This Holy Night

This picture is exactly the experience one of our choir members was describing to me this morning. She was explaining that because this is the first year the choir has remained in the choir loft, this is also the first time they have been above to experience the wonder of seeing the light of the candles move from row-to-row, front-to-back, until the entire church is glowing with the Easter Fire, so to speak!

As you know, many of us have been singing the praises of our choir's chanting this year. It was so cool to hear her say that the choir also shares our sense of wonder and accomplishment. It was alot of work, but their beautiful ministry has paid off for them and for the congregation at-large.

The other really "good stuff", as Fr. Jim would put it, is the bonding that has begun with the forming of the Festival Choir. There was some trepidation as they began to practice and sing together, but at the end of Easter Vigil there was joy, hugging, and friendship all around as they celebrated their shared ministry.

I just love it when others share their experiences of these times. Culture, gender, life-experience, job, ministry, personality, frame of mind---we each have our own experience within the context of the larger "Event". When I hear it from someone else's perspective I always begin to reflect on my experience a little differently.