AVE MARIA

The Reverend Lupton Abshire is leaving as rector of Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Middleburg, Virginia, to I don't know where. But we're free, thanks be to God, wish him and wife Diane and children all the best for the future. I hope the rector search committee finds a truly dedicated priest with a loving and friendly heart without arrogance. We had such rectors in the past -- Ernest A. “Froggy” DeBordenave, Neale Morgan, and Marc Andrus, and Marc’s teacher at Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, Virginia, our interim rector after Marc left to become a bishop in Alabama and now in San Francisco, the inimitable Churchill Gibson. Churchill Gibson, a Southern gentleman to the core, has this mischievous twinkle in his eye and gives a sermon to die for. Marc Andrus, our former rector, gave very memorable homilies. I recorded and transcribed Marc Andrus’s sermons for several years with the help of parishioner John Denegre. We were constantly amazed as Marc Andrus always knocked it out of the ballpark, mixed the gospel message with history, art, literature, world affairs as they were, but always going back to the gospel to tie it all together. Marc kindly and lovingly becaue of his and his family's closeness to my saintly mother flew in from California for the memorial service for my mother, Rusty, when she died a year ago, and his homily about servant leadership epitomized my mother, nailed it perfectly, and said so much about my mother's contributions to the community and good of the order over many decades, and Marc’s good heart and why the parish loved him so much, and what a great soul and good man he is and how much he contributed to our community. We all want good men and women to lead us in our spiritual walk, as we want good, dedicated leaders in our schools and governance at all levels. At Emmanuel Church, since my family moved to Middleburg when I was age 12, we’ve been blessed with good rectors – different personalities and gifts – and great organists, the inimitable Helen Wallace for many years, Carolyn Boyd, who my mother is buried next to in the Emmanuel Church cemetery, and now Wendy Oesterling, a tough and talented lady, marvelous choral musician with a master’s degree from Shenandoah University, one of the best music conservatories in the country for many decades. Music is the heart of a church, the hymns and anthems that carry us through the year from Christmas to Easter and to Christmas again. As I write this, I’m listening to the marvelous voice of soprano Lesley Garrett singing “Song to the Moon” on her BBC album “So Deep Is the Night.” The music was written by Antonin Dvorak. Her voice soars. “Moon high above in the summer sky, He too is watching you shining. Speak to his heart from up on high. Tell him I’m lonely and pining. Speak to his heart from up on high. Tell him I’m lonely and pining. “Moon above him shining, Speak to him, tell him how I love him. “Carry my thoughts in your silver light. Tell him I love him forever. Can he be thinking of me tonight, dreaming of me when we’re together? “Tell him I’m longing for him, silver moon. Bring him, oh bring him to me soon. If by chance he dreams of me, let the thought of me awake him. Moonlight, forsake me not.” Tell him I'm longing for him. That's Christ. He's there with us every day. Mummie told me in my infancy. She was a true saint. I miss her terribly.