, See Amid the Winter’s Snow filled up my eyes and I may have leaked just a little.

Scripture comes to life:

All the elements worked together with remarkable balance, including the nine scripture selections, and the rector graciously invited Rebekah to read the final lesson, the incomparable beauty and deep truths of the first eighteen verses in John’s Gospel.

I have never known anyone to read the scriptures with Rebekah’s combination of conviction, enthusiasm, and authentic belief!

“How else could I read it?” she will say, rhetorically; “This is God’s word! This is the Greatest Story Ever Told! This is the Good News of Jesus! What’s not to be excited about?!”

Of course, when she puts it that way, it begs the question – especially in the context of worship – “Why wouldn’t anyone read the Bible that way?” Why ever present the story like yesterday’s news… when what the scriptures offer this world should be shouted from the rooftops?

So a big “thank you!” to the combined choirs and music directors of the two churches.

Also, thanks to our neighbors for their hospitality. This whole Advent and Christmas experience is all about the gift of light in this dark world. Today, thanks to everything that went on this Sunday morning and evening, I can’t help but feel just a little bit luminous! – DEREK

• I have included this short video, because the sound quality of the YouTube recording (the entire concert) is – sadly – distorted. This is the last verse of Forrest’s arrangement of In the Bleak Midwinter.