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KENTUCKY SPOTLIGHTED WASHINGTON – Worshipers celebrated the people of Kentucky at a special service May 21 at the landmark Washington National Cathedral that spotlighted a guest preacher and visiting choir from the state. Prayers were offered for the families of the miners killed in an underground explosion a day earlier in Holmes Mill, Ky., near the Virginia border. Pilgrims from counties around the commonwealth traveled to the Cathedral for the service, and many took active part. Dr. Ben Witherington III, a noted author and Kentucky professor specializing in the New Testament, delivered the sermon as guest preacher. The choir from St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Anchorage, Kentucky. performed the service prelude, including several pieces written by a Louisville composer. The Right Rev. Stacy Sauls, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Lexington, served as chief celebrant. Acolyte groups from Anchorage and Nicholasville, a school group from Eolia, and Kentucky natives now living in the Washington area and belonging to the Kentucky State Society also participated. “We were delighted to have Kentuckians of all ages, from across the commonwealth, gathered at the Cathedral,” said Benjamin Bradburn, program manager of the National Cathedral Association. “Our volunteers from Kentucky and friends from the Kentucky State Society of Washington, D.C., have worked hard to make this day happen. What a wonderful sight to see these people together, the result of all their labor.” The visitors were greeted by the Very Rev. Samuel T. Lloyd III, dean of Washington National Cathedral. Dean Lloyd noted that as part of its national ministry, the Cathedral honors each state with a major observance every four years. Further marking recognition for Kentucky, two 14-foot embroidered banners and their wood-crafted stands were relocated from display in St. John’s Chapel, and were exhibited prominently during the service. The colorful banners were gifts to the Cathedral in memory of Mary Breckinridge, a pioneer who dedicated herself to improving health care for mothers and children. In 1925 Breckinridge formed the Frontier Nursing Service in eastern Kentucky, which developed into a model for rural health care around the world. The embroidered banners and wood-carved stands were crafted in Berea, Kentucky. One banner illustrates a passage from the Book of Isaiah: “He shall gather the lambs with his arms and carry them in his bosom and shall gently lead those that are with young.” The Cathedral welcomed Michael J. Claussen of Wendover, development coordinator for the Frontier Nursing Service. Claussen served as an oblation bearer during the service, along with his daughter Hannah, 9, and son Frank, 6. Claussen’s wife Melody and daughter Brittany also attended. Witherington, a professor of the New Testament at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky, spoke from the historic Canterbury Pulpit, from where the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King. Jr., delivered his last Sunday sermon. Witherington spoke about “love,” distinguishing the difference between the warm feelings of attractiveness—or even lust—typically associated with the emotion and the concept of “love” as expressed in Jesus Christ’s message to his followers. There is a big difference, he said. “In the Bible, love is normally an action word, it is not all about warm and mushy feelings,” he said. Love calls for sacrifice, sometimes even martyrdom, he said. According to gospel, “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” “In the end, Biblical love is all about action, not talk,” Witherington said. “It is all about self-sacrifice not self-aggrandizement or self-fulfillment. It’s all about love’s labor’s won, not lost.” Kentucky State Day was a coming out for the choir of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church of Anchorage, Kentucky, near Louisville. The event was the first major performance of the group outside their home, choirmaster Lisa Lewis said. The choir brought 21 of its members, who performed a 25-minute prelude to the Cathedral service. Several of its selections were composed by choir member Brench Boden of Louisville, who also soloed. Other soloists were Doug Murray, Lynn Cline and Lydia Lewis. Other Kentuckians played roles in the service. Bill Sanders, a native of Maysville and president of the Kentucky State Society, carried the Kentucky flag during the grand opening procession. The flag was to remain on the altar steps during the week as a further gesture to commonwealth. Ann Heard of Lexington, the National Cathedral Association’s regional volunteer leader for Kentucky, read Scripture. A half-dozen young acolytes from St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Anchorage marched in the opening procession behind their congregation’s colorful banner, as did six young members of the Episcopal Church of the Resurrection in Nicholasville. Mary Broughton, Christian education director at the Church of the Resurrection, delivered gifts to the altar during the Offertory. She was accompanied by Army Maj. Deborah Cain of Owensboro and 1st Lt. Denver Chaffin, of Louisa, Ky. Both are members of the 5010th U.S. Army Hospital Division mobilized to Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington. Two dozen eighth graders and chaperones from Arlie Boggs Elementary School, of Eolia, also attended.
ATTN PRINT MEDIA: If you desire e-mail transmission of this account and/or photos sent as JPEG attachments please contact Elizabeth Mullen at the number above. Available on the web site are print-quality photos of Washington National Cathedral (“Photos for Print” under “News” at www.cathedral.org/cathedral). | |