The Wonder of Evensong – October Clergy Reflection
Evensong - a service that allows us to pray with joyful defiance against society’s unjust structures, to express our longing for God’s saving help, and finally to let go with gratitude and surrender to the quietness of the night.
It’s now a year since I first drove up to Blackburn for a sneaky anonymous look around the cathedral and the town, ahead of applying for my present role. In that time I have been on the most amazing journey of discovery, not least in relation to Evensong. It’s a service I have known all my life, but it wasn’t until I arrived here that I really started to appreciate its extraordinary beauty and depth.
On Saturday mornings as part of their choir training, the choristers spend a little bit of time with me reflecting on the meaning of the words they are singing. A couple of weeks ago a group of them looked with me at the Magnificat and the Nunc Dimittis. One of the children pointed out that the canticles span the whole of life – the Magnificat is the song of young woman, celebrating all the potential of life ahead. The Nunc Dimittis is the song of an elderly man letting go and recognizing the wonder they have seen.
The sung prayers that frame the service, offered on behalf of all God’s people, ask God’s blessing on every stage of life’s journey and on every person from the lowliest to the most exalted. Taken together, accentuated by the music, the service allows us to pray with joyful defiance against society’s unjust structures, to express our longing for God’s saving help, and finally to let go with gratitude and surrender to the quietness of the night – all within just a little over half an hour!
I feel beyond privileged to sing Evensong with choristers who reflect so deeply and sing with such strength, and we would love to share the service with you. We sing Evensong on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays during termtime at 5pm, and on Sundays at 4pm.
On Wednesday October 16th at 3pm we warmly invite you to join us for a very special Radio 3 broadcast of Evensong. There will no doubt be some nervous faces around that day – one of them will be mine! – and we would love you to come and support us.
Whether you’re able to join us in person, or whether you tune in to hear us, I hope that you find inspiration to join your prayers with ours: “glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost!”
Revd Jenny Gaffin
Canon Precentor
