大象传媒

Please note:

This script cannot exactly reflect the transmission, as it was prepared before the service was broadcast. It may include editorial notes prepared by the producer, and minor spelling and other errors that were corrected before the radio broadcast.

It may contain gaps to be filled in at the time so that prayers may reflect the needs of the world, and changes may also be made at the last minute for timing reasons, or to reflect current events.

Radio 4 Opening Announcement:听
大象传媒 Radio 4 and now time for Easter Sunday Worship, live from Worcester Cathedral. The Celebrant is the Right Reverend John Inge, Bishop of Worcester and the preacher is the Dean, the Very Reverend Peter Atkinson.听 The introit is taken from the Worcester Fragments. These sheets of music, dating from the late thirteenth and early fourteenth century, were once used to bind books at the cathedral听 until their significance was recognised and they were pieced together to create a unique collection of mediaeval sacred music.听 The Eucharist begins with the Allelluia Psallat* 鈥� 鈥淎lleluia, Sing Praise, happy company, sing we all, happy family!鈥�

Introit

颁丑辞颈谤听听
Alleluia, psallat haec familia!
Words and music: anonymous 13th or 14th-century, from the Worcester Fragments

The Greeting
叠颈蝉丑辞辫听In the name of the Father,
听and of the Son,
听and of the Holy Spirit.
础濒濒听听础尘别苍.

听Peace be with you
All听听and also with you.

听Alleluia. Christ is risen.
All听听He is risen indeed. Alleluia.

叠颈蝉丑辞辫听
I bid you the warmest of welcomes to Worcester Cathedral and invite you to celebrate the joy of Easter Day with us.听 This series of broadcast services during Lent, has considered 鈥榩ilgrimage鈥�, culminating today with the theme 鈥減ilgrim living鈥�, and here at the cathedral, during Holy Week, we鈥檝e been reflecting on 鈥榩ilgrimage to the cross鈥櫶� -听 so this morning we make our pilgrimage to the empty tomb, and meet the risen Lord Jesus in the breaking of the word and the breaking of the bread, celebrating his glorious resurrection from the dead. Deeply conscious that the world is still racked with the marks of Christ鈥檚 passion, we proclaim our confidence that his love is stronger than evil, stronger than death itself, and that it will prevail over all. So with joy in our hearts we sing of this triumphant holy day in the hymn 鈥楯esus Christ is risen today鈥�.

Hymn Jesus Christ is risen today

from Lyra Davidica (1708)
Prayers of Penitence

Deacon听Christ our passover lamb has been sacrificed for us.
听Let us therefore rejoice by putting away all malice and evil
and confessing our sins with a sincere and true heart.
1 Corinthians 5.7,8

Like Mary at the empty tomb,
we fail to grasp the wonder of your presence.
Lord, have mercy.
All听听Lord, have mercy.

Like the disciples behind locked doors,
we are afraid to be seen as your followers.
Christ, have mercy.
All听听Christ, have mercy.

Like Thomas in the upper room,
we are slow to believe.
Lord, have mercy.
All听听Lord, have mercy.

叠颈蝉丑辞辫听May the God of love and power
听forgive you and free you from your sins,
听heal and strengthen you by his Spirit,
听and raise you to new life in Christ our Lord.
础濒濒听听础尘别苍.
Bishop 听
So in a burst of praise for Christ鈥檚 resurrection, the choir leads our thanksgiving in a setting by Haydn of that ancient prayer of the Church, the Gloria.

Gloria in Excelsis

The Collect

叠颈蝉丑辞辫听
听Lord of all life and power,
听who through the mighty resurrection of your Son
听overcame the old order of sin and death
听to make all things new in him:
听grant that we, being dead to sin
听and alive to you in Jesus Christ,
听may reign with him in glory;
听to whom with you and the Holy Spirit
听be praise and honour, glory and might,
听now and in all eternity.
础濒濒听听础尘别苍.

The Liturgy of the Word

The people sit for the reading and choir anthem.

First Reading

Reader 听A reading from the Acts of the Apostles.

听Peter began to speak to those assembled in the house of Cornelius. 鈥業 truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ 鈥� he is Lord of all. That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.鈥�
Acts 10.34-43
听听For the word of the Lord,
All听听thanks be to God.

Hymn 鈥� This Joyful Eastertide

Words: G. R. Woodward (1848-1934)
Music: 17th-century Dutch melody, arr. Charles Wood (1866-1926)

Deacon听 听
Those are the joyful words of G. R. Woodward, set to music by Charles Wood, preparing us to hear now the Easter gospel.

Gospel Reading

The people stand for this acclamation which heralds the Gospel reading

Choir听Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
听听I am the first and the last, says the Lord, and the living one;
听I was dead, and behold I am alive for evermore.听听听听听听听听听听听听听 cf Revelation 1.17,18

听

听

Reader听Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke.

Reader
On the first day of the week, at early dawn, the women who had accompanied Jesus 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. 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. 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.
听Luke 24.1鈥�12
This is the Gospel of the Lord.

听

Sermon
STORIES are judged by their endings. However enthralled we have been by the earlier episodes of The Night Manager, it is the final episode tonight that counts. What we long for in a good story is for knots to be unravelled and mysteries cleared up, for good to come out on top and evil defeated. Unlike our everyday experience, a good story takes us into a world in which puzzles are resolved and life makes sense.听 As Aristotle argued many centuries ago, even a tragic story, well told, can have a cleansing, purifying effect on our minds.

But the story of the resurrection of Jesus defies any tidy description. On the face of it, it is a classically happy ending. The innocent victim suffers an unjust death but God raises him to life, and the grief of his friends and followers turns to joy. That is the way we would like the world to be. We wish the violence in Syria or on the streets of Paris or Brussels would stop. We wish the refugee crisis were somehow resolved. When disaster or tragedy strikes, we would like the clock turned back. We would like the world to be other than it is.

But the resurrection of Jesus is not that kind of story. It鈥檚 not an improbable tale of injustice which God miraculously puts right, the clock put back to the time before he died. For one thing, Jesus鈥檚 experience of death is a vital part of the story. His is not a pretence of death with one eye on the resurrection. It鈥檚 a real death. In the gospel narratives, Jesus still bears the marks of his crucifixion: Jesus is the one who has come to know what death is like.

鈥�
Nor is it a story in which his friends and followers live happily ever after. As we heard in St Luke鈥檚 Gospel, the first disciples heard the news with bewilderment and disbelief. St Mark puts it more strongly: they simply ran away in terror. And when the risen Jesus did collect his followers together, it was not to round off the story, but to commission them for new work in God鈥檚 name, to spread the good news, to bring others to know him and love him and walk in his way. Far from being the end of the story, the resurrection turns out to be the start of a new one, the story of the lives lived in this world by his disciples. We had a glimpse of that in the first reading, from the Acts of the Apostles. We might say that when the credits come up on the final episode of the gospel story, the next series is already scheduled.

Nor is the resurrection a simple story about the world being put right. The violence on the streets of Jerusalem that Holy Week in which Jesus died did not stop, as his followers soon found out; and that violence has continued in the Holy Land and across the world, in countless conflicts, as we know well. It is into that world that the followers of Jesus went, many of them to suffer as he suffered; and there are places in the world today where Christians die for their faith.

And there again, the resurrection of Jesus is not a story about the instant transformation of his followers. Commissioned with his message, often facing persecution, Christians also fail, and sin, and sometimes betray their faith. As we know only too well today, Christian pastors and leaders (people like me) can be unworthy of their calling. We can damage the lives of those we are called to help, betray the Church we are called to represent, and dishonour the God we are called to serve. There is no excuse for this, and every ground for shame, but from the beginning Jesus entrusted his message to fallible people, and he made no promise of an instant transformation of sinners into saints. Every Christian is a pilgrim, someone still on a journey, still exploring, still making mistakes and taking wrong turnings. A Christian is not someone who has arrived at the journey鈥檚 end.

The story of the resurrection then is not a simple happy ending. It is the beginning of a new experiment in human living, fraught with difficulty and danger, entrusted by God to men and women insufficient in themselves to carry out so great a commission. From the first days of the Acts of the Apostles, the followers of Jesus formed cells and colonies of Christian living, breaking bread together as we do this morning, and (as St Luke puts it) knowing him in the breaking of that bread.

And the good news in all of this is that when we Christians get it partly right, when we are faithful to God and recognise his presence in our lives, then those cells or colonies of Christian living which we call the Church can be a power for good. The Church does good less perhaps on the public stage than in the unsung lives of Christian women and men serving God in the ordinary circumstances of daily life. It is what George Eliot speaks of at the end of Middlemarch, 鈥榯he growing good of the world partly dependent on unhistoric acts 鈥� owing to the number who lived faithfully a hidden life, and rest in unvisited tombs鈥�. The practice of such 鈥榰nhistoric acts鈥� belongs of course to all people of good will, there is no Christian monopoly of virtue. All people of good will, whatever their religious faith or lack of it, must stand today with arms linked in the face of terror. But Christians are those who have specifically recognised the call of God to live such lives, and have found the presence of the risen Jesus to be the source of inspiration and strength to do so.

In a world in which disaster and tragedy still strike, in which wars go on, in which the power of virtue is hard to measure, in which human lives are forgotten and tombs unvisited, Christians believe that the human journey does not end there. To the followers of the risen Jesus, life here is the opportunity to contribute to the 鈥榞ood of the world鈥�, and death is the doorway to a life which has no ending.

Affirmation of Faith

听The people stand.

Deacon听Let us declare our faith
听听in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

All听听Christ died for our sins
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he was buried;
he was raised to life on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures;
afterwards he appeared to his followers,
and to all the apostles:
this we have received,
and this we believe.
听Amen.
cf 1 Corinthians 15.3-7

Prayers of Intercession
The people kneel.

After each bidding, the following is sung

听

Sue Carpenter听

Let us Pray

Risen Lord Jesus, light of the morning, you bring joy to those who seek you;
Give your joy this day to John our bishop,
to those who were baptised and confirmed here last night,
to this diocese and cathedral, and to all your Christian people.
Inspire us to proclaim afresh the good news of your resurrection.

颁丑辞颈谤听听Lord, in your mercy 鈥�

Risen Lord Jesus, hope of the world, you speak words of peace;
breathe your peace upon our world.
Guide our Queen and those in authority in the ways of justice;
give courage to those who balance freedom with security
and those who make difficult decisions for the good of all.

颁丑辞颈谤听听Lord, in your mercy 鈥�

Risen Lord Jesus, bringer of life, you comfort those who are troubled;
Embrace those whose lives are shattered by war, fear and violence,
particularly the victims of terrorism in Belgium.
Give strength to the emergency services, social services and charities,
and all who help them to repair damaged lives.

颁丑辞颈谤听听Lord, in your mercy 鈥�

Risen Lord Jesus, loving presence, you walk alongside your friends;
Walk with our families, friends and neighbours.
We thank you for those who enrich our lives
and pray for those who are lonely, burdened or downhearted.

颁丑辞颈谤听听Lord, in your mercy 鈥�

Risen Lord Jesus, wounded healer, your body bears the marks of the cross;
Heal all who are suffering.
Be with medical staff and carers, both in hospital and at home.
We pray for those who are known to us.

颁丑辞颈谤听听Lord, in your mercy 鈥�

Risen Lord Jesus, glory of God, you break the power of death;
Draw to yourself those whom we have cherished and all who have died.
Give them a place at your eternal banquet,
and grant to those who mourn
the faith that they may come to share the triumph of your risen life.

颁丑辞颈谤听听Lord, in your mercy 鈥�

听At the end of the prayers, the following is said

听Merciful Father,
All听accept these prayers
听for the sake of your Son,
听our Saviour Jesus Christ.
听Amen.

The Liturgy of the Sacrament

The Peace

听The people stand.

叠颈蝉丑辞辫听The risen Christ came and stood among his disciples and said,
听听鈥楶eace be with you.鈥�
听Then were they glad when they saw the Lord. Alleluia.听听
John 20.19,20
听The peace of the risen Lord be always with you
All听听and also with you.

Deacon听Let us offer one another a sign of peace.

听All may exchange a sign of peace.

Deacon听 听The risen Jesus has overcome death听 -听 we never have to walk in darkness.听 So as we prepare to share communion, we sing the contemporary hymn, 鈥業 am the Light whose brightness shines on every pilgrim鈥檚 way鈥�.

Taking of the Bread and Wine

This hymn is sung, during which the bread and wine are placed on the altar

Hymn - 听I am the Light whose brightness shines
听

Robert Willis (b. 1947)

The bishop takes the bread and wine and says

Lord of life,
with unbounded joy we offer you our sacrifice of praise.
As we are fed with the bread of heaven
may we know your resurrection power;
through Christ our risen Lord.
All听Amen.
The Eucharistic Prayer

叠颈蝉丑辞辫听The Lord be with you
All听听and also with you.

听Lift up your hearts.
All听We lift them to the Lord.

听Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
All听It is right to give thanks and praise.
叠颈蝉丑辞辫听
It is indeed right,
it is our duty and our joy,
at all times and in all places
to give you thanks and praise,
holy Father, heavenly King,
almighty and eternal God,
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord.

But chiefly are we bound to praise you
because you raised him gloriously from the dead.
For he is the true paschal lamb who was offered for us,
and has taken away the sin of the world.
By his death he has destroyed death,
and by his rising to life again he has restored to us everlasting life.

Therefore with angels and archangels,
and with all the company of heaven,
we proclaim your great and glorious name,
for ever praising you and singing:

Choir - Sanctus

鈥�
叠颈蝉丑辞辫听Accept our praises, heavenly Father,
听through your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ,
听and as we follow his example and obey his command,
听grant that by the power of your Holy Spirit
听these gifts of bread and wine
听may be to us his body and his blood;

听who, in the same night that he was betrayed,
听took bread and gave you thanks;
听he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying:
听Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you;
听do this in remembrance of me.

听听In the same way, after supper
听he took the cup and gave you thanks;
听he gave it to them, saying:
听Drink this, all of you;
听this is my blood of the new covenant,
听which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins.
听Do this, as often as you drink it,
听in remembrance of me.
鈥�

听Therefore, heavenly Father,
听we remember his offering of himself
听made once for all upon the cross;
听we proclaim his mighty resurrection and glorious ascension;
听we look for the coming of your kingdom,
听and with this bread and this cup
听we make the memorial of Christ your Son our Lord.

Deacon听Jesus Christ is Lord:
All听Lord, by your cross and resurrection
听you have set us free.
听You are the Saviour of the world.

叠颈蝉丑辞辫听Accept through him, our great high priest,
this our sacrifice of thanks and praise,
and as we eat and drink these holy gifts
in the presence of your divine majesty,
renew us by your Spirit,
inspire us with your love
and unite us in the body of your Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord.

Through him, and with him, and in him,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
with all who stand before you in earth and heaven,
we worship you, Father almighty,
in songs of everlasting praise:
All 听Blessing and honour and glory and power
听be yours for ever and ever.
听Amen.

The Lord鈥檚 Prayer

The people kneel.

叠颈蝉丑辞辫听 听Rejoicing in God鈥檚 new creation,
听as our Saviour taught us, so we pray

All听Our Father in heaven,
听hallowed be your name,
听your kingdom come,
听your will be done,
听on earth as in heaven.
听Give us today our daily bread.
听Forgive us our sins
听as we forgive those who sin against us.
听Lead us not into temptation
听but deliver us from evil.
听For the kingdom, the power,
听and the glory are yours
听now and for ever.
听Amen.

鈥�
Breaking of the Bread

The bishop breaks the consecrated bread, saying

Jesus says, I am the bread of life,
whoever eats this bread will live for ever.
All 听Lord, our hearts hunger for you;
听give us this bread always.

Choir 鈥� Agnus Dei
听
Giving of Communion

The bishop invites the people to communion, saying

Alleluia. Christ our passover is sacrificed for us.
All听Therefore let us keep the feast. Alleluia.
听

The bishop and ministers in the sanctuary receive communion.

Choir听Lord of the Dance

Sydney Carter (1915-2004), arr. David Willcocks (1919-2015)鈥�
听Prayer after Communion

叠颈蝉丑辞辫听 听Our pilgrimage, in the light of Easter, is not so much a walk as a dance听 -听 so suggest the popular words of Sydney Carter, set to music by a former organist of Worcester Cathedral who died last November, Sir David Willcocks.听 Let us pray.

叠颈蝉丑辞辫听God of Life,
who for our redemption gave your only-begotten Son
听to the death of the cross,
and by his glorious resurrection
have delivered us from the power of our enemy:
grant us so to die daily to sin,
that we may evermore live with him in the joy of his risen life;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
All听Amen.

All听You have opened to us the Scriptures, O Christ,
and you have made yourself known
in the breaking of the bread.
Abide with us, we pray,
that, blessed by your royal presence,
we may walk with you
all the days of our life,
and at its end behold you
in the glory of the eternal Trinity,
one God for ever and ever.
Amen.

Bishop 听With whom will you now share your Easter pilgrimage?听 As we walk with others on life鈥檚 journey, we cannot help but share the joy of Easter Day.听 In the words of St John of Damascus听 -听 our final hymn听 -听 鈥楾he day of resurrection, earth, tell it out abroad!'

听听The people stand to sing this hymn

Hymn - The day of resurrection
St John Damascene (c. 675鈥� c. 750), tr. J. M. Neale (1818-1866)
The Dismissal

叠颈蝉丑辞辫听Alleluia. Christ is risen.
All听He is risen indeed. Alleluia.

听The bishop blesses the people, saying

God the Father,
by whose love Christ was raised from the dead,
open to you who believe the gates of everlasting life.
All 听听Amen.

God the Son,
who in bursting from the grave has won a glorious victory,
give you joy as you share the Easter faith.
础濒濒听听础尘别苍.

God the Holy Spirit,
who filled the disciples with the life of the risen Lord,
empower you and fill you with Christ鈥檚 peace.
All 听听Amen.

And the blessing of God almighty,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be among you and remain with you always.
All 听听Amen.

Choir听Go in the peace of Christ. Alleluia, alleluia.
听Thanks be to God. Alleluia, alleluia.

Organ Voluntary

Symphonie VI / Finale听 听Charles-Marie Widor (1844-1937)