EmberTune: In Honor of Skit Night

By The Rev. Thom Flowers, ’15

The Michaelmas Term of 2012 at Nashotah House was very hard for me. I found myself there in what soon came to appear to be an ill-prepared and mal-conceived notion that I had received a calling to the priesthood of Christ's church. This would be my pursuit of yet a third "career," reaching the age of fifty-nine by the time I heard those words, “Supplicant reverentiis,” and the response, “Placet.” It had been over 30 years since I'd done any schoolwork, and that for a degree in designing for the theatre. Grueling academics, that was. It was only at the kindly intervention of my advisor, Dr. Garwood Anderson, and the gracious ministrations of my bishop, Bill Thompson, that I stuck around to finish my first semester. Indeed, once they got me rolling again, I spent the remainder of my time at the House completing my studies with a passion to wring all that I could from it, aided by all of the faculty, staff, and administration — to the last person — whom I came to deeply love and admire, and by the encouragement of my fellow seminarians.  

However, by the time the Easter Term of that first year rolled around, I still desperately needed to blow off some steam and found my safety valve in the form of Nashotah House’s Skit Night. I was simply inspired by the grand idea to provide full disclosure to disabuse any prospective students in the audience who had the idea that they aspired to study at the House. I can't remember how I first came up with the notion that confounded a “letter home from summer camp” with an Ember letter, but there turned out to be so many similarities that the song EmberTune practically wrote itself (with the amazing lyrical adeptness of fellow seminarian John Armstrong, of course!).  

To those readers who are not Sons and Daughter of the House, I apologize for the obtuse nature of the arcane allusions in the lyrics, but they were definitely a product of a moment in time, in a specific context, which in the end I came to cherish. Thank you.

This song was written and video-recorded in 2013 for the annual Skit Night by Juniors at Nashotah House, myself and John Armstrong.The adaptation (parody) was from Allan Sherman and Lou Busch's novelty song "Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh, a letter from camp." All rights reserved, tune used by permission from Burning Bush Music, LLC. 

The following is my Lent "Ember Day" letter (a quarterly, seasonal report) to my bishop, as if sent from Nashotah House. Commentary is contemporaneous with my study there. 

Hel-lo Bi-shop, / Right Rev'rend Fad-dah, (A Bishop's title is "The Right Reverend __". ) Here I am at / House Na-sho-tah. It's a school of / high-er know-ing, (You try rhyming sometime, it's not so easy.) and they say by May it's bound to have stopp'd snow-ing. (The snow almost didn't.) 

We're pages rea-ding, / by the thou-sands; (This is no exaggeration. 3-4k in 15 wks.) And ov'r-eat-ing, / puts on pound-ses (Our refectory's great food is known for this...) We talk a-lot / 'bout God's mis-sion; and our sur-plic-es are real-ly quite the fash-ion. (Surplices are a white, lightweight and voluminous vestment worn over our black cassocks during Evensong and Solemn Eucharist.) 

Now I don't want youse / t'find this sca-ry (This verse by John Armstrong.) But I've star-ted / t'pray to Ma-ry (John, that is. Nashotah is high Anglo-Catholic.) I hope there's no / cause for scan-dal, becuz when I do _ I al-so light a can-dle. (Ditto. Emphasis on Anglo-Catholic.) 

The fa-cul-ty / are all ho-ly, (At least I think so!) And the stu-dents get / ro-ly po-ly (The refectory again. Weight gain is all too common;-) We im-i-tate / Brud-duh Ben'-dict (We worship, study, eat & do chores communally.) So when trees blow down, we run around and pick up sticks. (I was on the outdoor work crew, often "picking up sticks" –what the branches were called– to avoid damage to the mowing machines. The campus is large and old, so unfortunately we had a number of beautiful mature trees meet their demise from windstorms.) 

Dean Sal-mon likes / trans-par-en-cy (An oft-heard phrase/concept of the Dean Bishop.) So's we's not be / like Pha-ri-sees Mis-sing cha-pel / will cause no ruc-kus, (Chapel is required 2x daily, but grace abounds.) we get time off pur-ga-tory from Fad-dah Klu-kas. (At least he says so...he's the Professor of Liturgics and Ascetical Theology, so he should know.) 

I need sleep, / I need to get more, (One student got no more than 4 hrs/night for 3 years.) I need sleep, / I miss count-ing sheep May-be I'll / catch a wink in cha-pel where It may-be won't get no-ticed there. (Very unlikely...the quire seating is such that it would be obvious, as we students face each other across the quire, and the faculty has a view over the quire.) 

Why'd I wait / to start my paper, (Actually I always had my papers in on time, if not early.) When I knew / when it was due... Have mer-cy / Oh, Je-sus hear me pray, (Seriously.) I've been here just...ONE...day! (Poetic license applied for and pending.) 

Dear-est Bi-shop, / Right Rev'rend Fad-dah, hope my grades be / get-tin' bed-deh, (Actually all A-s, so far.) Fad-dah Peay is / tryin' to frame me. (Fr. Peay is Academic Dean.) Do not list-en to him, go a-head, or-dain me. (Although it would be a bit premature, I'm sure.) 

Wait a min-ute, / I've been think-in', Fad-dah Ras-kopf, / he's been shrinkin'. (The staff psych here with bad jokes. A fun guy!) Me-di-ta-tion / makes me bed-deh, (Actually, it's great! Gets me re-centered on the Lord.) Rev'rend Fad-dah, kind-ly dis-re-gard this let-ter! 

The Rev. Thom Flowers, upon graduation from the House in 2015 (yes, he did indeed) and Diaconal ordination in the ACNA, served as the Curate and Parish Administrator at All Saints Anglican Cathedral of the Anglican Diocese in New England, located in Amesbury, Massachusetts. It was there he was ordained to the priesthood, serving under Dean Nathan Baxter and Bp. Bill Murdock.

In 2017, Fr. Thom moved to Asheville, North Carolina to be near his now 97-year old mother. It is there that he currently serves the parish of Redeemer Anglican Church as a volunteer assisting priest to the Rector, the Rev. Gary Ball, and volunteers as a chaplain to the Asheville Police Department, spending several shifts a week with officers in "ride-alongs," which he loves.