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

Opening announcement from Radio 4:
大象传媒 Radio 4.听听 And now we to live to Bangor Cathedral in North Wales for this week鈥檚 Sunday Worship in which The Right. Rev鈥檇 Andy John reflects on the inspiration of his sixth century predecessor - the first Bishop of Bangor, St. Deiniol.听听 The service is led by the Dean, the Very Rev鈥檇 Kathy Jones.

1.INTRO DEAN KATHY JONES听听
Good morning and welcome to the city of Bangor which lies next to the Menai Straits at the foot of the majestic Snowdonia National Park.听 St Deniol first built a church here in 525AD, being consecrated the First Bishop of Bangor in the year 546 - which makes this one of the earliest cathedral sites in the United kingdom.
Present day Bangor is exciting, diverse and multi-cultural with the university bringing students to the city from all over the world - a younger generation which thrives happily amongst the established Welsh speaking communities in and around the city.
Currently we鈥檙e enjoying St. Deniol-tide - our patronal festival celebrating history, culture and music 鈥� and which culminates tomorrow when the Church in Wales marks St Deniol鈥檚 feast day itself.
Our opening hymn invites us all to be drawn into the timeless glory of God 鈥� to the tune St Denio we sing 鈥淚mmortal invisible God only wise鈥�

2. HYMN听 CHOIR/CONG/ORGAn听
Immortal, invisible听听

3. LINK DEAN KATHY
St Deniol鈥檚 family descended from the North of England and it鈥檚 likely that he spent his early life in Powys and Pembrokeshire.听听 He first sought God through solitude and reflection as a hermit before becoming the founder of what became a large monastic community in Bangor.
Here in the Diocese of Bangor, we鈥檙e inspired by a pathway of prayer and discipleship which we call St Deniol鈥檚 Way.听听 In a very large and mostly rural dispersed diocese, this pilgrim way unites us in a common journey in which we endeavour to follow the example of St Deniol.
Our three markers are to worship God, grow the church and love the world听 and we pray now for guidance to do that :
God of Grace, you have called us to follow in the steps of the early disciples and saints, to live a life in true balance of wellbeing, to pray each day and share in our own way your love for all people and creation.听听 By your love and grace and through the example of St Deniol, help us to be faithful in our prayer, in our work and in our times of rest, in the busy hours and in the quiet spaces, so that we may worship you, so that your church may grow and so that your love may embrace and heal our broken world. Amen

4. LINK INTO MOTET KATHY
The Cathedral Choir sings a motet composed in 1572 by the Spanish renaissance composer Tom谩s Luis da Vittoria.听 The text from the monastic office for the feast of All Saints translates: O how glorious is the kingdom in which all the saints rejoice with Christ, clad in robes of white, they follow the lamb wherever he goes. O Quam Gloriosum:

5. Motet: O Quam gloriosum听听 CHOIR / ORGAN

6. READING
A Reading from the book of the prophet Ezekiel Chapter 34 verses 11 鈥� 16听

11 鈥淔or thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. 12 As a shepherd seeks out his flock when some of his sheep have been scattered abroad, so will I seek out my sheep; and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. 13 And I will bring them out from the peoples, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land; and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the fountains, and in all the inhabited places of the country. 14 I will feed them with good pasture, and upon the mountain heights of Israel shall be their pasture; there they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on fat pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel. 15 I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will make them lie down, says the Lord GOD. 16 I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the crippled, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will watch over; I will feed them in justice.
Here ends the First Reading.

7. LINK INTO ANTHEM KATHY
The anthem 鈥� Hear O thou Shepherd of Israel was composed in 1982 by William Mathias for the Consecration of Bishop John Cledan Mears 鈥� 77th听 Bishop of Bangor.听听听听 Mathias, a composer of international repute, was Professor of Music at here at the University of Bangor from 1970 -1988 and had a close connection with the Cathedral, regularly attending services until his death in 1992.听听听 The Cathedral Choir continues that connection singing a wide variety of his music throughout the liturgical year.听 Indeed, the lower voices of the choir are mainly drawn from the Music Department of the University as Choral Scholars.听听听 Hear O thou Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock, shew thyself, thou that sittest between the cherubim. Stir up thy strength and come and help us.

8. ANTHEM CHOIR / ORGAN
Hear O thou Shepherd of Israel

9. READING听
A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. John Chapter 21 [Verses 15-19]

15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, 鈥淪imon, son of John, do you love me more than these?鈥� He said to him, 鈥淵es, Lord; you know that I love you.鈥� He said to him, 鈥淔eed my lambs.鈥� 16 A second time he said to him, 鈥淪imon, son of John, do you love me?鈥� He said to him, 鈥淵es, Lord; you know that I love you.鈥� He said to him, 鈥淭end my sheep.鈥� 17 He said to him the third time, 鈥淪imon, son of John, do you love me?鈥� Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, 鈥淒o you love me?鈥� And he said to him, 鈥淟ord, you know everything; you know that I love you.鈥� Jesus said to him, 鈥淔eed my sheep. 18 Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you girded yourself and walked where you would; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish to go.鈥� 19 (This he said to show by what death he was to glorify God.) And after this he said to him, 鈥淔ollow me.鈥�
Here ends the Gospel Reading.

10. LINK KATHY听
We sing now of the Saints of Wales and their willingness, in challenging times, to follow the Lord. We, too, are charged to follow God in their footsteps, asking for the vision and courage to fulfil their work begun - Lord, who in thy perfect wisdom times and seasons dost arrange, working out thy changeless purpose in a world of ceaseless change.

11. HYMN CHOIR / CONG / ORGAN
Lord, who in thy perfect wisdom听听
听
12. SERMON Pt. 1: BISHOP ANDY JOHN
鈥楪reat starts here鈥� the announcer said, advertising the very best and latest in sports gear and clothing. 鈥榊ou want to be great? Then array yourself in the best and finest kit and you鈥檙e well on your way鈥�.听 At least that鈥檚 how I heard the words.
And they stopped me in my tracks.听 Great starts here?听听 It was an interesting thought but caused me to wonder what the announcer meant and what greatness actually looks like?听 After all, many people lay claim to greatness in today鈥檚 world -politicians, sportsmen and women, rock stars, sometimes religious leaders and perhaps even the poets and writers who cast visions of what life could be like if only we all did things differently.听听 But for all the claims to greatness, far too often we are left disappointed and perhaps even bewildered at the gap between the claim and reality.
When Jesus spoke about greatness he turned on its head almost everything everyone understood by the word.听听 In a world where power was exercised by the wealthy and influential, he taught that real greatness was about service, in serving others, and often used the illustration of slaves, forced to undertake menial tasks, those things no-one else in their right mind would do, which were beneath all but the lowest and perhaps despised members of society.听听
Deiniol, who founded this Cathedral in 546 and became the first Bishop of Bangor Diocese was someone who shared that same vision.听听 His life and ministry are a picture of what is possible when we are inspired by God and respond with our whole life.
Interestingly his upbringing was very different from the monastic life he lived in the sixth century. Deiniol came from a privileged background to the east of the Welsh border. He was wealthy and aristocratic.
When his father鈥檚 lands were lost in battle, Maelgwyn, the King of Gwynedd, forged an alliance with Deiniol鈥檚 family, no doubt to strengthen links with a significant aristocratic dynasty and granted Deiniol the land of what is now the modern county of Gwynedd.听 Deiniol used this gift to found a monastery and his life became one of prayer and service. If his early life was built on the privileges of wealth and riches it quickly became one of devotion and sacrifice.听 This discovery was transformative for Deiniol.
Those securities no longer held sway and no longer attracted him. Giving up his privileged life gave him a new identity with a richness and a status very different from his previous life.听 Christians who make that same step discover this same shift:听听 What was once thought to be important is eclipsed by the greatness of knowing Jesus Christ. And life has new focus and new energy.
Of course, as Deiniol discovered, life lived in monastic community 鈥� especially in those days 鈥� had its challenges too.听听 Those who embraced this kind of life lived to a set of disciplines which sound brutal today.听听听 Stories from this period describe the rigours of spending part of the day up to one鈥檚 neck in cold water to subdue the passions!听 But Deiniol came to realise that rules and practices can help to build a structure that gives spiritual purpose and direction.
One of the features of living in this beautiful part of the world is that we welcome many visitors to Snowdonia who come to climb and walk the mountain routes. These peaks may be beautiful and inspiring but they鈥檙e challenging too.听听 Good clothing, boots and water are all crucial accoutrements.听 So, too, a map and compass!听 Finding a way home, navigating challenging paths only happen when we鈥檝e got this sort of guidance. That鈥檚 the great value of following in Deiniol鈥檚 footsteps because his faith in Jesus, his life as a disciple gave him these very things.
It鈥檚 tempting to think of the 鈥榮aintly鈥� life as quaint and quirky whereas it was full of energy and purpose changing the lives of those who gave their allegiance to Jesus.

13. ANTHEM CHOIR / ORGAN
Behold, the tabernacle of God

14. SERMON Pt. 2: BISHOP ANDY
William Harris鈥� Anthem 鈥淏ehold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and the Spirit of God dwelleth within you鈥�.听听听 Those words, translated from a Latin Antiphon, speak of God being in mankind and that we are the tabernacle for God鈥檚 grace.听听

The time of the great saints such as Deiniol - that so called 鈥榞olden age鈥� a thousand years and more ago - can feel so removed from our own lives today.听听 But, of course, saints are much like each and every one of us.听听 What makes them great is not that they were heroic; in fact some of them were anything but heroic. Rather, they faced the same basic challenges and dilemmas we face today but they, in their various ways, showed how to face them in the light of faith in God.
Personally I think one of their greatest gifts to us is the idea of belonging, of understanding community as a place where we can learn from others, how to step outside ourselves and discover a life shaped by the needs, gifts and demands of others.
When Deiniol founded his community here in Bangor, everyone became dependant on someone else. Tasks were shared and the life of the community could only function smoothly if everyone played their part whether tilling the soil or working in the kitchens. I don鈥檛 imagine for a second that this was easy.听听 The loss of personal freedom -an inevitable consequence of communal living, albeit for a higher goal 鈥� is hard.听 And it involves allowing ourselves to become vulnerable.
Sometimes vulnerability isn鈥檛 a choice we make.听听 There are many who are dependent on others because of life circumstances, requiring particular help, and adjusting to it, or just accepting it, can be extremely challenging.听 And the church, the community of faith today, needs to be able to respond to this need if it wants to be true to Deiniol and true to Christ.
Monastic life had its rigours and disciplines 鈥� early rising for prayer and hard manual work. Holidays would have been off the agenda altogether. But what made the community so effective was that rough edges were laid bare. There was little space to hide the foibles and eccentricities of life. And when something is laid bare it has to be addressed.
The late Henri Nouwen, a Dutch Catholic priest, told how his life was changed when he lived in a community of people with particular needs. He came to realise that in order to become as whole as God would wish him to be, he needed to experience the limitations and challenges of those with whom he was living his life.听 Moments like this are challenging because they require change. They have the capacity to transform us and make us more like Jesus.
This to me this is what greatness looks like - redefined as service it makes us look outside of and beyond ourselves - and this is perhaps the greatest legacy of Deiniol鈥檚 life and witness.听 If greatness is about serving others, it means finding those most听 in need and bringing to them the love of Christ.听听听听听 Millions of selfless acts of individual care take place - seen and unseen - everyday but imagine the power of when whole communities embrace the challenge of making their patch a place which is better, more human, which is safer and more welcoming of strangers.
There鈥檚 a vibrant community here in Bangor which is building towards that culture of service 鈥� chaplains ready to listen, talk and pray with visitors; worshippers working with agencies to help vulnerable adults or those with mental health issues; a food bank operating throughout the working week for those with less than they need.听 Simple acts of love and service of the sort Jesus might have done in his day.
But surely there is much more? Deiniol challenges us to be more radical still and find life totally defined by the Jesus who showed greatness was completely servant shaped.
He was a Christian who understood what greatness meant for him and his followers, and the lessons and gifts he leaves say something to each of us about belonging to Christ and to each other.
May Deiniol鈥檚 life inspire us and lead us to a deeper relationship with God and his world. Amen.

15. INTERCESSIONS
One of the rich treasures in the library of this Cathedral is The Bangor Pontifical, a beautiful and rare 14th Century Medieval illuminated liturgical book which shows not only text but is one of the earliest examples of written liturgical musical notation in the UK.听
And in our Intercessions now, each petition is accompanied by a short chant from the pontifical, with the words听 omnis spiritus laudet Dominum 鈥� let everything that has breath praise the Lord........听 Let us pray:

R: Omnis spiritus ...... (Let everything that has breath praise the Lord)

READER
Lord Jesus - We pray for our Church leaders and for all who walk the pilgrim path with us as sisters and brothers, that together we may build and grow your church following the example of St Deniol and all the saints who have gone before us and whose example inspires us to this day. May their prayers surround us as we journey on.听听 In particular we pray for the newly elected Archbishop of Wales xxx xxx 鈥� 鈥�

R: Omnis spiritus ...... (Let everything that has breath praise the Lord)
听
READER:
Heavenly Father - You entrust your world into our fragile hands. Help us to be good stewards, that the abundant gifts of your creation may be available for all people today, and available for all future generations.

R: Omnis spiritus ...... (Let everything that has breath praise the Lord)

READER:
Bless and keep all people who live in areas that have been devastated by disaster, be it natural or from our own hands -听 bring to their lands healing and fruitfulness.
Bless the work of all those who lead in your world, those who need peace and those who bring peace.

R: Omnis spiritus ...... (Let everything that has breath praise the Lord)
听
READER:
Holy Spirit 鈥� Pour the gentle balm of your healing and wholeness on your world.
We pray for all who are in special need this day, and especially those whose needs we bear in our own hearts.
We pray for those recently departed, and for those that mourn them鈥�

R: Omnis spiritus ...... (Let everything that has breath praise the Lord)

READER:
And so we join our prayers with of the Blessed Virgin Mary, St Deniol and all the redeemed in heaven as with one voice we pray
Merciful Father
accept these prayers
for the sake of your Son,
our Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Amen.

16. LORD鈥橲 PRAYER
And together we pray
Our Father,
who art in heaven,
Hallowed be Thy name.
Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done
On earth, as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive us our trespasses
As we forgive those who trespass against us.
Lead us not in temptation
But deliver us from evil,
For Thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory,
For ever and ever.听 Amen.

17. LINK KATHY

18. HYMN CHOIR / CONG / ORGAN
All my hope on God is founded;
听
19. BLESSING BISHOP ANDY
BLESSING 1听听听听听听听听听听
May God, who kindled the fire of his love in the heart of Saint Deiniol,鈥╬our upon you the riches of his grace.鈥�
All听 : Amen.
听
May God give you joy in his fellowship鈥╝nd a share in his praises.鈥�
All听 : Amen.

BLESSING 2
May God strengthen you to follow Him in the way of holiness鈥� and to come to the full radiance of glory.鈥�
All听 Amen.

BLESSING 3
a bendith duw hollalluog y tad, y fab, a鈥檙 Ysbryd Glan a fo yn eich plith ac a drigo听 gyda chwi yn wastad.

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

20. ORGAN VOLUNTARY RICHARD LEA
Processional by William Matthias.

Closing Anno from R4:
Processional by William Matthias bringing this week鈥檚 Sunday Worship to an end. The organist was Richard Lea.听听 The service which came live from Bangor Cathedral was led by the Dean, the Very Rev鈥檇 Kathy Jones and the preacher was the Bishop of Bangor, the Right Rev鈥檇 Andy John.听听 The Cathedral Choir was directed by Paul Booth and the producer was Karen Walker.听 In next week鈥檚 Sunday Worship the Revd Rose Hudson Wilkin reflects on the life of Constance Coltman who, a century ago, was one of the first women in Britain to serve as a minister in a mainstream Church.