Singing Praises

The Cathedral of Los Angeles

In an earlier posting, I wrote of my desire to return to singing, and more pointedly, singing in the Southern California Mormon Choir.  That is still an intention because I run a recovery group that meets on the same night as the rehearsals.  However, I was able to attend 1 1/2 rehearsals recently, and the Choir was rehearsing for a performance to be held in the Our Lady of Los Angeles Cathedral in Los Angeles on February 10th.  

I was invited to sing with the SCMC and a couple of dozen other church choirs in that performance.  And so I did!  I was one of about 110 bases and a total of about 600 singers that sang a couple of dozen songs--no LDS hymns at all.

I very much enjoyed the experience on a number of levels.  First, it was fun to sing again professionally and to sing next to my fellow SCMC bass partner, Dr. Lynn McEwan, and sing some low "drop-through-the-floor" bass notes.  Secondly, it was thrilling to sing with such a large chorus of fairly competent singers.  Thirdly, I enjoyed singing to Ann and friend Annette Hammer in the audience.  Fourthly, and perhaps most memorably, I enjoyed singing praises to God.  

I have recognized that other churches always talk and sing about praising God.  I would like for our Church to be more in a "praise" mode, frankly.  As I was singing, I thought of how when the Savior was born in Bethlehem the angels sang in praise of the newborn Child.  I felt that the songs that we were singing likewise praised and pleased God, and that even though Catholics were singing alongside Protestants who were singing alongside Mormons, we were united in our worship of the same God.  It felt right, and it felt good. :)