Choral Evensong

Choral Evensong, Sunday, January 19 at 4:30 pm

Epiphany in the religious sense refers to manifestation, though we often think of it as a sudden realization. The Christian festival is usually depicted as a Star followed by Three Wise Men bringing gifts to the Savior, or Man made Manifest. Our anthem is There shall a star from Jacob come forth, from Mendelssohn’s oratorio Christus. The first part of this chorus is quite violent in that it refers to the Savior as a ‘Mighty Sceptre out of Israel that will rise up and destroy princes and nations’ just as Israel is doing now. Fortunately, Mendelssohn quells this rhetoric using Nicolai’s tranquil chorale: How brightly shines the morning star. Civility is restored.