Choir
Director’s Report
2015
It has been at least 6 or 7 years since I gave my first Choir
Director's report, maybe more, and each year they are strikingly
similar. I usually tell you that we are still expanding our
repertoire to accommodate the gifts of the ever changing roster of
singers, that we still need singers, and that music is very important
in the Orthodox Church. I always say that singing in the choir is a
ministry very similar to the ministry of the Deacon, who is a servant
dedicated to leading the people in prayer. That's what the choir
does, too. I always thank the choir, the readers and our pastor for
their hard work and support throughout the year.
I'm taking a different road this year. This year, I want to talk
about worship. We Orthodox are a worshipping people. That is what we
do. That is who we are. Other flavors of Christianity focus on bible
studies and exegesis, on being personally saved, on social justice
and equality. As Orthodox, we worship. We worship privately, alone
in our prayer closet, and we worship communally at church. One is not
better than the other and both are necessary. That is not to say that
we don 't also study the bible, encourage a personal relationship
with our Lord, or bless others with the gifts we have received. Of
course we do! But what sets us apart is the tradition of our
worship, the private worship of the individual and the public worship
of the community.
Would it surprise you to learn that the Jews in the time of Jesus had
a cyclical structure to their worship which had been in place for
1500 years, and that Orthodox Church echoes that structure? Did you
know that St. Basil the Great, in the fourth century, considered the
hymn, Gladsome Light, which is sung at vespers, to be very old, and
the first “true” hymn of the Christian church. The Apostolic
Constitutions, which date from the third century, were, in part, a
collection of hymns to be sung at different times of the day as a
form of worship – to be SUNG.
Our worship is very old, yet it is ever new. There is a pattern to
our worship, a rhythm to the feasts and fasts, the cycles of the
eight tones, the reading of the hours of the day, the dedication of
each day of the week. As each year passes, and the various cycles are
repeated, I find that our worship more deeply reveals our Maker and
his actions on earth and in heaven. There is real beauty in the
cyclical nature of our worship.
There is an old Orthodox saying which is, to sing once, is to pray
twice. We all know that one easy way to learn facts, is to set them
to music. Somehow, music enlivens the synapses in our brain and
connections are made which allow us to remember things. Important
things. The same thing with Orthodox music. The marriage of
beautiful words of praise and beautiful music is somehow greater than
the sum of the parts. This is the work of the people – not just
the work of the choir or the readers or the canonarch. The work of
the people, the laos. This is how we worship.
When I was young and newly Orthodox, I read every book and was full
of hubris. Some things never change, eh? A very old and saintly man
named Aristidi Chacho befriended me, and every Monday we would talk
about Fr. John's sermon. I would usually talk my head off and Steve
would listen. Finally, one day he said to me, “Denise, you're a
nice girl, but you don't know nothing.” I was a little taken aback
as you can imagine. He went on, “Don't you know that on.. such and
such a day, at matins, we sing...” and then he sang something that
was precisely on point in our theological discussion. The elderly,
unschooled man, was the greatest theologian, and I believe he was a
saint. He could hold his own in theological discussions, and often
taught others a thing or two, but with such humility. How did he
come to this level of knowledge, of understanding, of living out of
the gospel? How did he do that?
It's really quite simple. He spent his life in church. He lived the
cycles of worship. His life was attuned to various seasons of our
worship. He made the time to attend all the various services – he
didn't sing, but he listened. He was a great theologian, a great
teacher, and a great man, and he is heaven right now completely
mortified. Sorry Steve! But I learned something so precious from
him, that I want to share with you:
A life spent in church, worshipping God together with your church
family, is the greatest gift.
I'm the choir director, and Fr. James has given me the responsibility
for all things musical and all the readers. I can't do this awesome
job alone, and I can't even attend every service or rehearsal, and
neither can anyone else. However, I am guilty of being tired at the
end of work day, and I have work and other obligations that sometimes
keep me from fulfilliing my ministry. Just like everyone else.
However, this coming year, I am going to take Steve Chacho as my
model, and try to do better, try to attend more services. At every
service throughout the year, the choir is there, maybe not every
member, but the choir is there to assist in the celebration of that
service.
Did you know that the liturgical day begins at sunset on Saturday,
with Vespers? Did you know that Vespers is full of information and
teaching about the saint commemorated on Sunday? Come to vespers and
learn.
Orthodox, when trying to define dogma, like to say what it is not.
This is called apophatic theology and it's uniquely Eastern in
mindset. Orthodoxy is not a religion. It's not a list of things that
we believe. It's not social system. It's a life. It's life itself.
Spent in church. Singing praises to our Our God.
Thank you for listening to me. Thank you to the choir members, the
readers, the Deacon and to Fr. James. Thank you to Xenia, my right
hand woman, and to Reader Mark, Kat Broberg and Abby Eller for
stepping into the void when I was not there.
Come to church. Come and sing praises to our God, sing praises! Sing
praises to our King! Sing praises!
