Schinstock: When Heaven Came to Earth
Jim Schinstock
I was mesmerized as I watched the first COVID vaccine injections given to the first responders. Responses varied, but a common one was a palpable sense of joy and relief knowing they would not be infected, nor could they infect their loved ones or patients. A line from one of my favorite Christmas hymns slipped, unbidden, into my mind: “A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices.”
And that, in turn, reminded me of what I won’t be doing this Christmas Eve. Typically, I would be anticipating going to church at midnight and helping the Holy Cross Chancel Choir and congregation celebrate the birth of Christ. My friend Joe Graves, blessed with a beautiful clear tenor voice, would lead us in singing “O Holy Night,” and the choir would join in the chorus.