Lighten Our Darkness

I ordered a 1 cent CD from Amazon titled Lighten Our Darkness, that is an Evensong service recorded in an Episcopal church. It is one intended to be sung in September, but the title intrigues me. It came today and I listened to it in the evening while Drew is working on homework and robotics. It is soothing and calm, a combination of chant, hymns, anthems, organ pieces and Scripture readings.

I try to follow along, but the texts are not included in the liner notes, and I don't happen to have a Book of Common Prayer at home to follow along. The Scripture passages are fine, but the words of the hymns and even the anthems are blurry, like listening without your glasses on. I had hoped this might be a good template to follow, or at least to discover pieces that I could add into the mix as I am planning the DVD services of prayer for cancer patients.

I have learned. No blurry words. Provide the full text with the DVD. And the whole must hang together better. Every word, song and Scripture must focus on the same uplifting idea. Wouldn't this CD have been more effective if we started low and dark and ended up light and bright??!! Sigh. Perhaps for the time in which this service was created (early 1900's) that was the effect. But in this day and age, it barely makes a blip on the radar screen.

Back to my own drawing board. As I become familiar with these sorts of resources, I tend to find little gems and bits that I know will bring significance to the prayer services I am working on. I feel like I am harvesting wild strawberries. Long hours culling through weeds and bug spit to collect tiny dots of luscious red sweetness. But once the collecting is done, oh, what you can do with it!