Reverberations
The line formed quickly, stretching across the black and white marble tiles of the cathedral floor, from the dome to the nave. On the fourth Sunday of Easter, hundreds of people accepted the invitation to receive Holy Communion under the picturesque 365-foot dome of St. Paul’s Cathedral.
As James Orford played “Prière” from Saint-Martin’s Symphonie Dominicale on the Grand Organ, I chose to remain in my seat for several moments before joining the queue. I watched the worshippers waiting to receive the bread and the wine. The diversity of these communicants was breathtaking to behold.
Many people made the sign of the cross before receiving communion. Others bowed toward the altar. A few kneeled in front of the priest, hands cupped to receive the wafer from the President. (I was surprised to see this term listed in the order of worship. I later learned that in Anglican churches, the President is the presiding minister in a worship service.)
I was fascinated by a petite Asian woman whose ethnicity I could not ascertain. Wearing a colorful skirt adorned with tiny bells, she jingled with every step she took. Her face was serene, emanating deep joy. I would have loved to have known her story. Was she, like me, a visitor to London taking advantage of the opportunity to worship in a sacred space with a 1,400-year old history?
Photo by Robert Bye on Unsplash
After the distribution of communion, the President lead us in prayer: Merciful Father, you gave your Son Jesus Christ to be the good shepherd, and in his love for us to lay down his life and rise again; keep us always under his protection, and give us grace to follow in his steps; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
As the service concluded, worshippers were invited to remain seated as the organist played Postlude (Sortie) from Symphonie Dominicale. The sound of the music, the sight of the dome, and the smell of the incense simultaneously grounded and uplifted me. I marveled as I thought about why this magnificent cathedral existed in the first place.
When this unique assemblage shared the bread and the cup together under the dome, we had done so in remembrance of Jesus. Despite centuries-old theological debates about his identity and divinity, this historic cathedral in the heart of London continues to bear witness to the potency of Jesus’ spiritual legacy.
The final chord reverberated longer than I have ever heard notes linger in a sanctuary or concert hall. I felt the music in my bones and in my spirit. Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place, I thought, as the stories of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection continue to reverberate in the lives his followers.
Our post-worship view of St. Paul’s Cathedral after crossing the Thames River via the Millennium Bridge
