Lessons from the Duke Choir…or more on the importance of cooperation

This evening I attended the service of shadows…the Good Friday service at Duke Chapel. It is a awesome experience to join together for worship in a place like Duke Chapel. The architecture elicits awe. The music is robust. The sermon is erudite. The parking is not so great you cannot after all park in the yard! For me it was special just to be a participant in the congregation. I spend so much time leading worship it is refreshing and I find important for me to find opportunities to attend services. For those who have attended a service of shadows you may be familiar with the order of service. It is somewhat different than the order of service that our church is accustomed to follow. The choir processes to the front. There are a series of readings and a hymn followed by the sermon. After the sermon the choir sung an anthem. The choir was enormous. But one of my favorite things in the service was what followed the anthem. The choir left the loft and came and sat throughout the church. I happened to have several choir members sitting near me. The service continued with readings from the gospel of Matthew recounting the last moments of Jesus’ life. After each reading a candle was extinguished and the lights throughout the nave were dimmed until the entire building was in complete darkness. In between each reading the congregation would sing a response. It was especially helpful to have choir members spread throughout the congregation. Their presence helped everyone sing out. It made me think that this is something of what happens when we cooperate with others. It is like the great singers coming to sit throughout the church making everyone sing just a little louder.