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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.


CHOIR/ORGAN/ALL: HYMN: Crown him with many crowns (Diademata)1 Crown him with many crowns, The Lamb upon his throne.Hark! How the heavenly anthem drowns All music but its own.Awake, my soul, and sing of him Who died for thee,And hail him as thy matchless King Through all eternity.
2 Crown him the Lord of peace, Whose power a sceptre swaysFrom pole to pole, that wars may cease, And all be prayer and praise.His reign shall know no end, And round his piercèd feetFair flowers of paradise extendTheir fragrance ever sweet. 3 Crown him the Lord of years, The Potentate of time,Creator of the rolling spheres, Ineffably sublime.All hail, Redeemer, hail! For thou has died for me;Thy praise and glory shall not fail Throughout eternity.

 PHILIP: Good morning, and welcome to the chapel of St John’s College, Durham, which is the beautiful Norman church of Saint Mary the Less, nestling in the shadow of Durham Cathedral. Our chapel is used for daily worship by the staff and students of the college and for weekly Choral Evensong led by our Chapel Choir.
St John’s College is one of the 16 Colleges of Durham University and is also home to Cranmer Hall, where over 100 students are in training for ministry,in both the Church of England and other denominations. 
Our theme this morning is ‘Called to serve’ and we consider how Christians are called by God to serve in particular ways and at different stages of their lives; two of our students will share their own personal stories of this a little later.
Today the church celebrates the feast of Christ the King, the Sunday in the Church’s year when we recall Christ’s Lordship over all creation, together with his coming rule and reign. Our music, in a diversity of styles, and readings all reflect this King we are called to serve. In the Book of Revelation, St John describes Christ as King of heaven and earth, writing: Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, ‘The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever.’
The Chapel Choir leads us in worship now with the anthem My God how wonderful thou art.CHOIR: ANTHEM: My God how wonderful thou art (Scarth)
My God, how wonderful Thou art,Thy majesty how bright,How beautiful Thy mercy seat,In depths of burning light!
How wonderful, how beautiful,The sight of Thee must be,Thine endless wisdom, boundless pow’r,And awesome purity!
Father of Jesus, love’s reward,What rapture will it be,Prostrate before Thy throne to lie,And gaze and gaze on Thee!
PHILIP:As we worship Christ the King today, we become aware of our own shortcomings and of the many ways in which this world has been damaged and spoiled by us human beings.
We know God is merciful: as we have just heard in our anthem, How beautiful thy mercy seat, in depths of burning light.
And we are thankful that, through the love of Jesus Christ, who died and was raised for the salvation of the whole world, we can each come to God to ask for forgiveness and for his help in following his call to serve him.
 So let us pray together:
ALL:Most merciful God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,We confess that we have sinned in thought, word and deed.we have not loved you with our whole heart.We have not loved our neighbours as ourselves.In your mercy, forgive what we have been, help us to amend what we are,and direct what we shall be; that we may do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with you, our God. Amen.
PHILIP:May the Father of all mercies cleanse us from our sins and restore us in his image. To the praise and glory of his name,through Jesus Christ our Lord. ALL: Amen
PHILIP:Our first reading is Psalm 93, and is brought to us by Rosie Illingworth. Rosie is in her final year at Cranmer Hall and currently studying for a masters degree in theology before being ordained next summer.
 READER 1 (ROSIE): Psalm 931 The Lord is king, he is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed, he is girded with strength. He has established the world; it shall never be moved; 2 your throne is established from of old; you are from everlasting. 3 The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their roaring. 4 More majestic than the thunders of mighty waters, more majestic than the waves of the sea, majestic on high is the lord! 5 Your decrees are very sure; holiness befits your house, O lord, for evermore.
PHILIP:At Cranmer Hall, as in the whole college of St John’s, our students come from across the UK and around the world to Durham, following Christ’s call to serve him. They come from a wide range of Christian traditions and with many gifts, not least in music. This new song from the Hillsong tradition, is already a favourite in our weekly College Communion services, and invites us to worship Christ the King.
 BAND/ALL: SONG: King of Kings (Hillsong)In the darknessWe were waitingWithout hopeWithout lightTill from heavenYou came runningThere was mercy in Your eyesTo fulfil the law and prophetsTo a virgin came the wordFrom a throne of endless gloryTo a cradle in the dirt
Praise the FatherPraise the SonPraise the SpiritThree in oneGod of gloryMajestyPraise forever to the King of Kings
To reveal the kingdom comingAnd to reconcile the lostTo redeem the whole creationYou did not despise the crossFor even in your sufferingYou saw to the other sideKnowing this was our salvationJesus for our sake you died
Praise the FatherPraise the SonPraise the SpiritThree in oneGod of gloryMajestyPraise forever to the King of Kings And the morning that You roseAll of heaven held its breathTill that stone was moved for goodFor the Lamb had conquered deathAnd the dead rose from their tombsAnd the angels stood in aweFor the souls of all who'd comeTo the Father are restored
And the church of Christ was bornThen the Spirit lit the flameNow this gospel truth of oldShall not kneelShall not faintBy His blood and in His nameIn His freedom I am freeFor the love of Jesus ChristWho has resurrected me
Praise the FatherPraise the SonPraise the SpiritThree in oneGod of gloryMajestyPraise forever to the King of Kings
 PHILIP:In a moment we’ll hear from Emma Parker who serves as Deputy Warden at Cranmer Hall. But before that, our second reading is brought to us by Joe Bullock, a post-graduate student at St John’s.Joe also serves as a resident tutor in college, in a team which offers support to students throughout our community. He reads from Paul’s letter to the Colossians, chapter 1 and verses 9-20.
READER 2 (JOE): Colossians 1 vv.9-20For this reason, since the day we heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God.May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him.He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.
This is the word of the Lord. ALL: Thanks be to God.

EMMA:Let me take you back 20 years, to a warm church hall in the heart of Sunderland, with purple plastic flowers adorning every windowsill, and an out-of-tune piano standing defiantly proud in a corner. In this hall there was a 16 year old girl, new to this church, surrounded by a group of people in their 50s, 60s and 70s. She was at a point in life when she felt overwhelmed and confused: she felt as if she was on a conveyor belt that lacked creativity, kindness and mercy, where school grades alone determined who you were going to be for the rest of your life. However, a few weeks before, in that same church hall, she had heard for the first time God asking her to be a vicar. She could not believe it. In fact, she felt like she was a fraud to even contemplate this. But what slowly changed her mind, was that group of people in their 50s, 60s and 70s. Because, they prayed for her. They listened to her. They believed her. They were proud of her. And yes, perhaps they even nagged her – just a little bit! And eventually, they celebrated with her when she was ordained 10 years ago.That young woman is here today, preaching in the chapel of St John’s College in the heart of Durham, with, it turns out, a very well-tuned organ and not a plastic flower in sight! I am here today, because of that first group of people, who persevered in praying for me, who persevered in helping me to hear the call that Christ the King had for me. Why do I tell you this? Because behind every person living out their particular vocation, lies a mighty army of people who pray for and love that person. And you and I are called by God to keep on praying for those around us to find and to thrive in their callings.This is exactly what St Paul did for those around him. In Paul’s letter to the Colossians, he tells the congregation that he has not ceased praying for them, asking that they might be filled with the knowledge of God’s will, so that they can bear fruit in every good work. In other words, Paul thinks it’s really important that prayers should be offered to enable all people to discover God’s will and to live fruitful lives, whatever that calling might be.It’s not a step too far to say that for Paul, praying for others is vital in the growth of vocations. Because a vocation is simply to do with knowing God’s will, hearing his call, having the courage to do it, (whatever that is) and doing it in a way that gives good fruit for others to taste.And we believe that different callings and vocations only exist because of Christ the King, who exercises leadership not by dictating but by calling and inviting; who exercises power not by manipulation but by handing out freedom; who exercises authority not by force but by offering choice. It is this Christ the King who dares to share his ministry of transformation and reconciliation with us. It is this Christ the King who can call the most unbelievable or the least visible, the most marginalised or the least acceptable, the most broken or the least popular, to ‘be filled with the knowledge of God’s will’, and to bear fruit in every good work.We are all called by Christ the King to serve alongside him; but let us not forget that we are also called to pray for others, that they too would hear the call of Christ the King.And so, we are called to pray for the children who go unnoticed and yet who dream of changing the world, but who cannot quite believe that Christ the King would call them. We are called to pray for the tired mother who keeps hearing the call of the King but doesn’t know how to respond.We are called to pray for the man who dutifully works in a job that for him feels life-draining, and who doesn’t even know that the King has a life-giving calling for him.We are called to pray for the stroke patient who wonders what happens now with her call from the King.We are called to pray for the faithful and gentle grandfather whose life has taken an unexpected turn, that he would see the crown that the King shares with him.
In this world that is so beautiful and yet so brokenwe need to persevere in praying for all of our different vocations, that each one of us will hear the King’s call, have the courage to do it, and in so doing, bear good fruit for others to taste.And as we do so, may we humbly wear the crown that the crucified and glorifiedKing of heaven and earthoffers to those  who dare to praise him as King, as Christ, our King.
 CHOIR: ANTHEM: Think of how God loves you (Macmillan)
Think of how, think of how God loves you!He calls you his own children, and that is what you are.You have put on Christ; in him you have been baptised. Alleluia!
PHILIP:We have been reminded of Christ the King who calls. We hear next from two students at Cranmer Hall who have responded to Christ’s call to serve him. First, Tommy, who comes from just down the road here in County Durham, and then Tarie, whose homeland is Zimbabwe.
TOMMY:I grew up in a mining village without a mine. A place filled with a deep love and commitment to one another but ultimately with not much direction or hope for the future. This was how I lived my own life. My only hope was to get through the day without being noticed or exposed. My view was: don’t stick your head above the parapet, instead, stay hidden.
I was always searching for truth and meaning and one day I read about Jesus Christ and the hope he brings. I realised that hope is redemption, forgiveness and wisdom. Hope is Jesus. This should have been the answer. But my life was governed by fear. The only hope I could cling onto was that the fears wouldn’t come true. 

 And so my fear took over this message for many years. I feared God would see me and banish me from this kingdom. So I decided to take action and have a self-imposed exile. I thought that if God saw that I knew how unworthy I was this would appease him. God is light and outside of God darkness, so I thought I could live in the shade, in the shadow of his kingdom.
The moment this all changed for me was when my daughter Tabitha was born. As I held her in the hospital completely overcome with love, I wanted to be the best father I could be. To do this I realised I have to be the best man I can be, and to do that I had to be as Christ-like as I could be. I could no longer live in the shadow of his kingdom. I had to give myself to God. And when I did, I discovered three things. 
First, even if all the terrible stuff I thought about myself were true God would still love me. Secondly, I can’t convince God of who I am: he has to show me. Finally, I learnt that God had a plan for me and it wasn’t to be really good at hiding. It was to talk to people, a lot of them. Minister to them and give them Good News. 
To give people hope. God then started building me up and pushing me further. The result is I am here now at college, training for ordained ministry. I never thought I could be here with all these amazing people. But I am. 
I still have fears and am not the finished product. But today, the hope I cling to is in Jesus, and I’m living in the light of his kingdom.  TARIE:I was born and raised in Zimbabwe and moved to the UK at the age of 16. I was active in the church as a child at Sunday school and being a server but what I remember vividly is volunteering to preach one Sunday when I was 10. I was born into a Christian family and my grandfather was a priest, so church felt like home. Where I come from, currently they do not ordain women so getting into ministry was not something that ever crossed my mind. I just saw it as something I loved and gifts that God had given me, but nothing more. My involvement in the church carried on through my teenage years and even when I moved here, I got involved in my local church and diocese, being part of the Bishops Youth Council, chairing the local youth group, and at national level within the Zimbabwe National Anglican Fellowship in the UK. 
Throughout this, I had many people who encouraged me to keep on doing what I was doing, serving the Lord, who would pray for me while I was in those roles.I remember once attending the ordination of one of the clergy I know and a family friend turned around and said to me, ‘One day we will be gathering here, and it will be you.’ 
At that time, despite living here, the idea of becoming a priest was not what I had in mind but rather becoming a doctor, as I felt that need to touch lives and bring healing. Not long after that, many people started having dreams and visions of me becoming a priest and started sharing these with me and I asked God to show me where he was calling me to, if it was the church or the career that I was pursuing. God answered my prayer which was a bit of a challenge! I got a job within my diocese and during that time people saw the call on me and some would think I was a priest already. I prayed with those people who were standing with me, affirming and supporting, and I started a process of discernment and was recommended for training. After visiting several colleges, while trying to decide where to train, God revealed that it would be Durham which is how I ended up at Cranmer Hall doing my 3-year BA in Theology Mission and Ministry.
CHOIR/ORGAN/ALL: HYMN: Christ is the one who calls (Love unknown)1 Christ is the one who calls,the one who loved and came,to whom by right it fallsto bear the highest Name:and still todayour hearts are stirredto hear his wordand walk his way.
2 Christ is the one who seeks,to whom our souls are known.The word of love he speakscan wake a heart of stone;for at that soundthe blind can see,the slave is free,the lost are found. 3 Christ is the one who sends,his story to declare;who calls his servants friendsand gives them news to share.His truth proclaimin all the earth,his matchless worthand saving Name.RICHARD: Let us pray.
Christ the King who calls us, as you called the first disciples at Galilee, may we understand what it means to leave our nets and follow you. May our hearts embrace your invitation to take up our cross in the places to which you have called us. We lift before you all those with a vocation – be it in ordained or lay ministry; voluntary work or public service – remembering those called to work in schools, hospitals and prisons. Nurture these, our callings, in the presence of your transforming love.
Lord in your mercyHear our prayer
EMMA:Christ the King who transforms us,In you we are redeemed and by your love our lives are changed.We pray for those who long for change. We pray for the least visible and the most marginalised, asking that you would bring your transformation. Where there is darkness bring light. Where there is weeping bring your joy. And clothe us in gladness which looks beyond our circumstances and looks to you in hope.
Lord in your mercy,Hear our prayer RICHARD: Christ the King who reconciles us, you are the prince of peace.Help us to be bearers of reconciliation in your church today, seeking to celebrate that which unites us in your name, rather than the things that cause division. Bring healing and restoration this day to families that know heartbreak and separation.
We pray on behalf of our fragile world, for the nations where conflict and war bring pain and suffering. We ask that your message of hope will convict the hearts of those that oppress.
Lord in your mercyHear our prayer
EMMA:Christ the King who leads us, your throne is established from of old. 
In these days, direct this nation in the ways of justice, kindness and humility. We pray for all those standing to be MPs in the general election. Keep them safe in their campaigning and give to each of us wisdom in the coming weeks. Teach us to lead one another by mirroring the Good Shepherd who calls and invites.
Lord in your mercy,Hear our prayer.
RICHARD: As Jesus taught us, let us pray together:
ALL:Our Father in heaven,hallowed be your name,your kingdom come,your will be done,on earth as in heaven.Give us today our daily bread.Forgive us our sinsas we forgive those who sin against us.Lead us not into temptationbut deliver us from evil.For the kingdom, the power,and the glory are yoursnow and for ever.Amen.
 PHILIP: In the book of the prophet Isaiah we read: ‘Thus says God, the Lord, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people upon it and spirit to those who walk in it: I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations.’
As we follow Christ’s call today, wherever we are and whatever he has given us to do and be, we can trust in his provision, in his guidance through the Holy Spirit and in his love which will never let us go.
BAND/ALL: SONG: O praise the name (Hillsong)I cast my mind to CalvaryWhere Jesus bled and died for meI see His wounds, His hands, His feetMy Saviour on that cursed tree
His body bound and drenched in tearsThey laid Him down in Joseph's tombThe entrance sealed by heavy stoneMessiah still and all alone
O praise the name of the Lord our GodO praise His name forevermoreFor endless days we will sing Your praiseOh Lord, oh Lord our God And then on the third at break of dawnThe Son of heaven rose againO trampled death where is your sting?The angels roar for Christ the King
O praise the name of the Lord our GodO praise His name forevermoreFor endless days we will sing Your praiseOh Lord, oh Lord our God
He shall return in robes of whiteThe blazing sun shall pierce the nightAnd I will rise among the saintsMy gaze transfixed on Jesus' face
O praise the name of the Lord our GodO praise His name forever moreFor endless days we will sing Your praiseOh Lord, oh Lord our God
 PHILIP: Christ the King make you faithful and strong to do his will,that you may reign with him in glory.And the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy SpiritBe with you and remain with youNow and always. ALL: Amen
ORGAN: VOLUNTARY:  

RADIO 4 CLOSING ANNOUNCEMENT:Sunday Worship came live from the Chapel of St John’s College, Durham. It was led by the Reverend Dr Philip Plyming, and the preacher was the Reverend Emma Parker. St John’s Chapel Choir was directed by Louise Reid, the band leader was Richard Barber, and the organ scholars were Ted O’Hare and Matthew Pearson. The producer was Ben Collingwood.
Next week’s Sunday Worship marks the beginning of Advent and comes from Holy Trinity Scottish Episcopal Church, Melrose.