Mon. 13 Dec. 2021
Joy
Ashley Wade
Last night at St. John’s our community celebrated at the Lessons and Carols service (available to stream online – click here). Over the past weeks leading up to Sunday, I’ve seen the coming together of bulletins, choral arrangements, musical pursuits, sanctuary bejeweling, technology, and all the amazing people that have shown up and been present to programs, construction projects, feeding the community, warming the community, counting, sorting, mailing, signing, praying… the list truly goes on and on… my focus has remained on supporting the vision and maintaining children and youth programs, getting the pageant on its feet, and keeping our communications efforts on mark. My husband Olin has had a “holy week” at church (and will be taking today and tomorrow off, praise be)… and Jennifer has been envisioning and polishing this service from the moment it was decided: “We are doing Lessons and Carols in-person!” Watching them bring this service to life, and all the partnership, thoughtfulness, time and energy this represents, brings me so much pride to work by their sides. The choir was truly divine and professional, the choir school kids sang with spirit and rose to the challenge of performing real choral music, the new technology was being used and our viewership for this service has significantly increased because of our live-streaming ability.
I think everything I have said so far is just to preface this: for me, last night’s service of Lessons and Carols was a continual experience of being blown away by the outcome of the hard work, high spirits, and sense of joy put into the atmosphere by so many amazing humans. I am so grateful for the gift of being present to the service last night, for so many reasons. There are two moments in particular that really cracked my shell…
(1) Riu Riu Chiu. That song. The choir looked fluid, undulating with the rhythm, the beating drum, the kids voices rising out of the texture… and Jennifer’s huge smile as she led them through this most joyful of pieces. I got a picture of this moment…
(2) The Huron (Wendat) Carol. Here’s a song I’ve been waiting for. My husband created this arrangement for our choir, inspired by the rewritten lyrics of Dana Lynn Seaborn. I had read about this (you can too – click here) and watched him labor over research and writing and rehearsing, but only last night had a note of the piece reached my senses. Its hauntingly beautiful. The lyrics of Ms. Seaborn were meant to meet the world this way. I felt so many things… the most significant was a sense of true connection through this moment of blessed time and creation. I bask in a sense of wonder that right here at St. John’s we have the ability to do this – create a sacred moment that is truly unique and representative of our community.
It all flew by too fast for me. Weeping one moment, chasing kids the next, I know the beauty of this night will make its way to my bones and change my life in the way that every little moment holds the power to shape and mold. I am tired. I am grateful. I’m going on a date with my husband today. Peace and JOY be yours this week.
