大象传媒

SCOTT NAISMITH: Good morning. I鈥檓 Scott Naismith, the Principal of Methodist College in Belfast, one of Northern Irelands鈥� Largest schools with over 2,000 pupils in the Senior School and Prep. Department.

Usually when we broadcast a Sunday Worship from this school we鈥檙e all in the Chapel Of Unity at the centre of our campus. However the size and shape of the Chapel would make social distancing impossible so we鈥檝e recorded our Chapel Choir, appropriately spread out, in a more suitable venue while I and the other participants are recording our contributions in a variety of places.

Like other schools, like all of us, I suppose the past nine months have presented their own difficulties. But we remain positive and resilient, knowing that things will get better and that this too will pass.

听Methodist College has been, in many ways and for many people, at the heart of Belfast, So it鈥檚 appropriate, I think, that our Sunday Worship today has its theme The City: A place in the heart.

We begin with the Choir singing the Advent hymn 鈥淐ome thou long expected Jesus and then our School Chaplain, the Rev Emily Hyland will lead the service

HYMN: COME THOU LONG EXPECTED JESUS (cross of jesus)

REV EMILY HYLAND: The Psalmist said 鈥淯nless the Lord guards the city, the guard keeps watch in vain鈥�

Let us pray:听 Lord God, this Advent and Christmas are very different
with restrictions one who we will meet and unable to hug family and friends
not allowed to do many of the things we associate with this time of year
Missing people we normally see.

So remind us that, above all, at this time of year we celebrate your coming
As a helpless, vulnerable child into a world of suffering, uncertainty and sorrow,
bringing hope and love and peace. Emmanuel- God with us.
Amen

CHOIR:听 THE HANDS THAT FIRST HELD MARY鈥橲 CHILD (Dan Forrest)

EMILY: 听This service is very much centred on 听Mary鈥檚 Song the Magnificat- St Luke chapter 1 verses 46-55

READER: 听听听And Mary said,

鈥楳y soul magnifies the Lord,
听and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,
for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant.

听听 Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
听听 and holy is his name.

His mercy is for those who fear him
听听 from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
听听 he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
听听 and lifted up the lowly;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
听听 and sent the rich away empty.

He has helped his servant Israel,
听听 in remembrance of his mercy,
according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
听听 to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.鈥�

CHOIR: 听SOFTLY (Will Todd)

EMILY Lord, 听like Mary we rejoice
We rejoice that you have drawn near to us in Jesus Christ, to live our life, to die our death

And to rise again for us听 that our sins

might be forgiven and that we might have eternal life,

both now and in your presence for ever.

We thank you giving us your Spirit

that we might live as your daughters and sons.
We rejoice that your Kingdom is near and your promises true
We rejoice that You welcome us into your wide embrace as we are, with all our faults and failings,
To you be glory and praise.

听

Yet we acknowledge our faults and failings:
the wrong things we鈥檝e done and said and thought
the many things we鈥檝e neglected to do.
听our failures to reflect your love and show your care.
we often miss or choose to ignore the revolutionary nature of your coming 鈥� casting down the mighty from their seats and exalting those of low degree. 听

We pray for your forgiveness in Jesus Christ and ask for grace to serve You and one another, in ways that honour You.

God of power and mercy, you call us again
to celebrate the coming of your Son
remove those things that hinder love of you<
that when he comes he may find us waiting
in awe and wonder for him
who lives ad reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen

CHOIR:听 SWEET LITTLE JESUS BOY (traditional arr Michael Neaum)

EMILY: To reflect on our theme today are two people who have been working in Belfast for many years. The Reverend David Campton is a Methodist Minister who is Superintendent of the Belfast Central Mission; but first Father Martin Magill, the Parish Priest of St John鈥檚 Church on Belfast鈥檚 Falls Road.

FATHER MARTIN MAGILL: A few years ago, a former Irish Methodist President, Dr Heather Morris used the words 鈥榳onderful and wounded鈥� to describe the city of Belfast. The word wounded was an acknowledgement of our Troubles and the legacy of suffering left behind as a consequence of them. To this day, in all parts of the city, people still bear the pain of our troubled past be that through the death of loved ones or personal injury. Looking around the city it is easy to see some of the scars of those past years: dividing walls, murals depicting scenes of violence or some small areas of the city painted in certain colours making a territorial statement.

Yes Belfast is a wounded city but that is not the full story. Since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998 much has changed from the wounds of the past allowing Heather call Belfast a wonderful city. There has been and continues to be considerable redevelopment - indeed I would go so far as to say transformation. Many new buildings have sprung up; in its architecture the city has taken on an aura of wonder and possibility. In addition, we have an incredible hospitality industry which offers culinary delights and fabulous evenings to rival any part of the world or at least, although there have been limitations on such delights in recent times. Every day seems to bring some creative wonder from our artists as they share their creative talent with us. Even during these strange pandemic times, the city opens its heart in the friendly people who walk its streets and work in its shops and businesses. Yes the city continues to enjoy transformation - there is much to be hopeful for as we look to the future.

As I reflect on the outward, I wonder if it might parallel our own lives and our own hearts - wounded and yet wonderful. Everyone of us carries wounds from the past, bruised by some of life鈥檚 experiences. Those wounds may be particularly painful. Looking at the inner architecture of our hearts, we may find walls we鈥檝e built because of fear from some of those painful experiences over the years.听 Yet like the city these wounds neither tell the full story nor define us. In the same way as a city can be regenerated and transformed so too can the human heart.

In Mary鈥檚 song of thanksgiving or the Magnificat she celebrates the wonders of God who desires the best for his people. The good news for us today is that God still continues to pour out his grace. Mary overcame fear in her obedient trusting responseby believing in the transforming power of God.

As we look to our hearts, we have the choice to be overwhelmed by our wounds of the past or to believe in the grace of God there to help us begin to take down the bricks from our fear-built walls.

By trusting in God and opening our hearts to accept his grace, may we begin to experience transformation in our lives and to be able to say with Mary: 鈥榯he Mighty One has done great things for me.鈥�

CHOIR听 Mary鈥檚 Child (Chilcott)

READER: A reading from the Book of Revelation

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away,
and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,

鈥楽ee, the home of God is among mortals.
He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples,
and God himself will be with them;
he will wipe every tear from their eyes.

Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more,
for the first things have passed away.鈥�

I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.

听

REV DAVID CAMPTON: For some unknown reason in recent years my music collection has become dominated by amazing female singers, ranging from Scottish folksinger Karine Polwart to the haunting American bluegrass of Alison Krauss, and the contrasting styles of the late African-American singers Nina Simone and Jessye Norman鈥� One of the common threads is not just their gender but that many of them use their incredible voices to give voice to the voiceless鈥� In protest songs and gospel standards, poignant ballads and satirical take-downs. In many ways Mary and her Magnificat stands in that tradition, and we have at times defused the potency of her famous song, by restricting it to a liturgical function as a song of joyful praise 鈥渕agnifying the Lord.鈥�

To me the Magnificat is actually a powerful protest song, as is its partner piece at the beginning of Luke鈥檚 Gospel, the Song of Zechariah鈥� It speaks of upheaval of the established order by God鈥� A toppling of those at the top and a lifting up of those who have been ground down by life. In this Mary, a teenage girl from a rural background, stands not only in the line of many modern female singer songwriters, and inspiring contemporary teenage girls like Malala Yousafzai and Greta Thunberg, but also in the line of the preceding Israelite prophets鈥� and in many ways she prepares the way for the vision of the future cast by her promised son and those who followed him鈥� A vision, in the case of the last book of the Bible, the Revelation of John, which is not of some rural idyl, or a suburban paradise to which so many people aspire today, but a renewed city鈥� The New Jerusalem, where everything will be put right鈥�

However, 2000 years and more after Mary first sang this song, we are still waiting for the fulfilment of her vision鈥� The language of her lyrics may be revolutionary, and many have cast her son in a revolutionary role鈥� But history has told us how disastrous revolutions tend to be鈥� from the uprising of the zealots against the might of Rome, to the terror that followed the French Revolution, and the long lasting effects of the Bolshevik revolution a century ago鈥� This has tended to push some Christians into a camp where they think of such visions purely in terms of an other-worldly Kingdom鈥� The 鈥減ie in the sky when you die in the sweet by and by鈥� that many of the Gospel songs first sung by plantation slaves long for - convinced that God鈥檚 Kingdom of justice will never come in this world鈥� But that is to deny that God will answer the prayer that Jesus taught us to pray 鈥淭hy Kingdom come鈥� thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven鈥︹��

But if God鈥檚 will is not violent revolution, perhaps Mary鈥檚 words should be seen as a song of evolution鈥� Praising the God who, as a friend recently said, is great, but a God who is also gradual鈥�

We can be so short sighted and narrow minded in our vision of God鈥檚 Kingdom, may Mary鈥檚 words open our eyes, our ears and our hearts to a broader, longer, deeper vision for our cities, our nation and the world.

CHOIR:听 STILL, STILL, STILL (traditional, arr Mack Willberg)

EMILY: Let us pray

READER:听听 We pray for your Church: May it find the courage always to point to the hope and comfort and peace You offer, especially in times of difficulty and sorrow. May we witness to Your love and Your goodness Your presence and Your compassion.
Your Kingdom come.

We pray for your world, often damaged by violence, oppression and hunger, thinking of the situation in Ethopia, for the cities of the world and all the communities of which we are a part, asking that your Kingdom may break in bringing food for the hungry, justice for the oppressed, healing for those who are hurting, peace for those caught up in war
Your Kingdom come

We pray for schools, colleges and universities, living with considerable disruption, for all who teach and all who learn that they may seek and serve the truth and that their learning may lead them to enlarged and selfless service and be a means to enriching lives and of drawing people closer to you from whom all truth proceeds
Your Kingdom come

We pray for all who look after the sick, for doctors, nurses and the many people who work in hospitals, for those who care for the elderly, the vulnerable and the dying, May they use their skills to bring your comfort, strength, healing and friendship
Your Kingdom come

Lord, we pray for those for whom this time of year is difficult:
People far from their families, unable to see them or are estranged from them
Those who have recently lost a loved one
or for whom this season of the year brings mainly sad memories
Those who are lonely or isolated or suffering from severe illness
May they be conscious of your drawing near to them
Your Kingdom come

EMILY: And these and all our prayers we offer in the name and for the sake of Jesus Christ, our Lord, who taught us when we pray to say:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallow'd 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 for ever and ever.听 Amen

HYMN:听 ON JORDAN鈥橲 BANK (Winchester New)

EMILY: Christ the sun of righteousness shine upon you, gladden your hearts and scatter the darkness from before you:

And the Blessing of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, be with you this day and for ever听 AMEN

ORGAN: Prelude on Wachet Auf (JG Walther)

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