Advent memories

In college, Aaron and I were allowed to sing with the concert choir, even though we weren't voice majors.  The first week of December, every year, the glorious organ rang out its prelude and bounced the music around the beautiful, old chapel in Elizabeth Hall. 

 

After the last chords had faded away, the choir members began to file into the chapel, one by one.  We began singing, "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" one pair of voices at a time.

 

...O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death's dark shadows put to flight.

 

 

Aaron and I were almost always the first pair out the door because we were tall and stood in the middle of the back row.  Stepping out and singing all alone was daunting and scary.  But soon, other voices joined us as we wound through the balcony, down the stairs, and around the audience seated on the first floor.  By the time Aaron and I stepped onto the stage, the song had changed from asking the Lord to fight against the darkness to the more cheerful

 

...Hail the heav'n-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Son of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings
Ris'n with healing in His wings...

 

And our voices were no longer alone.  The whole chapel reverberated with more than fifty voices spread around the wooden pews.  And then the audience rose and joined our voices, finishing with a triumphant

 

...Word of the Father now in flesh appearing.

O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord!