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A TRIBUTE TO MY SISTER, SUSAN ELIZABETH BLAIR HOLLISTER,

07.03.1948 – 09.05.2024

May she rest in eternal peace and may light perpetual shine upon her. Amen.

By Margot Blair Payne, 10.09.2024

Where do you turn, after you lose a loved one and you seek comfort? I turn to Sacred Choral Music, which has connected the Blair Family generations, down through the decades:

In the 1940’s, our Blair parents met in the Guilford College Choir, where they sang Sacred Choral Music, including The Messiah Oratorio. For the next 45 years, they sang Sacred Choral Music, in various AFB Chapel Choirs: The Oratorio was the annual Advent highlight.

In the early 1960’s, Susan and I attended the Oratorio, whenever our parents sang in the Chorus. Susan and I often shared our memories of those evenings: Imagine the scene, if you will, as we stepped out of the dark, cold, winter night air and entered the warm and light-filled interior of the Sacred Space of the Sanctuary. Imagine the ambiance: the fragrance of the evergreen wreaths, garlands, and Christmas tree; the accent colors: wide, burgundy velvet ribbons and bows; white twinkling lights; and the radiant glow of candlelight, illuminating the translucent jewel colors of the stained-glass windows. Against that background, imagine the conductor, soloists, musicians, and members of the chorus: each decked out in dressy evening wear.

When the music and lyrics of the Oratorio began, earth and heaven seemed to intersect, in a glorious harmony of voices and instruments. Susan, always sensitive to beauty, agreed that those evenings had been sublime and transcendent.

In the early 1960’s, Susan and I both sang alto, in the Choir. Here are her own words, from a saved email:

“Yes! We both sang in the Chapel Youth Choir. I remember sitting in the Choir section, at the front of the Chapel. I remember the outdoor Easter Sunday Sunrise Service. It was glorious and reminded me of sunrise over the Grand Canyon.”

Alan & Susan met in the Guilford College Choir, in the late 1960’s, where they both sang in the Chorus of the Oratorio. The director recorded one of those performances onto LP records. Susan gave a copy to me, and I repeatedly listened to it, trying to pick out the alto line, just like Mom and Susan.

I wrote Susan a letter and asked her: “From what source do the words come?” She wrote me a reply letter, in which she included a list of the 53 selection titles, paired with each corresponding Scripture reference.

Thus, Susan introduced me to a life-long study of the both the text and the music of the Oratorio.

I was not able to attend Guilford College and join the Choir. I had to teach myself the Oratorio: I purchased a music score, a recording of The Complete Oratorio, and an alto-predominant recording of the Choruses.

Every Advent, for decades, I participated in the Annual Messiah Sing-Along. I walked up the steps of the Church, in the dark, cold winter air, and entered the warm, light-filled interior Sacred Space of the Sanctuary. [Sound familiar?]

Yes; the elements of those past evenings, with Susan, were present: the aromas, sounds, and sights. Add in the console of a pipe organ, connected to the pipes of various shiny, bright metallic colors, on display front and center, behind and above the Altar.

I saw the evening, through Susan’s eyes: she would have been enchanted and delighted, as I was, at the sense of going back in time.

Every Choral Singer at the Sing-Along, regardless of religious affiliation [or none] was thrilled to gather and sing highlights from the Oratorio, in glorious four-part harmony. When we heard the first bars of the triumphant Hallelujah Chorus, we each rose to our feet and, in one accord, launched into the Chorus. By the time our voices had soared through the majestic Worthy Is the Lamb, and the final Amen, a state of euphoria had descended upon us.

This is the power of the Oratorio: it transcends all differences and creates a community of souls, united in one purpose.

As I studied the text, I was able to follow the arc of the story and to recognize the flow of The Grand Narrative of Redemption. The Complete Oratorio, 2.5 hours from beginning to end, is a “great cosmic drama, which transcends both time and space.” [www.handelmessiahsydney.org]

People ask me why, after 50 years in FL, did we move to TN? I always keep my answer short and simple: “Heat, Humidity, and Hurricanes.” But the truth is that, after Susan’s diagnosis, I yearned to live closer to each of my sisters: Susan, in NC, and Amy, in SC. We moved to TN, in 2020, during the pandemic. My sister, Amy, and I had to wait until June 2021, before we could visit Susan. How joyous was that reunion! Thereafter, Amy and I visited Susan every four months: [10 visits, in four years.] We grieved, as FTD insidiously crept in and stole away her abilities. There came the inevitable day, when there were no more words from Susan.

I yearned to, once again, hear her voice, so I searched for and found the emails that I had saved. Here, again, are her own words:

Dear Margot,

This morning, I woke up thinking of you and your surgery tomorrow. At the same time, the words to a hymn came into my mind. I realized it was the Universal Blessing that we sang every Sunday morning, in the Chapels: Our parents’ voices floated in, Mom with the altos, Dad coming in with the tenors. And I knew those were the words I wanted to send to you:

 “The Lord bless you and keep you,

The Lord make His face to shine upon you,

And be gracious unto you,

The Lord lift up the light of His countenance upon you,

And give you peace.

Amen.”

 With love and blessings,

Susan

I received those words, as a Benediction from Susan, which I now bestow upon you.

I will always miss the physical presence of my sister, Susan. I miss her voice, words, and soul. Yet, when I turn again to Sacred Choral Music, especially the Messiah Oratorio, I find comfort and a connection to my sister that transcends both time and space.

In closing, I offer this prayer, from the Book of Common Prayer:

You only are immortal, the creator and maker of humankind;

and we are mortal, formed of the earth, and to earth shall we return.

For so did you ordain, when you created us, saying,

“You are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

All of us go down to the dust; yet even at the grave, we make our song:

“Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.” Amen.

A TRIBUTE TO MY SISTER

A Tribute to My Sister

THE CELESTIAL CHOIR

Christmastide 2018

We have waited patiently during Advent. Now, during Christmastide [the Twelve Days of Christmas], we will joyfully sing hymns about the Incarnation.  Many of these hymns will feature “angels.” However, ponder this:  Every Sunday in Worship, we sing with the angels – not merely about angels!

The Liturgy describes this Trinitarian and Sacramental Mystery:

The Holy Eucharist: [ACNA Renewed Ancient Text]

It is right, our duty and our joy, always and everywhere, to give thanks to you, Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth because you sent your beloved Son to redeem us from sin and death, and to make us heirs in him of everlasting life; that when he shall come again in power and great glory to judge the world, we may without shame or fear rejoice to behold his appearing.

Therefore, we praise you, joining our voices with Angels and Archangels and with all the company of heaven, who forever sing this hymn to proclaim the glory of your Name:

Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.

How is it possible to sing with the angels?

In Sacramental Theology, the Bread and Wine – the Body and Blood of Christ — are the very center and source of our communal life in Christ.

The Holy Trinity, in the Eucharistic Liturgy, collapses the constraints of time and space and opens up a portal between the spheres of heaven and earth.

Christ, through the Holy Spirit, unites Himself with the Church Militant [on earth] and the Church Triumphant [in heaven]. Together, we offer our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving to God the Father.

In this sense, every one of us is a member of a great “Celestial Choir” and we rehearse weekly, as we prepare for our ultimate vocation: to sing and worship God forever with the angels!

How do we prepare on Sundays to sing with the angels?

Enter the Nave in silence.

Dip your hand into the Baptismal Font. Remember your Baptismal vows.

Bow, as you face the Eucharistic Table and the Crucifix.

Kneel and pray in the pew. Sit silently.

Meditate upon the words in the Worship Leaflet: Scripture, Prayers, Creeds, and [especially] the Music.

Encourage your children to do the same.

In awe and reverence, we will sing with the angels, a Liturgical moment that is mysterious, glorious, majestic, and transcendent!

 

Dear Readers,

There was a season of my young life, when I was intensely lonely and alone.

I was in college, during this season, living as a boarder, upstairs in one room of a family home. I shared a bathroom with one other boarder.  We shared a refrigerator but we had no kitchen privileges.

I had no car — or even a bicycle — so I walked to the university, where I took classes and worked a part-time job. I think the walk was between one and two miles: good exercise, except for days when it thunderstormed!

I was a Junior and eager to finish my college degree program. Unfortunately, I discovered, too late, that I was totally unsuited for the field that I had chosen. With dread, I began to strongly suspect that I would never choose to work in that field.

I was a quiet, serious introvert, at a huge university, and, in three years, I had never found my place:  I had one or two friends but I had no church or community to which to belong.

I did have a boyfriend but he was attending the University of California at Berkeley.

I had no money to buy clothing. I paid for as many college expenses as I possibly could manage, out of my meager salary, for I tried to be as independent as possible.

One day, a plain cardboard box arrived to the door of my room:   It was from my sister, who lived in North Carolina and was recently married.  She was only four years older than I.

Inside the box were items of clothing that she had either sewn, especially for me, or was passing down to me.  [At that time, we were roughly the same size.] She had carefully packed the items, within tissue paper.

I was not a seamstress but I could easily imagine the hours of time that my sister invested in lovingly sewing those outfits for me:  She chose the pattern, the fabric, and the notions. Then, she found time to construct the outfits, in spite of the fact that she worked full-time.

I can remember the fabric and buttons of one of the outfits, now forty-five years later:  one set was a calico print top with a solid culotte skirt. They fit perfectly.

That was the day that I thought to myself, “Well, someone in the world is looking out for me, caring for me, loving me, and investing her time in me — and that person is my sister.”

I think that, of all the gifts I have received, this is the one for which I am most thankful.  I thank the Living God for my “big” sister, who has always looked out for me.

Coram Deo,

Margot

Latin:

Vexilla Regis prodeunt:

Fulget crucis mysterium,

Quo carne carnis Conditor

Suspensus est patibulo.

 

Impleta sunt quae concinit

David fidelis carmine,

Dicendo nationibus

Regnavit a lingo Deus.

 

Arbor decora et fulgida

Ornata Regis purpura,

Electa digno stipite

Tam sancta membra tangere.

 

O crux ave, spes unica

Hoc Passionis tempore,

Auge piis justiciam

Reisque dona veniam.

 

Te summa Deus Trinitas

Collaudet omnis spiritus:

Quos per crucis mysterium

Salvas, rege per saecula.  Amen.

 

[Venantius Fortunatus]

English:

The royal banners forward go;

The Cross shines forth in mystic glow;

Where he in flesh, our flesh who made,

Our sentence bore, our ransom paid.

 

Fulfilled in all that David told

In true prophetic song of old;

Amidst the nations, God, saith he,

Hath reigned and triumphed from the tree.

 

O Tree of beauty, Tree of light!

O Tree with royal purple dight!

Elect on whose triumphal breast

Those holy limbs should find their rest.

 

O Cross, our own reliance, hail!

So may the power with us avail

To give new virtue to the saint,

And pardon to the penitent.

 

To thee, eternal Three in One,

Let homage meet by all be done;

Whom by the Cross thou dost restore,

Preserve and govern evermore.  Amen.

 

[Translation by J. M. Neale]

 

 

St. Peter’s Anglican Church Concert

Friday, January 20 at 7:00 pm
Featuring musical artists from the parish of St. Peter’s including Joel Hastings, Lucy Church, Ann Dalton, Belinda Dudley, Christopher Garven, Will Nilson, and John Ossi.
Free!

For more details:  www.saint-peters.net