"A Work that Refreshes, Renews and Inspires"

by Brian Harlow

The last weekend of January [2010], our Boys' Choir and Girls' Choir joined the choristers of St. James' Church in Manhattan for an overnight choir festival. It was a wonderful event culminating with the choirs giving their best in a service of Choral Evensong. At that service Craig Townsend, the Vicar of St. James, reflected on the way singing a service takes us to a new level compared with reading the service. As a singer, there is so much to think about - breathing, posture, holding the music, following both the words and the music, watching the conductor, remembering to make good vowels and consonants, knowing what comes next-that our brains are so totally focused on the music, that it is almost impossible to be distracted. Now, any conductor knows that it is quite possible for choristers to be distracted, but nevertheless, it is a point well worth pondering. Under the right circumstances, music can draw all of us completely into the meaning of the text and the expression given to it by the composer. This can be as true for all members of a congregation singing as well-loved hymn, as it is for the choir singing a well-known anthem. Singing is physical- both the production and hearing of it. Singing declares presence and helps to manifest a physical sense of community as we become more aware of our own presence as well as those around us. Barriers between ourselves, others, and the eternal disappear as we become aware of our connectedness.

There is, on the other hand, a danger that being so focused on the performance aspect of music can have the opposite effect. Despite the best of intentions, the leaders of worship can often feel that they are so wrapped up in leading worship that they found it difficult to actually worship themselves. This is one reason I often take rehearsal time with the boys and girls to talk about the meaning or background of what we are singing. (They retain an amazing amount of it, too.) You don't have to be in a leadership position to fall into this, either.  A person in the congregation could be trying so hard to get the notes of a hymn right that they forget to notice the words that they are singing. Someone is so accustomed to a goal-oriented life that he or she can carries a checklist attitude into church: I have to get the food for coffee hour, attend the forum, put on my robe, serve as an acolyte, can't forget to have the hymnal open, can't forget to say the response, etc., etc.

It does not have to be this way, however. We need to balance praise and action with prayer and contemplation and we can do both. Be active physically: sing or speak hymns and responses heartily. Don't worry if you are not completely sure of the tune or the new translation of a prayer-the intention is what matters. Be active internally: as the choir sings a psalm, anthem or canticle, focus on a word or phrase that really speaks to you. Listen for a new meaning to a familiar phrase. Clear your mind and open it to the presence of God. We are most likely to encounter this inner activity while reciting the Lord's Prayer, or other parts of the liturgy that we know from memory. Because we do not have to work at the words, our minds are free to move through the words into something deeper. Active listening and active participation, each in their turn will provide you with a rich worship experience. One way for me to recover my own sense of balance is to go to Vespers at the Episcopal Convent of St. John Baptist in Mendham. There I can be an anonymous participant, free to be quiet and open. I always leave feeling wonderfully calm and refreshed because I was able to simply be.

It helps to think of liturgical music as prayer, as does Kathleen Harmon in her contribution to the book Liturgy and Music: Lifetime Learning (1998, The Liturgical Press, Collegeville, Minnesota.) She says, "In authentic prayer our attention is fully focused on the presence of God. There is a quality to this attention which filters through the distractions which come and go during prayer so that we hear God speaking even through them." Listening in church is not the same as listening to the radio because you are actively participating in the communal work of the liturgy, even when you aren't physically moving, singing or speaking at that moment. (People often misconstrue the music sung by the choir as entertainment. Although we practice hard to make the music as beautiful as possible, we are not doing it for applause; we are doing it to help everyone in the room be more open to the spirit of God among us.) Your very presence in church proclaims your participation. Harmon says, "In making ourselves present to the other we become present to ourselves" and are reminded of our identity in Christ. Although personal, it is communal, as we are unified through Christ. Notice that our prayers always end "through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen" or some variation of that. We are united as members of the Body of Christ. Liturgy is work - a lifetime's work - but it is a work that refreshes, renews and inspires. As we continue our Lenten journey, I pray that through music you will find space to be more alert to the presence of God in our midst.

Like as the hart desireth the water-brooks, *
       So longeth my south after thee, O God.

My soul is athirst for God, yea, even for the living God: *
       When shall I come to appear before the presence of God?  Psalm 42: 1-2