We celebrate our music ministries with this month’s Choral Evensong sung by Saint George’s Choir and Choristers. A special organ prelude begins at 3:45 pm played by high school senior, Bradley McMullin, who will offer Mendelssohn’s challenging and beautiful Organ Sonata No. 1. Evensong includes Charles Stanford’s Evening Canticles in G and David Hurd’s “It is a good thing to give thanks.” A reception follows in the parish hall. Join us for this ancient and transcendent liturgy at the close of the day.

Evensong marks the end of the day and prepares for the approaching night. The roots of this service come out of ancient monastic traditions of Christian prayer. Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury in the 16th century, created this form as part of the simplification of services within the newly-reformed Church of England. The Episcopal Church, as part of the worldwide Anglican Communion, has inherited this pattern of evening prayer.

In this service we are invited to reflect, pray for the world and for ourselves, and to commend all into God’s hands as words of Holy Scripture are said and sung. The beauty of the music is offered to help us set our lives in the light of eternity; the same light which dwelt among us in Jesus, and which now illuminates us by the Spirit.