大象传媒

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.听 It鈥檚 ten past eight and time to go live to the Church of St Mary Magdalene, Sandringham, for Sunday Worship.听 The preacher today is the Bishop of Norwich, the Rt Revd Graham James, and the service is led by the Rector of Sandringham, Canon Jonathan Riviere.听 Members of the Royal Family regularly attend church on the Sandringham Estate when they鈥檙e in residence, so it鈥檚 customary for the service to begin with the National Anthem.

National Anthem:

God save our gracious Queen;
Long live our noble Queen;
God save the Queen.
Send her victorious, happy and glorious,
Long to reign over us,
God save the Queen

Welcome and Announcement of Hymn (Rector)
Welcome to our service of Morning Prayer in the Church of St Mary Magdalene at the centre of the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk which Her Majesty the Queen has regularly attended through her life. Today we will give thanks for Her Majesty鈥檚 90th birthday and we will pray for her and the Royal Family.听 We use the traditional service from the Book of Common Prayer and it鈥檚 a great pleasure to have the Bishop of Norwich with us as our preacher this morning.听 We sing our first hymn: 鈥楢ll my hope on God is founded.鈥�

Hymn:听All my hope on God is founded;
听听Beloved, we are come together in the presence of almighty God and
of the whole company of heaven to offer unto him through our Lord
Jesus Christ our worship and praise and thanksgiving; to make
confession of our sins; to pray, as well for others as for ourselves,
that we may know more truly the greatness of God's love and shew
forth in our lives the fruits of his grace; and to ask on behalf of all
men such things as their well-being doth require.听 Wherefore let us kneel
in silence and remember God鈥檚 presence with us now.

Let us humbly confess our sins to Almighty God.
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ALMIGHTY and most merciful Father, We have erred, and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep, We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts, We have offended against thy holy laws, We have left undone those things which we ought to have done, And we have done those things which we ought not to have done, And there is no health in us: But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us miserable offenders; Spare thou them, O God, which confess their faults, Restore thou them that are penitent, According to thy promises declared unto mankind in Christ Jesu our Lord: And grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake, That we may hereafter live a godly, righteous, and sober life, To the glory of thy holy Name. Amen.

(Bishop)听 May the almighty and merciful Lord grant unto you pardon and remission of all your sins, time for amendment of life, and the grace and comfort of the Holy Spirit.听 Amen.
OUR Father, which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, in earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive them that trespass against us; And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, For ever and ever.听 Amen.
(Cantor) O Lord, open thou our lips.
And our mouth shall shew forth thy praise.

O God, make speed to save us
O Lord, make haste to help us.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;听
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Praise ye the Lord.
The Lord's Name be praised.

Announcement of Venite vv.1-7 (Rector)

O COME, let us sing unto the Lord :
let us heartily rejoice in the strength of our salvation.
Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving :
and show ourselves glad in him with psalms.
For the Lord is a great God :
and a great King above all gods.
In his hand are all the corners of the earth :
and the strength of the hills is his also.
The sea is his, and he made it :
and his hands prepared the dry land.
O come, let us worship and fall down :
and kneel before the Lord our Maker.
For he is the Lord our God :
and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son : and to the Holy Ghost;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be:
world without end. Amen.

First Lesson: Psalm 21: 1-7 (BCP)

THE King shall rejoice in thy strength, O Lord : exceeding glad shall he be of thy salvation.2 Thou hast given him his heart's desire : and hast not denied him the request of his lips.3 For thou shalt prevent him with the blessings of goodness : and shalt set a crown of pure gold upon his head.4 He asked life of thee, and thou gavest him a long life : even for ever and ever.5 His honour is great in thy salvation : glory and great worship shalt thou lay upon him.6 For thou shalt give him everlasting felicity : and make him glad with the joy of thy countenance.7 And why? because the King putteth his trust in the Lord : and in the mercy of the most Highest he shall not miscarry.

Here endeth the First Lesson

Announcement of Psalm (Rector)

Psalm 62听 vv.1-8

MY soul truly waiteth still upon God : for of him cometh my salvation.
2 He verily is my strength and my salvation : he is my defence, so that I shall not greatly fall.
3 How long will ye imagine mischief against every man : ye shall be slain all the sort of you; yea, as a tottering wall shall ye be, and like a broken hedge.
4 Their device is only how to put him out whom God will exalt : their delight is in lies; they give good words with their mouth, but curse with their heart.
5 Nevertheless, my soul, wait thou still upon God : for my hope is in him.
6 He truly is my strength and my salvation : he is my defence, so that I shall not fall.
7 In God is my health, and my glory : the rock of my might, and in God is my trust.
8 O put your trust in him alway, ye people : pour out your hearts before him, for God is our hope.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son: and to the Holy Ghost;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be: world without end听 Amen.

Second Lesson: Ephesians 1: 15-23 (KJV)

听15 Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints,
16 Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;
17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all

Here endeth the Second Lesson

Announcement of Jubilate Deo (Rector)

O BE joyful in the Lord, all ye lands : serve the Lord with gladness, and come before his presence with a song.
Be ye sure that the Lord he is God : it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
O go your way into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise : be thankful unto him, and speak good of his Name.
For the Lord is gracious, his mercy is everlasting : and his truth endureth from generation to generation.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son : and to the Holy Ghost;
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be : world without end. Amen

The Apostles鈥� Creed (Rector leads)

I BELIEVE in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth:
And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, Born of the Virgin Mary, Suffered under Pontius Pilate, Was crucified, dead, and buried: He descended into hell; The third day he rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, And sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost; The holy Catholick Church; The Communion of Saints; The Forgiveness of sins; The Resurrection of the body, And the Life everlasting. Amen.

(Cantor) The Lord be with you.
And with thy spirit.

Let us pray.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
Christ, have mercy upon us.
Lord, have mercy upon us.

O Lord, shew thy mercy upon us.
And grant us thy salvation.

O Lord, save the Queen.
And mercifully hear us when we call upon thee.

Endue thy Ministers with righteousness.
And make thy chosen people joyful.

O Lord, save thy people.
And bless thine inheritance.

Give peace in our time, O Lord.
Because there is none other that fighteth for us, but only thou, O God.

O God, make clean our hearts within us.
And take not thy Holy Spirit from us.

Heavenly Father, who hast brought our gracious sovereign Queen Elizabeth to the completion of her ninetieth year, and dost gather her people in celebration of the same: grant that we, rejoicing before thee with thankful hearts, may ever be united in love and service to one another, and her kingdom flourish in prosperity and peace, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

O GOD, who art the author of peace and lover of concord, in knowledge of whom standeth our eternal life, whose service is perfect freedom: Defend us thy humble servants in all assaults of our enemies; that we, surely trusting in thy defence, may not fear the power of any adversaries; through the might of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

O LORD, our heavenly Father, Almighty and everlasting God, who hast safely brought us to the beginning of this day: Defend us in the same with thy mighty power; and grant that this day we fall into no sin, neither run into any kind of danger; but that all our doings may be ordered by thy governance, to do always that is righteous in thy sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Announcement of Anthem (Rector)

Anthem: Lord of all (Malcolm Archer)
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Prayers (Rector):
ALMIGHTY God, the fountain of all goodness, we humbly beseech thee to bless our gracious Queen and all the Royal Family: Endue them with thy Holy Spirit; enrich them with thy heavenly grace; prosper them with all happiness; and bring them to thine everlasting kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Intercessions.
We pray for peace throughout the world. For those many places where there is so much violence and suffering.
We pray for the people of Syria, Iraq and Palestine, for all those whose lives are filled with fear and uncertainty.
We pray for all refugees.
We pray for the Church throughout the world, for Justin, our Archbishop, Graham, our Bishop and the work of the Church in our Diocese of Norwich and in this group of parishes.
We pray also for the communities in which we live and give thanks for their love and support.
We bring before God our particular prayers and concerns and ask for his wisdom and guidance in all that we do.

ALMIGHTY God, who hast given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplications unto thee; and dost promise that when two or three are gathered together in thy Name thou wilt grant their requests: Fulfil now, O Lord, the desires and petitions of thy servants, as may be most expedient for them; granting us in this world knowledge of thy truth, and in the world to come life everlasting. Amen.
THE grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost, be with us all evermore. Amen.
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Announcement of Hymn (Rector)
Firmly I believe and truly

Sermon: The Bishop of Norwich
Sandringham Parish Church is one of the most visited in Norfolk.听 The Diocese of Norwich has more medieval churches per square mile than anywhere else in Western Europe.听 Although this is one of them there is little to show from earlier centuries.听 It鈥檚 not the architecture, pleasing though it is, which brings people here.听 It鈥檚 the close association with the Queen and the Royal Family.听 The Sandringham Estate belongs to the Queen personally.听 It was bought by Edward VII when Prince of Wales in 1862.听 Affection for Sandringham has passed down the royal generations, and now the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have made their home at nearby Anmer Hall.
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At Christmas and throughout January every year hundreds of people gather to watch the Queen and other members of the Royal Family come to church here.听 It never occurs to anyone that the Queen may miss church on a Sunday, even if those watching her often do so.听 When in residence the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh regard themselves as ordinary Norfolk parishioners.听 No formal acknowledgment of their presence is made in church.听 They worship with the congregation.听 But unlike in most parishes the National Anthem is always sung.听 It began our service today.听 鈥淕od save our gracious Queen.鈥澨� I鈥檝e sung it countless times since childhood.听 Most of us cannot remember singing the National Anthem in relation to another monarch.听 As we celebrate the Queen鈥檚 90th birthday, we realise she has been part of the landscape of our lives as long as we can remember.听 鈥淕racious鈥� is one of the words most used to describe her.
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Grace is a word in common currency.听 But we may find it hard to define since it seems to have such a galaxy of meanings.

I鈥檓 often asked to say grace both at formal dinners and in church halls over tables groaning with quiche and sausage rolls.听 A lady in waiting to the Queen may write that Her Majesty is graciously pleased to receive a gift or attend an event.听 Sometimes we are told that losers in elections or sporting events are gracious in defeat.听 A person whose manners are impeccable and whose courtesy is impressive may be described as gracious.
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Then we come to church and learn that God is gracious.听 The word is woven into the fabric of Christian life.听 Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh, is full of grace and truth. The Angel Gabriel hails Mary as 鈥渇ull of grace鈥�. Christians of many traditions frequently bring meetings to a close by saying 鈥淭he grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us鈥� echoing the words of St Paul at the end of his second letter to the Corinthians.
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Archbishop William Temple once described how grace comes to us as a sheer gift.听 He said
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鈥淲hen I want to move my hand, it moves.听 I don鈥檛 have to stop and think 鈥渉ow shall I move it?鈥澨� It happens.听 But if I find myself to be a selfish kind of person and want to be unselfish it doesn鈥檛 happen.听 Therefore, something has got to take hold of us from outside.听 It is grace.鈥�
Grace isn鈥檛 some sort of static quality found either in God or in human beings.听 It鈥檚 about the way God works through his Spirit in us, channelling his love and goodness.听 We receive grace.听 It鈥檚 a gift.听 And in the Church we speak of the sacraments as the means of grace.
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One of those means of grace in the life of the Queen was operative on the day of her coronation.听 There was heated debate then over whether television cameras should be allowed in Westminster Abbey.听 Most homes didn鈥檛 have a television set in 1953.听 The Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, and the Archbishop of Canterbury at the time, Geoffrey Fisher, were both very doubtful.听 Wasn鈥檛鈥� the coronation too intimate for general public view?听 Fortunately the cameras were allowed in, but there was one element of the service which no-one, even in the Abbey itself, could see.听 A canopy was placed over the Queen when she was anointed, bare headed.听 Her anointing was a sign for this faithful Christian that God would give her the grace and strength to fulfil the demands upon her.听 No Christian lives as a member of the Body of Christ in their own strength, but only by relying on God鈥檚 sustaining grace and love.
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Sometimes people speak of the Queen鈥檚 great sense of duty.听 But perhaps the clue to her character and consistency is found here in one of the churches were she worships regularly.听 For the open secret of the Queen鈥檚 long life has been her constant and unwavering reliance upon the grace of God.听 No wonder we can sing with great conviction 鈥淕od save our gracious Queen鈥�.
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Announcement of Hymn (Rector)
听Praise, my soul, the King of heaven;

Blessing (Bishop) + sung Amen

Organ Voluntary: Grosser Gott wir loben Gott 鈥� Flor Peeters (Holy God we praise Thy Name)

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