What a precious gift was shared Sunday morning with anyone and everyone who came to see Holy Communion Lutheran’s annual Christmas program, “Look for the Light.” It is always a moving and inspiring experience, but of course this year was different. . . dramatically different. Just the sight of these beautiful children was enough to put a lump in one’s throat – let alone when they opened their mouths and sang. By the end of the morning, most of us felt like we had been through an emotional wringer- and yet felt so very thankful to have experienced this.
Typically the first thing sung is a Trisha Yearwood song called “Walk to Bethlehem,”’ sung by our trio: Me, Kathy and Kate. As I was brushing my teeth early Saturday morning and thought about the approaching morning rehearsal, I realized that I was tremendously excited about everything ahead of us except for “Walk to Bethlehem,” which just seemed to me to be way too perky a song with such sorrow in the air. I wondered if it wouldn’t be good to suggest to Kate that we substitute something a bit more reflective, but Kathy rightfully pointed out that this was Kate’s program, and it would be better if I waited for her to say something first – which she didn’t. But that very afternoon I got a text from Kate, essentially saying exactly what I had said to Kathy. While I was thinking that either “Pace” or “Christmas List” would work well in its place, Kate’s thought was even better- an exquisite song off of one of Amy Grant’s Christmas albums. “Welcome to our World” speaks of Christ coming into the midst of our sadness and confusion- and 11 years ago, when a special prayer service was held at Holy Communion, Kate sang this song with the lyrics altered ever so slightly to better fit the occasion. She sang it yesterday morning after dedicating it to the victims of Friday’s shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary Schools – and it was one of those moments when time seemed to stand still. I was profoundly privileged to be playing the piano as Kate sang “tears are falling, hearts are breaking. How we need to hear from God.” The phrase “you could hear a pin drop” is so overused, but in this case it was literally true, for there was a profound sort of silence in the air. (And what made this moment even more perfect is that the children in the program were all outside of the sanctuary, so this was a moment the adults could share together. And because the tragedy was so movingly acknowledged, it made it possible then to give ourselves over to the celebration that followed. . . although sadness was still very much with us, and tears were never far away.
Special moments? There were too many to count, but they include . . .
-
*The Friendly, Tardy Beasts: The first of our two services is at 8:30. At 8:15, there was still no sign of the farm animals which had been procured for the day, and we were facing the very real, sad possibility of doing the program with no donkey, no sheep, no cow, no llama . . . just a bunch of forlorn-looking hay bales in the front of our sanctuary, and sitting on top of them, some very forlorn-looking children. But a couple of minutes later, the farmer and his animals appeared, much to our immense relief! I’m not sure what the delay was all about, but it wasn’t the worst thing to have that scare; it made us even more appreciative of the special magic that happens when one ushers farm animals right into the front of the sanctuary!
-
*Solos at the Manger . . . There was all kinds of fine singing, but I think one of the most memorable moments came with the first two verses of “Away in the Manger.” The first verse was sung by a little girl with an absolutely precious voice to match; she sounded so gentle and sweet as she sang, and you could just sense the congregation inwardly saying “awww.” No sooner had she finished than an equally precious little boy stepped to the microphone and began singing the second verse like an all-pro linebacker tackling an opposing running back. It’s not that Cameron was yelling – far from it – but he just sang with such an amazing gusto! It was cool because it was a neat little reminder that each child is their own wonderful, unique self -to be cherished with all of one’s heart. That’s a lesson of which we’ve all been reminded, lately, and it was driven home to us again and again through the course of “Look for the Light.”
-
*
-
*Hail, Mary! (and Joseph!) . . . This is obviously one of the most important assignments in the entire program, and whoever is chosen to be Mary or Joseph knows it to be an honor and responsibility. Last year’s Mary & Joseph, Anneka Barrow and Sam Neubauer, did an especially wonderful job singing their main song (“Nothing is as it seems”) so this year’s Holy Couple had a tough act to follow. Fortunately, Madeleine Heide and Kyle Sandow could not have been lovelier.
-
*Fit for a King . . . I’ve talked about it before, but it’s worth repeating: One of the neatest moments in the program year after year is when three young guys sing “We Three Kings.” One thing that Kate does, once she has determined which three guys will be the Wise Men, is to try out each guy and figure out the best key for each King to sing. . . an essential approach when you’re talking about the bucking bronco-type voice of a young adolescent male, which usually has a rather narrow range of effective singing. (Studies have shown that adolescent boys who are allowed to have successful singing performances during this time of transition are three or four times likelier to continue singing on into adulthood.) By coming up with this neat idea, Kate is managing to get some very nice young guys into the spotlight, singing solos, at an age when a lot of other guys would go running in the other direction. And this year’s three kings were as good as any we’ve had- so warm congratulations to Tim, Kurt (down a full octave, so he was singing down in Old Man River territory), and Darryl, who sang their respective verses in the keys of b minor, f minor and b-flat minor with wonderful confidence and poise. None of those keys are the standard key of e minor in which this carol is typically sung, but the congregation enthusiastically joined in on the refrain, no matter the key in which we found ourselves. It might not sound like a big deal – singing We Three Kings in a strange key – but it’s a moment that never fails to bring a smile to my face.
-
* Moving Lips . . . . This year, more than ever before, I saw so many lips moving out in the congregation . . . not from people chit chatting but rather from people who were out in the congregation, singing along on basically all of the major musical numbers that I composed . . . like Great & Glorious Light or Jesus Light. These would be songs where basically there’s no words in the bulletin- nor projected on a screen – because they are actually not intended to extensively involve the audience. But some of the people who come to this year after year must really know these songs by now, and that really makes me smile.
-
* At the end of the program, Kate took a moment to eloquently thank some of the people who played an especially crucial role in getting the sanctuary ready for this extravaganza- or in preparing the kids for the performances- or for writing some of the music that was used – and in other ways as well. But this time around, Kate took special pains to save the most important thank you for last: the children themselves. . .who are so precious and who we love so very very much. Without a single word (at that point) referring directly to New Town, CT and the monumental tragedy which has overtaken them, Kate nevertheless managed to steer our hearts and minds back to that and particularly to the young victims of that tragedy. And when the congregation began clapping for the children – in an ovation that seemed to shake the floor beneath our feet – the message was loud and clear: We Love You. You are Special. You Matter. And just being here and being able to look into your beautiful, smiling faces is the greatest gift we can possibly have this Christmas and beyond.
pictured above: our aforementioned Joseph and Mary, Kyle Sandow and Madeleine Heide – with two of their best friends. The donkey was incredibly gentle and placid. The llama is a bit more high-maintenance, and by the end of the second service it had insistently made its way to the front of the center aisle, where it promptly plopped itself down, as though to make sure it could more easily survey the scene. And then halfway down the aisle as everyone exited to “Joy to the World,” it stopped dead in its tracks. I’m not sure if the farmer or someone else intervened, but I’m glad they did or we might still be there!