Vespers

I always thought vespers were conducted in lofty cathedrals with swirling acoustics, the music of long gone eras of gentility unfolded, harking back to a time when kings ruled and popes ordained life and cathedrals were ornate, carved in rich dark wood and gleaming gilded scrollwork, when large open leather bound Bibles lay chained to tables with robed priests anointing the pages regularly with incense. The music was ethereal, calling one from the drudgery of everyday life to glimpse the pearly gates in the great beyond. Irresistible.

Not here though. Vespers is much more important than that. Here Vespers is part of a community that embraces the here and now, the whole family. It is intergenerationality at its best. Grandparents lodge great grandbabies in cottages passed down as scepters are passed down, proud of heritage and tradition. Here one belongs, one does not visit. Here one has ties, one is accepted. Here time is spent engaging in important activities, activities that renew your body, mind, and spirit.

Vespers is part of that heritage. Each year they take on a different form. One year the music of Taize is explored, another year the great hymns of the past partaken of, as we sang this year. Words of encouragement and challenge are given by speakers from every denomination and background. One evening we shared more contemporary worship with the youth outdoors by the gazebo. Families stood together, all singing, arms wrapped around each other. Touching. Sharing.

Way more than just an early evening religious service, a public ceremony, the sixth canonical hour. Here Vespers are the celebration of life, of all stages come together to remember God, to sing and pray together. Yes, some days sparsely attended, but the effect spills out into all generations, into attitudes, into actions. Not an era goneby, but the hard work of keeping the next era on track and blessed.

I stand. I sing. I remember God's goodness to me. I cannot help but bring the blessing with me to my own children and siblings. A small dab of light for a world filled with darkness. Vespers. A recharging.