I have previously written extensively about my struggles with faith and the particular mode of agnostic faith that I hold. Recently, Fr. Oliver Brewer-Lennon was kind enough to host me at his home for hours where we had a wide-ranging conversation, including about my faith. For the first time in my life I found a priest who I feel I can rely upon for spiritual direction and who also is just a good friend. He offered a compelling solution to my census dilemma — I can just write "Scottish Episcopalian" on the form. Surely if people can write Jedi as their religion, Scottish Episcopalianism would be acceptable. Next time I visit Edinburgh I will probably take part in a ceremony where I can be officially received into the church. Even though I am thousands of kilometres away usually, I can still call St. Michael and All Saints my parish and Oliver Brewer-Lennon my priest.

He was also nice enough to give me free access to the church whenever I want to use it, so I have been chanting the evening office there according to the Use of Sarum. To avoid keeping 17 places open in 3 books simultaneously, I transcribed large parts of the Sarum vespers and compline office into Forester. You can see the results here for example, but there are more that can be found by searching "Ordo". They use my chant plugins. Fr. Oliver will join me for the vespers and compline of St. Blaise next week.

On the way back from our chat I stopped by a charity shop and got this old illustrated KJV bible for free:

Laetétur cor quæréntium Dóminum : quaérite Dóminum, et confirmámini: quaérite fáciem eius semper.

This Sunday I once again sang at both St. Michael and All Saints and Old St. Paul's. Old St. Pauls transferred Candlemas (the Presentation of the Lord) to Sunday, so the evensong was a special one, but the morning mass was an ordinary time mass. In the morning we sang Bach's O Jesu Christ, meins Lebens Licht:

O Jesu Christ, meins Lebens Licht,	Lord Jesu Christ, my life and light,
Mein Hort, mein Trost, mein Zuversicht,	My strength, my stay, my day-star bright,
Auf Erden bin ich nur ein Gast, :	On earth I have no home or rest,
Und drückt mich sehr der Sünden Last.	By all my grievous sin oppressed.

I cantored for the propers. For the Mass setting, we sang the St. Anne Mass by Sir James MacMillan.

In the evening, we began with a Stainer anthem I'm sure I've done before but I'm not sure when, then this Mozart Magnificat (for which I sang the tenor part in the brief solo quartet sections), a 'Mozart' (actually John Kitchen) Nunc Dimittis, for which no recording exists but can be heard on our livestream. Finally for an anthem we sang the very challenging but interesting Rutter Hymn to the Creator of Light:

Glory be to thee, O Lord, glory be to thee,

Creator of the visible light,

the sun’s ray, the flame of fire;

Creator also of the light invisible and

intellectual:

that which is known of God, the light invisible.

Glory be to thee, O Lord, glory be to thee,

Creator of the light.

for writings of the law, glory be to thee:

for oracles of prophets, glory be to thee:

for melody of psalms, glory be to thee:

for wisdom of proverbs, glory be to thee:

experience of histories, glory be to thee:

a light which never sets.

God is the Lord, who hath shewed us light.

Light, who dost my soul enlighten;

Sun, who all my life dost brighten;

Joy, the sweetest man e’er knoweth;

Fount, whence all my being floweth.

From thy banquet let me measure,

Lord, how vast and deep its treasure;

Through the gifts thou here dost give us,

As thy guest in heaven receive us.

As usual we did John Kitchen's Divine Praises at the end during the Benediction, which was a magical experience when I first heard it in the congregation of OSP years ago.