It was marvelous! We were, as you might expect on two days' rehearsal of this particular number, a touch rough around the edges, but my good pal Bruce the bass player who recorded it with his fancy-pants digital recording equipment that I don't even pretend to understand brought the recording over this morning, and it really sounds pretty good.

But more than that, it really was perfect for the service in the sense that Banjoman & late 'n short allude to above. The purpose was a remembrance of the events of another Passover week, so long ago, and the song was part and parcel of a service that really brought that home to those gathered in a lovely, unifying way. It really was blessed. Afterwards, the church organist, who is a retired music professor, and one of the very best musicians (and especialy organists) I've ever heard, had high praise for the song, and especially singled out the text as powerful. Which it is.

It's different, when it's more "sharing of gifts" than "gig."

Funny thing. The Tenebrae service is supposed to happen after dark. The minister lights seven candles as he briefly tells seven vignettes from the story of Jesus up to the Lord's Supper. Then there is Holy Communion, and then he puts out each candle as he tells a vignette leading from the Upper Room to the Cross.

And then, in the darkness he lights a single candle for the vigil we keep til Easter morning.

Well, Easter came awfully darned late this year, and after the time change. So it was still clear daylight when the service started at 7:00. But the responsive reading was from Psalm 139: "for darkness is as light to you." So in the end, the timing of the light didn't even matter.

Chris