Date: April 11, 2025
I am not sure precisely why I found Evensong last night so moving. Perhaps the busyness of the day had caught up with me and the pause was precisely what I needed. Perhaps it was the season and there is almost a sense of relief that this late and interminable Lent is finally coming to an end. But, whatever the reason, I found it an extraordinary service.
Everything was perfect. Karen Klein and Nonhlanhla Shezi read the readings beautifully. Shawn Strout can sing the office so well. The sermon, by our remarkable Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe, was appropriate to the commemoration of William Law, full of humor, and left one with an extraordinary story about judgment and holiness. And the anthem by our very own choir – the John Stainer, “God So Loved the World” – was exquisite.
Worship was done really well. The foundation of Evening Prayer in The Book of Common Prayer is always secure. Yesterday we built on that foundation and created an occasion that was utterly stunning. If we could just bottle this and offer this to every congregation in the country, the future of the Episcopal Church would be secure. Thank you everyone.
The Very Rev. Ian S. Markham, Ph.D.
Dean and President of Virginia Theological Seminary and the President of The General Theological Seminary.Â