And You Will Sleep

Intrigues by the parallel images of a mother embracing her child at birth and again at death, the composer asked his mother, Laurie F. Gauger, to write a Christmas text that was equal parts lullaby and funeral dirge. The result is this tender reflection on the physical articles present at both events in Jesus' life. The repeated lines "Though you must lie on this rough, unforgiving wood, you will be wrapped in lengths of linen, and you will sleep" are the unifying idea in the work as the wood represents both the manger and the cross. The beautiful a cappella setting for mixed choir can be appropriate at any time of year as a reflection on the birth, life and death of Jesus.