We Brought the A-Team

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

 Steven L. Harrison, 33°, FMLR

A few months back I was surfing through FaceBook when I came upon this post from Midnight Freemasons Managing Editor Robert Johnson:

"So I heard a Lodge recently bragging that they do all their own degree work. I didn't know it was a thing to have other Lodges come do your work. So for the record, The Lodges in Waukegan also do all their own work."

While my Lodge also does its own degree work, in my area it's not uncommon to have other Lodges do "courtesy work," especially for the smaller Lodges.  It may not be the ideal situation, but it's sometimes necessary.  

Brother Robert's observation brought to mind an evening when another Lodge in my area asked my own Lodge, Liberty 31, to perform a Third Degree.  We couldn't fit it into our schedule, so we punted it over to the local Study Club, which had an upcoming meeting at Liberty.

So instead of Study Club, we held a Called Meeting. As we were preparing to begin, a Brother from out of state walked in, said he had seen our outside light was on and decided to attend.  

With the study club members present we had the luxury of putting the "best of the best" in each position. I was the Chaplain that evening.  I suppose I belonged in that esteemed group only because the Chaplain's job is to watch the entire degree and then, near the end, not screw things up.

Fact is, with that team in place, we simply performed the most amazing degree I have ever seen.  Everyone knew their parts; everyone hit their marks; it went off like clockwork.  

At the end of the evening we went around the room for the requisite introductions and remarks.  When our out-of-town visitor stood up, he let us know he was, in no uncertain terms, astounded by the quality of the work.  He went so far as to say it put his own jurisdiction's work "to shame." 

I don't know if anyone ever told him our little secret.  We brought the A-Team that night and hit one out of the park.

~SLH

Bro. Steve Harrison, 33°, is Past Master of Liberty Lodge #31, Liberty, Missouri. He is the editor of the Missouri Freemason magazine, author of the book Freemasonry Crosses the Mississippi, a Fellow of the Missouri Lodge of Research and also its Worshipful Master. He is a dual member of Kearney Lodge #311, St. Joseph Missouri Valley of the Scottish Rite, Liberty York Rite, Moila Shrine and a member and Past Dean of the DeMolay Legion of Honor. Brother Harrison is a regular contributor to the Midnight Freemasons blog as well as several other Masonic publications. His latest book, Freemasons: Tales From the Craft & Freemasons at Oak Island. Both are available on amazon.com.