Echoes of my Teacher's Voice

For Episcopalians, the new year started four Sundays before December 25th, and we're still celebrating Christmas. (It's the seventh day, time for swans a - swimming.) So I'm reflecting on a gift that the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer gave me in today's morning devotion time: several memories of my long time mentor Frank Boggs, now in his 92nd year.

[Photo: Selfie with Frank on the balcony of his apartment, June 2017]

Following many days of inspirational passages from Isaiah, I turned with a sigh to the relatively dry book of Numbers for the passage assigned for today, 6.22-27, to find that it's the only passage in that book that I'd circled, one that I can recite, and sing, from memory: "The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face to shine upon you, and be gracious unto you...." A hundred times or more, under Frank's direction, I've sung those words to Peter Lutkin's rich music, a cappella, holding hands with close friends - in concert; on tour in South Carolina, Russia, Poland; at the ends of long days of summer rehearsal; at reunions.

I think of Frank each morning anyway, adding him to the list of people that our parish prays for, because -- well, he's 92. But this reminder in the reading was a nudge to write a note.

Then the Psalm appointed for the morning is the 8th, with another passage that I can recite by heart: "What is man, that Thou art mindful of him? … Oh, Lord our God, how majestic is Thy name in all the earth." This touches a memory from way back, one of my first days of chorus with Mr. Boggs. We rehearsed this piece just a few times and put it away. At the time, faith meant less to me than Top 40 hits and show music. But Frank had us contemplate the meaning of these words, and he urged us to bring a sense of wonder in our voices and faces when we sang the text. I still hear his voice, speaking the words in crescendo, impending like a train, "How majestic is Thy name IN ALL THE EARTH!"

Coincidence, or God talking to me? I'm leery of people who see God's hand in coincidences. I prefer G. K. Chesterton's remark that coincidences are God's "puns." The next reading, from Galatians, didn't have any particular associations with Frank. But then I read the gospel.

Luke 2.15-21 is about the shepherds leaving the Christ child. Thanks to Frank, I know what they said, and I know that they were singing music by Hector Berlioz, arranged by John Rutter, my favorite Christmas piece for over forty years:

Blest are ye beyond all measure,
Thou happy father, mother mild!
Guard ye well your heav'nly treasure,
The Prince of Peace, The Holy Child!
God go with you, God protect you,
Guide you safely through the wild!

As coincidences go, finding three connections to Frank Boggs in the scriptures for today isn't so remarkable. With memories of Frank's lessons categorized under so many headings - education, music, theatre, faith, friendship -- it would be more remarkable not to find some echo of his voice in my week.
But for this seventh day of Christmas, the coincidence was a sweet gift. (UPS, take back the swans)



Earlier Blog Posts About Frank Boggs

• Tributes to My Teachers: Frank Boggs, choral director(11/9/15)
  
• Frank Boggs at 90 -- at 50, Frank sang "You Make Me Feel So Young" for his teenage choir; for his 90th birthday, I rewrote the lyrics for him (1/26/17)
  
• Drill it in or Tease it Out? This is a reflection on the way Frank taught us (10/1/13)
  
• Georgia Festival Chorus Celebrates "Legacy" (5/21/18) ends with links to reviews I've written over the past twelve years.

For more about the liturgy in the Episcopal Church, see "An Especially Good Friday"(3/26/2016) and "The Power of Liturgy: I've Heard it All Before" (1/6/2017). Frank Boggs gave me a deep appreciation for musical theatre; I see Episcopalian liturgy as musical theatre -- only the parishioners are participants, not audience, and the story envelopes our lives 24/7: "Liturgy as Theatre" (3/23/2013). Much more is at my page Those Crazy Episcopalians.