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

Opening anno:听
大象传媒 Radio 4.听 And now we go live to Cardiff for this week鈥檚 Sunday Worship.听 The service is introduced by the Rev. Dr. Stephen Wigley, Chair of the Wales Synod of the Methodist Church, and begins with the introit 鈥楪od be in my Head鈥�.

1.INTROIT CHOIR
God be in my head (Walford Davies)

2.INTRODUCTION REV. DR. STEPHEN WIGLEY
鈥楲ord, let me not live to be useless鈥�.
听
These heartfelt words, originally taken from his Journal, are found on a memorial to John Wesley the founder of Methodism (in the parish of Wroot in Lincolnshire, where he served briefly as a curate.)

John Wesley certainly didn鈥檛 live to be useless; after the experience which confirmed his faith and changed his life, he travelled nearly a quarter of a million miles, preached thousands of sermons and formed hundreds of Methodist societies. But it wasn鈥檛 just about him; he encouraged other members of his new movement to do the same. For he had learnt that the same God who called him, could also speak to the ordinary working men and women he met in his travels, and use them too in the service of Christ.

Reflecting on that sense of a call and a ministry for everyone this morning, I鈥檓 delighted to welcome you to Whitchurch Methodist Church, a lively church with roots going back to one of the earliest Methodist societies in Cardiff. The minister, Rev Cathy Gale, will lead us in prayer, after our opening hymn written by John鈥檚 brother Charles; 鈥楥hrist whose glory fills the skies; Christ the true, the only light.鈥櫶�

3.HYMN 1 CONG/CHOIR/ORGAN听
听Christ, whose glory fills the skies
听Tune: Heathlands

4.OPENING PRAYERS听 REV. CATHY GALE
听God our Father, our Creator, we worship you.
Through your word the universe was made, with all its colour, diversity and life.
Through your grace we received the breath of life 鈥� you knew us and loved us before we were born.

God the Son, Lord Jesus Christ, we worship you.
Living in our world you have shown us the way to live.听
You have demonstrated God鈥檚 abundant love for each one of us.
You have called us to be committed to carrying on your work.

God the Holy Spirit, we worship you.
You show us truth and you enable us to praise you.
You bestow on us talents and abilities to be used in your praise and service.

Father, Son, Holy Spirit, we adore you.听 Amen.

Lord, we confess that often we fail to acknowledge you and your lordship in our lives.听 We have been prepared to use our gifts and talents for our own benefit and glory, but not to benefit other people and to glorify you.听 As a result, others are turned away from you, rather than being drawn to you by our lives.

We are sorry that we have been slow to see the role you have for us in spreading the gospel of love, we have not seen ourselves as part of your workforce and have been quick to judge others who are doing their best.

Forgive us Lord and help us to see ourselves as you see us, with the proper amounts of humility and confidence.听 May we receive your forgiving love today in such a way that we desire to offer our lives to your glory.

We ask these prayers in the name of Jesus, who taught us when we pray, to say:

5.LORD鈥橲 PRAYER听 CATHY/CHOIR/CONG
听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.
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil,
For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory,
Forever and ever, Amen.
听
6.LINK TO PSALM听 CATHY
Psalm 139, speaks of a sense of wonder, of being in the presence of the God who has known and loved us from the very beginning.

7.PSALM 139 听READER 1
听(Psalm 139.1-6, 13-18)

1O LORD, you have searched me and known me.
2You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from far 听away.
3You search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways.
4Even before a word is on my tongue, O LORD, you know it completely.
5You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me.
6Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is so high that I cannot attain it.

13For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother鈥檚 womb.
14I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that I know very well.
15My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
16Your eyes beheld my unformed substance. In your book were written all the days that were formed for me, when none of them as yet existed.
17How weighty to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!
18I try to count them鈥攖hey are more than the sand; I come to the end鈥擨 am still 听with you.

8.SONG听 CHOIR/PIANO
听鈥極 God, you search me and you know me鈥�. Bernadette Farrell.

9.LINK TO O.T. READING听 STEPHEN
听Our Old Testament reading today is the classic story of the young boy Samuel
听hearing God鈥檚 voice in the Temple 鈥� a reminder that God鈥檚 call can come at any 听
听stage or time in our lives.

10.READING听Reader 2
(1 Samuel 3.1-10)

听Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the LORD under Eli. The word of the LORD 听was rare 听in those days; visions were not widespread. 2At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun 听to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his room; 3the lamp of God had 听not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of 听God was.

4Then the LORD called, 鈥淪amuel! Samuel!鈥� and he said, 鈥淗ere I am!鈥� 5and ran to Eli, 听and said, 鈥淗ere I am, for you called me.鈥� But he said, 鈥淚 did not call; lie down again.鈥�
So he 听went and lay down. 6The LORD called again, 鈥淪amuel!鈥� Samuel got up and
went to Eli, and said, 鈥淗ere I am, for you called me.鈥� But he said, 鈥淚 did not call,
my son; lie down again.鈥� 7Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, and the word
of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him. 8The LORD called Samuel again,
a third time. And he got up and went to Eli, and said, 鈥淗ere I am, for you called me.鈥�
Then Eli perceived that the LORD was calling the boy. 9Therefore Eli said to Samuel, 听鈥淕o, lie down; and if he calls you, you shall say, 鈥楽peak, LORD, for your servant is 听listening.鈥欌�� So Samuel went and lay down in his place. 10Now the LORD came and
stood there, calling as before, 鈥淪amuel! Samuel!鈥� And Samuel said, 鈥淪peak, for 听
your servant is listening.鈥�

11. HYMN 2听CONG/CHOIR/ORGAN
听Master speak, thy servant heareth .听 Tune: Ottawa.

12. LINK TO READING听 STEPHEN
听In the second of his letters to the church at Corinth, the Apostle Paul reflects
on the miracle of the ministry into which he has been called 鈥� and how it is that God听sustains him through all the challenges he has to face.

13. READING听READER 3
(2 Corinthians 4.5-12)听听

5 For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves 听as your slaves for Jesus鈥� sake. 6 For it is the God who said, 鈥淟et light shine out of 听darkness,鈥� who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the 听
glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
7 But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this 听extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us. 8 We are afflicted 听in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, 听but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying in the body 听the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies. 听11 For 听while we live, we are always being given up to death for Jesus鈥� sake, so that 听the life of Jesus may be made visible in our mortal flesh. 12 So death is at work in 听us, but life in you.

14.ADDRESS I听听 STEPHEN
听鈥極ur response to the God who knows us, calls us and sustains us鈥�

听This Church is set in a prominent position on a roundabout at the top end of a
听bustling village. One thing it鈥檚 known for locally is the distinctive 鈥榃ayside Pulpit鈥� 听听
听notice-board which you can hardly miss as you slow down to enter the junction. 听
听These 听large posters in bright colours, often seen outside churches, are not
听everyone鈥檚 cup of tea 听鈥� and sometimes the message can be a bit 鈥榗heesy鈥�.听听 However, 听they do stick in your mind, and one in particular has always stayed with me. It reads 听simply 鈥楥arpenter needs joiners鈥�.

听I know that鈥檚 an awful pun; but it also has something significant to say. For it speaks
听of a God who in Jesus is always reaching out and asking for others to join 听in, to find
听their place, to discover that calling which God has in mind for them. It鈥檚 all about what 听Christians term 鈥檝ocation鈥� or call.

听Each of the Bible readings today has something special to say on this subject. Our 听Old Testament reading makes it clear that the possibility of hearing God鈥檚 call is 听not 听restricted to those with age or experience. The story of Samuel is about a 听young boy who 听hears God鈥檚 voice but doesn鈥檛 at first recognise it or know what to 听say. It takes the old 听priest Eli, whose sight is otherwise fading, to discern what鈥檚 happening and explain 听how Samuel is to reply when God speaks again; 鈥橲peak Lord, for your servant is 听listening鈥�. It鈥檚 about young and old working together to respond to God鈥檚 call.

听Sometimes the response to such a call can be one of disbelief, as if to say, 鈥楽urely 听there鈥檚 been a mistake - who am I to be the kind of person God might use?鈥� But the 听passage from Psalm 139, reflecting the experience of prophets like Jeremiah, suggests 听that the God who calls is a God who already knows all about us, who indeed has 听envisioned us before we were born, while we were still in the womb.听 I used to think
听that this was some kind of poetic fantasy, until my wife Jenny had 听her ultrasound scan 听during pregnancy, and we saw for the first time the twins who would be born to us,
听each already bearing signs of the distinctive persons they would grow up to be.

听And there鈥檚 something distinctive and precious about the call that each of us hears, as 听evidenced in the passage we heard from Paul鈥檚 letter to the Corinthians. 听Paul is acutely 听aware of the irony that he of all people, given his distinctive background and previous 听history of persecution, should end up as an 鈥榓postle to the Gentiles鈥�; he鈥檚 also conscious 听of others who question his authority to be an apostle at all. But in this most moving of 听passages, he reminds his readers that 鈥榳e 听do not proclaim ourselves鈥� but rather 鈥楯esus 听Christ as Lord and ourselves as your 听slaves for Christ鈥檚 sake鈥� before going on to speak of 听his ministry in terms of its being like 鈥榯reasure in clay jars so that it may be made clear 听that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us.鈥�

Taken together, the readings speak of a God who knows us, perhaps better than we do ourselves, who is willing to use us, whatever our background or experience, and who is willing to entrust us with that most precious ministry of all, which is to share the good news of Jesus Christ.

They echo the experience of John Wesley, in particular his discovery that God could use and act through the ordinary working people who responded to his preaching and formed the basis of the early Methodist movement. It was Wesley鈥檚 willingness to use lay people as local preachers, to uphold the role of women in his societies, and in moments of crisis himself to ordain others as ministers when the situation demanded, which led him into conflict with the established Church.

听All this was quite a step for an Oxford educated cleric brought up on the Book of 听Common Prayer. Indeed, when he first discovered that a young layman had been 听preaching during his absence in services at the Foundery, Wesley was horrified. It 听took his mother Susanna鈥檚 wise words to convince him that young Thomas Maxfield
听was 鈥榓s surely called of God to preach as you are鈥欌�� and that he should 鈥榚xamine what 听have been the fruits of his preaching and hear him yourself鈥�.

This discovery, almost a second conversion, may have been as important as his heart-warming experience in an upper room in Aldersgate Street, London, of being touched by the grace and mercy of God, for it served to change Wesley鈥檚 understanding of ministry, and through him to 听transform the Church. It was the realisation that the Gospel was not dependent on his 听ministry alone, but rather on a commitment by the whole Church to the God who knows all of us, who has a distinctive role for each of us, and who promises to sustain every one of us as we respond to our calling in Christ.
听
听In a few moments, my colleague Rev Cathy Gale will reflect on her experience of 听how 听such a ministry can move mightily in the most humble of ways; but first the Cardiff 听Polyphonic Choir sing听 C.V. Stanford鈥檚 鈥楤eati quorum via integra est; Blessed are they 听whose way is straight, who walk in the way of the Lord.鈥�

听15.ANTHEM听CHOIR
听鈥楤eati quorum via鈥�
听
听16. ADDRESS ii CATHY
听鈥楢 calling for everyone鈥櫶�听听

听Some years ago I was privileged to see a member of the church allowing God to use her in 听a very simple, but very powerful way.听 This lady was a retired nurse.听 She was reserved by 听nature and would never speak at the front of the church, read a lesson, or take on any 听church officer鈥檚 role.听 But one day she came to me with a small notebook.听 She asked 听whether I would mind if she approached new people who came into the church to 听worship, get a contact number from them, if they were agreeable, and follow up with a 听phone call to invite them to return.听 She took on this ministry 鈥� very quietly, on her own 鈥� 听and through her quiet, friendly encouragement quite a few people kept returning to that 听church and eventually became members.听 On the one hand it was no big deal 鈥� just a few 听phone calls.听 But on the other hand it was a very big deal 鈥� she offered what she could to 听God, and He did the rest.

One of our teachings in the Methodist Church is something called the Priesthood of All Believers, a teaching shared by several other Christian denominations.听 More recently we鈥檝e used the phrase the Ministry of the Whole People of God to describe this teaching. Simply put, it says that we all have equal access to God and God鈥檚 grace 鈥� irrespective of our title, our training or whether we鈥檙e ordained or a lay person.. We鈥檙e all equally responsible for God鈥檚 work in the world.听 God doesn鈥檛 expect more from me as an ordained minister, than from anyone who calls themselves a Christian.听

If we were to ask people who it was that most influenced them as they made a commitment to the Christian faith, many would say it was an ordained person, but I suspect that for a great many more we鈥檇 find we鈥檝e all been influenced, and blessed, by people who have simply done their bit, using their particular talents for God.

听God doesn鈥檛 expect us all to do the same thing in his service.听 What God does want is for 听us all to have the same commitment to serving him.听 Just as God blessed the ministry of 听the lady whose story I shared, so too, as we offer ourselves and our gifts and abilities to 听God, we can trust that God will do the rest.

17. RESPONSIVE PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION
听CATHY:

So inspired by Jesus鈥� example, and reminded of the calling each of us have to share in the work of God鈥檚 saints, let us pray;

听CHOIR
听Send me Lord;
听
Reader 1)
We pray for the world,
this world which God loved so much that he sent his only Son
to share in its life and bring about its salvation.

We pray for all who live in those difficult and dangerous places,
where communities are caught up in conflict and violence
and the prospects for a political solution seem slim,
asking that they may be strengthened by the knowledge
of your peaceful presence among them.

We pray especially for鈥�
听
CHOIR
听Send me Lord;
听
Reader 2)

We pray for Christ鈥檚 church,
for all who meet in his name and share in his service
in local congregations and communities across this country;

We pray especially for our sisters and brothers across the world
Who face the threat of persecution and violence
As they seek to bear witness to their faith in Christ,
And serve as his saints upon earth.

CHOIR
听Lead me Lord;
听
Reader 3)
We pray for one another,
for the neighbourhoods in which we live and work,
for those people whose needs we know
and for those whose needs are known by God alone;

We pray particularly for those new situations into which God may lead us,
asking that we may be filled with the Holy Spirit
and used as instruments of Christ鈥檚 peace and compassion;

CHOIR
听Fill me Lord;
听
CATHY
We ask these prayers in the name of the one who calls and equips
us all in his service, even our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.
听
Our closing hymn by Charles Wesley encourages us joyfully to live out our faith
in the way and place where God has set us;
鈥楩orth in thy name, O Lord, I go, my daily labour to pursue.鈥�

18.HYMN 3听 CONG/CHOIR/ORGAN听
听鈥楩orth in thy name, O Lord, I go鈥櫶�听 Tune: Antwerp
听
19.BLESSING听STEPHEN
听Now to the God who is able,
听By the power of his spirit at work within us
听To do immeasurably more than all we can conceive or imagine,
听To him be glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus,
听Now, and unto all generations,

听And may the blessing of God,
听The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
听Be with us all, now and for evermore,
听Amen.
听听听
听20.Organ Postlude DAVID G THOMAS
听
Closing Anno
This morning鈥檚 Sunday Worship came live from Whitchurch Methodist Church in
听Cardiff.听 The service was led by the Rev鈥檇 Cathy Gale and by the Rev鈥檇 Dr.
听Stephen Wigley, Chair of the Wales Synod of the Methodist Church.听听 The
听Cardiff Polyphonic Choir was directed by David Young and accompanied by David 听Geoffrey Thomas. The producer was Karen Walker.