This morning was our annual “Look for the Light” program at Holy Communion …. and it’s impossible to convey in mere words just how remarkable it is. It’s the presence of living animals at the front of the sanctuary that tends to grab the headlines, but there is so much more to this it than the sheep and goats and occasional llama. At the heart of it is the Christmas story, told in word and song- and while it’s a meticulously organized program, it’s also done with a carefree smile and a ready embrace of any and all surprises and missteps that are all but inevitable when you put that many little children and live animals together in one space. Its not about achieving perfection – it’s about creating something very special and memorable. But you need not take my word for it; I think anyone who has been part of it or witnessed it will attest to what a beautifully conceived program this is or how joyously it’s done. And that is due, first and foremost, to the person who came up with this amazing idea in the first place: Kate Potter Barrow. She grew up in an incredible country church near Trimont, Minnesota- and cherishes the memory of Christmas programs there that involved young and old alike and included the presence of actual animals in the sanctuary to lend a special air of authenticity. It took a tremendous amount of vision for her to imagine such a thing taking place in the elegant sanctuary of Holy Communion, but imagine it she did …. and all of these years later, it’s still one of the most important things we do there. And Kate not only conceived of the idea, but also wrote the script and chose the music for it- which includes many songs of mine that I never wrote with children in mind. But Kate had this inkling that many of them would work really well in a children’s program- and they do! Kate also manages just about every detail you can imagine, including teaching the music to the children, assigning musical solos and speaking roles, and coordinating various aspects of the physical setting. All in all, it is an enormous undertaking- and what I appreciate almost more than Kate’s astounding skill is the good cheer with which she does it. Of course, she has some very good people helping her- including my wife Kathy- but I really think Kate’s own joyous and sincere attitude that inspires the same in everyone who’s also part of it.
(left: This year’s Holy Family. middle: A moment when the young children are helping tell the story of “star of wonder… star of might.” right: Pastor Mark’s little son Jordan seemed completely enthralled with what was going on in church today- and watching his amazement was one of the biggest delights of the morning.)
I could talk about so many things related to the program, but I think I feel like focusing on something that is incredibly important yet maybe escapes people’s notice. When Kate assigns solos and speaking parts, she does a beautiful job of balancing 1) A Search For Excellence and 2) Offering opportunities to kids who need them. In other words, it’s not just about “who’s the best possible person to sing this particular solo or to read these three paragraphs.” It’s about giving opportunities to certain young people who may struggle a bit- but who will almost certainly benefit from such an opportunity. Kate also bends over backwards to make sure that anybody assigned something “special” to do will have a chance to really shine, whatever that means. For me, one of the most moving examples of that is how Kate has always handled the matter of the Three Kings. We’re always talking about three boys who are either middle school or early high school – and often they are right in the middle of their Voice Change, which means that their range is likely to be very small. What Kate does is take aside the three boys assigned to be Kings and figures out with each one what key will be most comfortable for them. So for instance, this year’s Kings sang their respective solo verses in d minor, f minor, and c minor – with the congregation joining in on the chorus “Star of Wonder, Star of Might …..” And the three boys sounded absolutely terrific. Only a really astute person, musically speaking, would probably have any inkling of what is going on in this song or why we keep bouncing between different keys. The point is that all three of them sound great and feel great about what they’re doing. And it’s the flexibility with which Kate operates that makes this possible.
This year there was also the case of a young girl being assigned a fairly substantial solo where she is essentially personifying the Angel Gabriel. When we did the song back in the choir room, she did a terrific job- but something about being in the big scary sanctuary really threw her off and I wondered if it was going to be necessary to reassign the solo. But no, Kate figured out a way to make it work. She asked my wife Kathy (who is stationed up towards the communion rail in order to supervise the youngest children) to slip in behind the Pulpit and to sing along with young Savannah to help her feel more solid and secure. So that’s what Kathy did, and I suspect that the vast majority of people out in the congregation never noticed what she was doing. The point is that worked beautifully, and this young girl ended up singing her solo much more confidently and accurately – with almost no one even recognizing that there was someone behind the scenes, both literally and figuratively, helping to make it work.
I can’t tell you how refreshing and inspiring it is to see a program like this that done so lovingly – and with the kids’ well-being as the highest priority rather than some abstract notion of Perfection. It is simply not about that- it is about telling the story and making certain that every single young person is given every possible opportunity to be a meaningful part of it.
And when you do that: it’s perfect.
(Below left: the animals are kept outside until they are needed in the program. Below right: Kate issues some last minute thank you’s, before she and Kathy lead all of the young people and children out of the sanctuary.)
