"I Tweet from Afar"

One of the great joys of Advent is hearing Palestrina's Advent Responsory. At my own parish, St. John's in Hingham, Massachusetts, the choir sings it at the start of our annual service of Advent Lessons and Carols.

We’re nowhere near the Church’s season of hope and expectation in terms of the calendar year but as the Episcopal Church’s triennial General Convention convenes in Salt Lake City this week, there is plenty of hope and expectation as we prepare to elect a new Presiding Bishop for a nine-year term. And by "we" I mean the House of Bishops.

As people throughout the Episcopal Church follow the proceedings from afar aka via social media, (it only seems like every Episcopalian is in Utah), I thought I’d rewrite Palestrina’s stunning words to better reflect the current feeling of anticipation. 

No pressure on the Chosen One elected on Saturday, of course. It’s not like we expect you to be the Messiah or anything...

I Tweet from Afar

I Tweet from afar:

And lo, I see the power of Wi-Fi coming,

and a cloud covering the whole Church.

Go ye out to Tweet him and say:

Tell us, art thou he** that should come to reign over thy people Episcopal?

High church and low, endowed and about to close, one with another,

Go ye out to Tweet him and say:

Hear, O thou shepherd of hashtags, thou that leadest Convention Deputies like sheep:

Tell us, art thou he that should come?

Stir up thy signal strength, O Bishop, and come

To reign over thy people Episcopal.

Glory be to the Internet, and to the iPad, and to the Voting Bishops.

I Tweet from afar,
And lo, I see the power of Wi-Fi coming,
and a cloud covering the whole Church.
Go ye out to Tweet him and say:
Tell us, art though he that should come to reign over thy people Episcopal?

** Yes, the four nominees are all male. Not my fault.

Based on The First Matins Responsory for Advent

G.P. da Palestrina (c. 1525–94)