The Presence Of The Lord

Image from Episcopal Life

Bright and early yesterday morning, I was up and out, headed for New Orleans to attend the Sunday service at Christ Church Cathedral, at which Bishop Katharine presided and preached. That was a sacrificial act on my part, because I am no longer an up-and-out person early in the morning.

On the way, I prayed for a safe trip, that I would find a place to park, not too far away from the cathedral - which has no parking facilities - and that I would get a seat in the cathedral. Does anyone else pray about these sorts of things? Anyway, all my prayers were answered - or not. Maybe all that would have happened anyway.

Christ Church Cathedral is a Gothic-style structure with beautiful stained glass, built in the 1880s. You can view the building and the glass in this photo gallery.

Bishop Jenkins, Dean DuPlantier, the choir, the musicians, and everyone who planned and worked with the arrangements for the service did a terrific job. The cathedral looked beautiful. We had a sung Eucharist and smells and bells. For those among you who are uninitiated into the mysteries of Episcopal Church liturgy, the smells are incense, and the hand bells ring to highlight important parts of the liturgy.

Bishop Katharine wore the vestments that were designed for her installation ceremony as presiding bishop. They are lovely, and I was pleased to see them up close. Her sermon is here.

She spoke of Philander Chase, whose feast we celebrated yesterday. He was the founder of Christ Church Parish in New Orleans, and he went on, after many travels, to become presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church. She spoke of trumpets, trumpeting the Gospel, traveling light, for folks in Louisiana, traveling lighter than they believed possible, and getting in the line.

When the saints go marching in, it's going to be with every last one of us. This procession is going down to the grave, and it's going to dance away on the other side, but only when we join the traveling throng. None of us is going home until all of us have a place to lay our heads, and music for our grieving hearts, and a feast for the belly and for the soul. When the saints go marching in, it's going to be with every last one of us."

Can you imagine how much I liked these words?

During the Offertory, Irvin Mayfield, Jr. played "Amazing Grace" on the Elysian Trumpet.

The Elysian Trumpet, hand-built by David Monette, the modern master of trumpet design, is dedicated to the memory of Irvin Mayfield, Sr. and all of the victims of Hurricane Katrina.


The image of the trumpet and information on the instrument is from Elysian Trumpet. There's much more on the story of the trumpet at the website.

The trumpet produced the sweetest sound I have heard come out of a horn - ever. And I have heard many trumpets. Mayfield played the most magnificent "Amazing Grace" that I have been priveliged to hear. Two such superlatives, one after the other, may be hard to believe, but they are true. I was crying during his performance. What heart! What an instrument!

But it wasn't all about pretty vestments, good music, and heavenly trumpet sounds. The words of this hymn came to mind during a quiet period after communion:

Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place
I can feel His mighty power and His grace
I can hear the brush of angels wings
I see glory on each face
Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place

The Lord was powerfully present, and for that I give thanks.

After the service, we were invited to a reception in the parish hall with very tasty refreshments. Many of the bishops were not at the service Sunday, because they were visiting around at churches in the area. Someone pointed out Bonnie Anderson (president of the House of Deputies) to me, and we talked for a few minutes. She said she had been well received by the groups she met with in Dallas and Fort Worth, except, of course, for Bishop Iker, who was rudely on her case for crossing the Texas state line. She's a lay person. Why does she need his permission to visit Texas? She told me that one parish from either Dallas or Fort Worth had moved from the Network back to the Episcopal Church.

Then I spotted Bishop Katharine. I made my way over to her and spoke with her only briefly, because others were waiting to talk to her. She is warm and easy to talk to. I have not agreed with everything our PB has said and done, and I will likely not in the future, but I do believe that GC03 made the proper choice when she was elected. She is a woman for this season in the Episcopal Church.

Upon reflection, I'm glad that I attended the two religious services rather than the bishops' meetings - not that I could have. Both the services were uplifting. I doubt that the meetings were, but perhaps - and that is my hope - God will turn them to good.

Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, for ever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21