大象传媒

大象传媒 Radio 4: 鈥β� And on this Easter morning our Sunrise Service begins outdoors on the Kent coast. It鈥檚 led by Father Marcus Holden.

[Atmos of sea; gulls; crackling of fire鈥�]

FR MARCUS:聽
Good morning - and a blessed morning because we鈥檙e rejoicing in the resurrection light of Jesus Christ.聽 We鈥檙e standing outside the south porch of St Augustine鈥檚 church in Ramsgate.聽 We can see the sea, the English channel, over which came St Augustine in 597AD bringing the news of the risen Saviour for the first time to the English people.聽 The Easter fire is in front of us and it鈥檚 still alight.聽 The fire is a symbol of the resurrection 鈥� it is lit on Easter night, or before dawn on Easter Day - and represents how the darkness can never overcome the light of God.听听 It reminds us of how the new light burst forth 鈥榳hile it was still dark鈥�.聽 The Paschal candle is lit from the Easter fire with the words, 鈥楳ay the light of Christ, rising in glory, banish all darkness from our hearts and minds鈥�.聽
The musical sequence 鈥榁ictimae Paschali Laudes鈥� has been sung on this day for a thousand years:聽 Let Christians offer sacrificial praises to the passover victim.聽 The lamb has redeemed the sheep: The Innocent Christ has reconciled sinners to the Father. Death and life contended in a spectacular battle: the Prince of life, who died, reigns alive. [Tell us, Mary, what did you see on the road? "I saw the tomb of the living Christ and the glory of his rising, The angelic witnesses, the clothes and the shroud." "Christ my hope is arisen; into Galilee, he will go before his own." ]

鈥�
MUSIC 1: CHOIR -聽 Victimae Paschali Laudes (1鈥�40鈥�)

FR MARCUS:听听听听
The Paschal candle represents Christ risen in glory.聽 Light is the symbol of glory. Once the candle is alight then in turn the candles of all the faithful are lit as a reminder of the light of Christ鈥檚 resurrection being shared.听听 As we process into the church with those candles lit, we hear the words 鈥楲umen Christi鈥�.聽 Entering through the Holy Door of this Year鈥檚 Jubilee of Mercy the choir sings 鈥楾he Light of Christ鈥� to which we respond, 鈥楧eo Gratias鈥�, 鈥楾hanks be to God鈥�.

MUSIC 2:聽 (Fr Marcus or Cantor solo) 鈥楲umen Christi鈥欌��(Choir Response) 鈥楧eo gratias鈥� (sung 3 times)

FR MARCUS:聽
Now inside the church, we recite part of an ancient prayer of rejoicing in the light of the risen Lord.聽 It speaks of both fire and light: the candle and the flame -and it鈥檚 called the Exultet.

MUSIC 3:聽 Exultet (in Latin)

鈥�
FR MARCUS:聽
O holy Father, accept this candle, a solemn offering, the work of bees and of your servants鈥� hands, a sacrifice of praise, this gift from your most holy Church.聽
But now we know the praises of this pillar, which glowing fire ignites for God's honour, a fire into many flames divided, yet never dimmed by sharing of its light, for it is fed by melting wax, drawn out by mother bees to build a torch so precious...
Receive it as a pleasing fragrance, and let it mingle with the lights of heaven.聽 May this flame be found still burning by the Morning Star: the one Morning Star who never sets, Christ your Son, who, coming back from death's domain, has shed his peaceful light on humanity, and lives and reigns for ever and ever.听听 Amen.

MUSIC 4: HYMN 鈥� Lead kindly light 4vs
听听

鈥�
FR MARCUS:聽
As our candles are extinguished we begin to see the beauty of the church within 鈥� full of flowers and bursting with white and gold decorations.聽 This is the personal church of the architect Augustus Pugin 鈥� he called it 鈥榟is child鈥�.聽 It was his model church of the Gothic Revival.聽 He was laid to rest with his family here in the hope of resurrection on the last day.听听 As the light shines through the east window depicting Christ risen in glory, the symbols of the four evangelists at the base of the window remind us today of their accounts of the resurrection 鈥� each distinct, yet all confirming an event which changed them and the world forever.听听

Christians build up a sense of anticipation and expectancy in preparation for this day. We have fasted and repented through Lent following Christ into the desert and have participated, as if we were there, at his passion and death on Good Friday. Now comes joy - Easter is the greatest celebration in the Christian calendar and the faithful are called through sacred rituals and ceremonies to really empathise with the joy of the first disciples on this day 鈥� indeed the joy in the heart of the risen Christ.聽 The resurrection gives confirmation of all that Jesus claimed and taught, it demonstrates that death is not the end for the human person and it confirms that darkness cannot overcome the light. Here is the account of St Luke read in churches throughout the world on Easter morning.

鈥�
READING:聽 Luke 24.1-12
READER - TBC:
On the first day of the week, at early dawn, the women came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in, they did not find the body.聽 While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, 鈥榃hy do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen.聽 Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.鈥� Then they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.

鈥�
FR MARCUS:聽
The original message of the resurrection literally spread like wild fire.聽 We know that the early disciples and witnesses of the resurrection were changed, never to be the same again.聽 They went far and wide to proclaim that Christ is risen and the message, although persecuted, spread across the world without earthly power, money or military might.聽 The resurrection is so essential to Christianity that St Paul would say, 鈥榠f Christ be not raised then your faith is in vain鈥�.听听 This message had reached the shores of Britain by the second century 鈥� there is a Roman baptismal font a few miles south from here at Richborough Fort.聽 Again, when the light of faith was becoming dim after the coming of the Anglo-Saxons who did not know of the resurrection, St Augustine landed here on Thanet and the gospel torch burned brightly once again.聽 It is as if each generation passes on the light of faith to the next like a glowing torch.聽 The window in this church, in the Pugin chantry, depicts St Augustine landing and bringing a book of the gospels containing the good news of the resurrection which was preached to King Ethelbert 鈥� England鈥檚 first Christian monarch.聽 That message just over a hundred years later led to the building of a Monastery near here called Minster Abbey.聽 Its foundress, great grand-daughter of Ethelbert, St Domneva, and her daughter St Mildred were Abbesses who sang the praises of the risen Christ through the eighth century.聽 Their monastic tradition is continued today with a community of Benedictine nuns.聽 Sr Mary Stephen is from St Mildred鈥檚 Abbey and a poet.聽 She has composed this poem for us today, a contemplative way to share the light of Christ.

鈥�
POEM - SR MARY STEPHEN:
EASTER SUNRISE
MUSIC 5: CHOIR -聽 Haec dies quam fecit Dominus鈥︹�� 鈥� William Byrd

FR MARCUS:聽 [At the font]
The Victoria Consort, Directed by Thomas Neal, with William Byrd鈥檚 鈥楬aec dies quam fecit Dominus鈥�: this is the day that the Lord has made, let us be glad and rejoice.鈥�

Easter is associated with baptism 鈥� Pugin鈥檚 baptismal font here at St Augustine鈥檚 is particularly splendid 鈥� it was made for the Great Exhibition of 1851 and reaches from earth to heaven, being four metres high with its canopy.聽 It has exquisite stone carving depicting the original sin of Adam and Eve, Jesus鈥� death, and his resurrection.听听

[dip candle]

At Easter the paschal candle is lowered into the baptismal font three times with the words:聽 鈥淢ay the power of the Holy Spirit, O Lord, we pray, come down through your Son into the fullness of this font

[dip candle]

鈥�so that all who have been buried with Christ by Baptism into death may rise again to life with him.鈥�

[dip candle]

As Christians we remember today our baptismal promises when we passed through death with Christ and into life. We renew these promises today 鈥� that we believe in God, in Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and that we reject evil and its allurements.聽 We stand with our candles relit from the Paschal candle and proclaim our faith.聽 Last night many thousands of people were baptised around the country 鈥� we pray for them today that they may have great joy and be living witnesses to the resurrection light in our world today. The holy water that we use and are sprinkled with is a reminder of the new divine life of the resurrection.
And so we pray鈥�

PRAYERS - FR MARCUS/ SR MARY STEPHEN:聽
Prayers of intercession鈥�

鈥�
ALL:聽 Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.聽 Thy kingdom come, they will be done on earth as it is in heaven.聽 Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.聽 Amen.

FR MARCUS:聽 O God, who on this day, through your Only Begotten Son, have conquered death and unlocked for us the path to eternity, grant, we pray, that we who keep the solemnity of the Lord's Resurrection may, through the renewal brought by your Spirit, rise up in the light of life.聽 Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
ALL:聽 Amen

And may the blessing of Almighty God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit come down upon you and remain with you forever.
ALL:聽 Amen

MUSIC 6:聽 HYMN 鈥� The strife is o鈥檈r