A Windy New Year

Church of the Incarnation
Dallas, TX

I went to the Choral Eucharist at Church of the Incarnation in Dallas on Advent I, accompanied by Gilberto. Fleeing the Diocese of Ft. Worth, we drove 75 miles from my brother's house in Granbury and his Baptist relations from Garland met us there. They had never been to an Episcopal service but were game participants, following along with all the ups and downs, although no crossing or bowing, and even received Communion. Afterward they said they had enjoyed it but could not see making a habit of it, their own service was much livelier.

It was a "bells but no smells" Rite I Choral Eucharist, and for some reason there were 8 candles on the altar. We were impressed to see a mitre coming down the aisle at the procession and Bp. Burton (a young Canadian Bishop who has lately come down to this gig) had a nice presence and gave a decent sermon on the meaning of Advent. They had a very fine choir, although the mass settings were out of the hymnal, and they did a nice motet at the Offertory but the leaflet gave no details on the music or the readings. Afterward our Baptist friends remarked that they had already been singing Christmas carols that morning in their early service and were amused that we were so joyously singing Lo He Comes with Clouds Descending as the hymn called for deeply wailing. But they were impressed that there was an Advent wreath although I never did see it get lit.

The Sunday before, we celebrated Christ the King in grand High Church style with Bp. Sisk celebrating and confirming 2 and receiving 1 into our fold. We had a great crowd, with both 9:00 and 11:00 congos combined and several visitors from GTS and elsewhere. I was thurifer and did better this time with kneeling on my left knee since I had learned to use it when my right knee was injured for several weeks last Spring. But I managed to get branded by the hot chain when I knelt down and then had to hold up the thurible for incense. I was just on the verge of dropping it when Our Grace finally got through sprinkling and blessing and I could move my hand. At least he didn't say the whole Latin prayer like the Rector does. It was also the anniversary of Fr. Blume's institution on Christ the King 2007 by Bp. Sisk and we gave thanks for that. Bp. Sisk loves playing high church for the day and goes along gamely with all the MC throws at him. We put up a full throne for him and he gets a kick out of that. He even donned the pontifical dalmatic under our Christ the King chasuble.

After a festive reception and brunch we came back for Solemn Evensong, Procession of the Blessed Sacrament and Benediction. I had to jump in as MC and we got by with just a thurifer and two acolytes, and no canopy. It was not our most glorious Procession of the Sacrament, with only a handful of people in the congo, but perhaps we have passed into a new era where the monstrance need not fear the open air and Our Lord might even deign to be jostled a bit at the porch when the doors have not been opened for Him. We do Benediction a little different every time and this time was no different. But God was glorified and it was a lovely way to end the Church Year and start Thanksgiving week.

The next day I flew down to Dallas with Gilberto and we spent the next week driving 1100 miles around Texas seeing various friends and family, dropping by Lake Belton for lunch with some friends, spending one night in San Antonio and taking a stroll along the Riverwalk on a perfect night, then ending up in Spring for a warm 3 day Thanksgiving family reunion of 25 people. It was the first time my three brothers and I had all been together in a few years and it was wonderful to meet two new members of the next generation and a new Iranian nephew-in-law and to see nephews and nieces I hadn't seen in awhile. And it was nice to see Texas and once again remember all I love and hate about it. It was wonderfully warm in San Antonio and Spring but I had forgotten how cold and windy Dallas can be and that Saturday as we traveled northward into a blue norther, it felt more like Boston than Dallas.

After church we went over to the West End to Sonny Bryan's for barbecue sandwiches and then our Baptist friends gave us a tour of downtown Dallas (it has changed a bit in the 30 years since I worked at the Dallas Public Library for a year). Then we made our way back to Granbury in the blinding sunset to my brother's new house by the lake. Granbury is rather like the town in The Last Picture Show, a very long way from downtown Dallas. But there's not even a movie house in town, so we watched Run Silent Run Deep at home and had rum drinks till we passed out. We left the next day for New York after walking around the quaint old town square and having a wonderful Texas cheeseburger at Grump's. It was still windy as Hell and about 10 degrees colder than New York. Just in case I might ever feel nostalgic about the place.

Proclaiming the Gospel,
Christ the King