大象传媒

Welcome
Emma:
Good morning, bore da a chroeso鈥� I鈥檓 the Revd. Emma Street, and welcome to Llantwit Major on the beautiful Glamorgan Heritage Coast.聽 With the 6 Nations rugby tournament well underway, and just a couple of days before we mark the feast of St David, our national saint, Welsh hearts couldn鈥檛 be more passionate!聽 But today we look beyond the leeks and daffodils of popular tradition as we welcome you to St Illtud鈥檚 Church (鈥楲lanilltud鈥� in Welsh).I鈥檓 standing in the oldest part of the medieval building, which was built as a parish church in the 11th century, before a second monastic church was added alongside a century later.聽 Today, this part of the church provides welcome and hospitality as visitors cross the threshold, as well as hosting meetings, exhibitions and regular music events.聽 But this site also has an authentic story, reaching even further back to the early 6th century, connecting us to the time of the Celtic saints.

Those themes of tradition and heritage, faith and culture come together in our opening hymn 鈥淕uide me, O thou great Redeemer鈥�.聽 聽Written by William Williams, the hymn-writing hero of the 18th Century, sung to the tune Cwm Rhondda (Rhondda Valley), and sung for us by members of the 大象传媒 National Chorus of Wales:

Music 1: Hymn: 鈥楪uide me O thou great redeemer鈥� (大象传媒 NCW)聽

ATMOS: OUTSIDE CHURCH

Emma:
Outside St Illtud鈥檚 church, the sound of the Ogney Brook fills the air as it wends its way down to the sea, less than a mile away鈥� across land that played host to a remarkable seat of Christian learning, 15 centuries ago.聽 St Illtud established a monastic school here, with the fertile farmland of the Vale of Glamorgan as its backdrop, and nestling in a shallow valley running down to the sea 鈥� the gateway to the world for Illtud鈥檚 students who travelled to Cornwall, Brittany, Ireland and beyond.聽 Illtud鈥檚 鈥榗ollege鈥� became a centre of learning and reflection; and the ancient alumni of that time reads like a Who鈥檚 Who of Celtic saints: Samson, Gildas and Dewi Sant (St David himself) studied here according to tradition, while even their Irish counterparts, Patrick and Bridget would have known of Llanilltud鈥檚 work and witness.

In our 21st Century, and with the season of Lent just around the corner, Sunday Worship鈥檚 Lent Series will explore the concept of 鈥榳elcome鈥� to the outsider and the stranger, and how that might have been re-defined by the pandemic.

Our service this morning invites us to stand in the light of that ancient tradition of generosity and welcome, and reflect upon how it shapes the Christian experience of today; not seeking to re-create a Celtic church from the mixed up fragments of history, myth and legend, but by bearing authentic witness to the Age of the Saints, discovering that the search for God in all things and all people, and the passionate, radical hospitality that this tradition models, is as relevant now as ever.

MUSIC STARTS UNDER, THEN WEAVES IN NEXT SECTIONS

As if to trace the history of this place through the centuries, we step inside the church to the Galilee Chapel, where a stunning collection of Celtic standing stones, discovered on this site over the generations, stand like sentinels watching from those early centuries, and providing the backdrop for the Welsh Bardic musicians, 鈥楤ragod鈥�, as they perform 鈥楽t Padarn鈥檚 Staff鈥�: a window into a Celtic mediaeval sound-world.

Music 2: 鈥楽t Padarn鈥檚 staff鈥� (Bragod)聽

GALILEE CHAPEL

Emma:
鈥淪t Padarn鈥檚 staff鈥� is a reminder that the staff was one of the tools of the trade for the Celtic saints; it was a practical help as they traversed the ancient terrain, but it was also a sign of their spiritual and pastoral authority.聽 And amongst the traditions linked to St Illtud are stories of his remarkable spiritual powers, and a later account of the Life of Illtud describes how his prayers enabled this monastic site to develop:

Reading 1: A tradition of St Illtud (Richard Parry)

鈥淭he site of Llanilltud in ancient times was a very limited area and hemmed in on every side.聽 David, Samson, Gildas and Paul Aurelian asked Illtud to pray to the Lord that he might cause the sea to retire, so that the monastery could be enlarged.聽 Illtud agreed and the five prayed.聽 Illtud and his students went down to the shore at low tide, when the sea used to withdraw to the distance of a mile and more and traced a furrow with the point of his staff, beyond which he聽forbade the water to pass, and it has never since that time transgressed his command.鈥�

MUSIC:

Emma:
Today, the saints are tourists and Illtud鈥檚 staff perhaps is a walking pole, and Llantwit Major (which translates as 鈥淚lltud鈥檚 Great Church鈥�) is a bustling town; yet this community still holds its remarkable past in tension with the challenges of the contemporary world.聽 St Illtud鈥檚 Church draws together a diverse community of worshippers, pilgrims and visitors, all sharing its stillness in prayer and worship, and exploring its legacy through history and learning; and it's to the completeness of that life in Christ that we are invited today.

MUSIC

God our Father,聽you gave your saints to the people of Wales聽to uphold the faith and to be faithfuland wise stewards of your mysteries:聽encouraged by their example,may we joyfully hold fast to the thingswhich lead to eternal life;through Jesus Christ our Lord,to whom with you and the Holy Spiritbe all honour and glory,now and for ever.聽 Amen.

Now we break open our scriptures, with verses from chapter 2 of St Paul鈥檚 first letter to the Thessalonians.

Reading 2: 1 Thessalonians 2:9-12 (Richard Parry)

You remember our labour and toil, brothers and sisters; we worked night and day, so that we might not burden any of you while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. You are witnesses, and God also, how pure, upright, and blameless our conduct was towards you believers. As you know, we dealt with each one of you like a father with his children, urging and encouraging you and pleading that you should lead a life worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.

Music 3: Hymn: 鈥淩ho im yr hedd鈥� (Grant me peace) (大象传媒 NCW)

MAIN CHURCH

Emma:
Members of 大象传媒 National Chorus of Wales, once again, singing the Welsh hymn 鈥淩ho im yr hedd鈥�, meaning 鈥淕rant me peace鈥�.聽聽

Our preacher is Canon Edwin Counsell, the parish priest and Ministry Area Leader at Llanilltud鈥� and we join Edwin in the main church that we use today.聽 It was built in the 12th century, alongside the earlier parish church, to house a chapter of priests who simply prayed, day and night.

First Reflection
Edwin:
This building seems to carry the memory of those prayers, even today, with the walls adorned with medieval paintings, and still bearing the rich legacy of those who, through the centuries, have found fellowship and faith in this place.

John Wesley visited here a few centuries later in 1777, and I鈥檓 probably standing where Wesley stood to preach.聽 His diary entry tells of the dramatic impact this visit made on the famous evangelist:

Wesley quotation (Richard Parry)
鈥淔riday the 25th July.聽 About eleven, I read prayers and preached in Llantwit Major church to a very numerous congregation.聽 I have not seen either so large or so handsome a church since I left England.聽 It was sixty yards long鈥� I suppose it has been abundantly the most beautiful as well as the most spacious church in Wales.鈥�

Edwin:
I wonder, what sort of welcome did John Wesley receive here?聽 It sounds as though it was generous; he didn鈥檛 usually preach inside Anglican churches, preferring to clamber on to the preaching cross in the churchyard, but perhaps there was something about this church that drew him over the threshold鈥� and I鈥檓 pleased, because the door to any church is probably the most important feature of the building.

It can be a portal, a way-in to a place of prayer, healing and reconciliation鈥� or it can be physical barrier, leaving a visitor wondering if it will creak open, revealing a sea of faces asking 鈥渨ho鈥檚 that stranger鈥�!

But barriers to sacred places can be deeper, and too many people feel unworthy or burdened by the story of their lives, believing that the church, or even God, might send them away in scorn.

Radical hospitality sits at the heart of the Gospel: but that welcome to church is about more than having good signage and a coffee machine.聽 It values every person as sacred, and speaks of a generosity of welcome in God鈥檚 name, not 鈥榙espite鈥� the burdens and difficulties we carry, but simply 鈥榖ecause鈥� of them.

St Paul wrote to the Thessalonian church just a couple of decades after the resurrection, encouraging a fledgling Christian community, as he writes, 鈥渢o lead a life worthy of God鈥�, even when they faced the distain and, perhaps, the persecution of their own community.聽 If Paul encouraged聽 them to find hope and faithfulness, then I reckon those same hallmarks of life lived in God, can be seen in the witness of the Celtic saints who established this place.Their witness was of the search for God in all things and their proclamation spoke of Jesus Christ at the centre of our existence, regardless of the constant turmoil of human life.Most of us don鈥檛 live with persecution today, yet we live with the burdens of this age, just like people in the time of Illtud or John Wesley, or any other point in time:聽 and make no mistake, the last 2 years of pandemic, lockdown and separation from family, friends and normality have taken their toll.

In this church, we鈥檝e had a focus on mental health and wellness for a while, partly born out of our own individual experiences of tragedy: and yet out of that has come a partnership with our local branch of Samaritans, and a real desire to normalise conversations about mental health.

This church building is a tactile timeline鈥� whether that鈥檚 the chisel marks left on the windows by the medieval masons, or the Celtic stones that have drawn left people in awe for a millennium and more;
鈥� and I reckon those physical reminders of deeper truths have led to this being described as a 鈥榯hin place鈥�, as though the story and connection back to Celtic times makes the fabric separating heaven and earth seem more delicate, and gossamer-thin.聽 Yet I wonder if the 鈥榯hin-ness鈥� is found not in the place, but in the people who fill it?

We鈥檙e all 鈥榯hin鈥� people, and if we鈥檙e serious about a Gospel that looks beyond that porous divide between our daily lives and an eternal God; a Gospel that speaks of God in all things and every situation; where every person finds a welcome that has no conditions, no strings attached鈥� then the embrace we extend to others, is that of Jesus himself.

MUSIC STARTS

The contemporary bardic poem 鈥淏eyond this divide鈥� speaks of seeking God on the journey of life:聽

Music 4: 鈥楤eyond this divide鈥� (Bragod)

Emma:
We鈥檙e able to support many people in this community with old fashioned 鈥榯ea and comfort鈥�!聽 鈥β� we can also signpost to the Samaritans, and their work to support people in anguish, that can be life changing (or, in some cases, lifesaving).聽 But for some people, it鈥檚 not about the contacts, structures or support we might put in place.聽 For Dai, who worships in this church, it鈥檚 simply the place, and what it lives out, that gets him through鈥�

MUSIC AND INTERVIEW INTERWEAVEInterview with Dai Davies

Music 5: Part of Benjamin Britten鈥檚 Third Solo Cello Suite (Ben)聽

GALILEE CHAPEL

Emma:
We鈥檙e standing in the semi-circle of Celtic stones in the Galilee chapel as we turn to our next reading, from chapter 16 of Matthew鈥檚 Gospel, as Jesus promises his disciples the peace that flows from fellowship in God鈥� but not before they鈥檝e taken up the weight of the cross.

Reading 3: Matthew 16:24-27 (Richard Parry)
Then Jesus told his disciples, 鈥業f any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life?鈥楩or the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done.

Second Reflection
Edwin:
I鈥檓 standing amongst the Celtic stones, displayed in a semi-circle in the Galilee Chapel at the west end of the church.聽 I鈥檝e come to think of them as wise friends, standing silently for each successive generation, bearing witness to their ancient past.

In the year 587, St David spoke at the Synod of Brevi in West Wales and wowed his audience with his eloquence and sincerity of faith.聽 He spoke out against Pelagianism, considered a dangerous heresy of the time, which proclaimed that we can live our lives freely, and choose to live righteously and find salvation... with no need of God鈥檚 grace.Now that鈥檚 fine as far as it goes, and maybe it鈥檚 a way of life that鈥檚 familiar in the 21st century, when we can all feel as though we鈥檙e in charge of our own destiny, and everything鈥檚 running to plan.

Trouble is鈥� what happens when it all goes wrong鈥�belly up鈥� and we find ourselves in the throes of inner turmoil, of conflict, disagreement or even a pandemic!聽

I meet a lot of people in this church.聽 I usually ask, 鈥渨here have you come from today?鈥�, because we all like to be rooted in a place that we call home.

But lockdown has reminded so many of us that trying to be emotionally self-sufficient may not really meet our needs. And I鈥檝e noticed a real change in the visitors we receive here.聽 Whereas people would ask about the dates of physical features of the church or enquire about guidebooks... these days, many more remark about the sense of peace that the building brings, asking if it鈥檚 OK to light candles, or where鈥檚 the best place for them to sit quietly to experience the stillness.

So now, I often ask visitors: 鈥淲hat do you hope to discover today?鈥� It gets some blank looks 鈥� but others speak tentatively of God, faith and people they love.聽 I wonder if that鈥檚 just a step away from the conversation Jesus had with his disciples, inviting them to take up their cross, and follow him 鈥� an invitation to explore life in a new way.

Our scriptures speak of the very near presence of the cross of Christ.聽 If we stand in the shadow of that cross, we might seem overwhelmed by its darkness鈥� until the bright light of resurrection rises behind it; and perhaps knowing that, Matthew tells us of the clarion call of Jesus to his disciples 鈥� 鈥渢ake up your cross and follow me鈥�.

I can鈥檛 help glancing at the Celtic standing stones alongside me as I speak.聽 They were discovered around the site of the church in the last 200 years, and dated to between the 8th and 10th centuries.聽 They tell of the activity of the community here towards the end of the 鈥楥eltic鈥� period鈥� yet they also bear witness to the earlier tradition of Illtud and of St David himself.

The carved stone at the centre is a Celtic cross, perhaps 1100 years old, with the arms of the cross representing the intersection of God and humanity in the human story.聽 Within that core design, the craftsman has worked the complexity of the knotwork, chiselled into the stone, whose patterns show God woven into the fabric of our lives in our experiences of joy and sorrow; and then carved a circle around the intersection of the Cross: a perfect circle with no beginning nor end, that re-asserts God鈥檚 continuing love, given freely, and without condition, not just for a moment, but for eternity.

Today we bear witness to a remarkable tradition in this church, stretching back to Celtic times; through conflicts and famines, plagues and pandemics... through the era of Illtud, David, John Wesley and all those who鈥檝e gone before us.

Yet the offer of God remains the same: a revealed offer of hospitality that鈥檚 both profound and humbling in the same breath, that鈥檚 offered to Dai in his moment of critical need, or to any of us caught up in the perilous journey of our lives, shaped by our experience of the human and the divine along the way.聽 And in that search for the stillness and presence of God, bringing calm even in the turmoil of our lives and our world, we now listen to the choir sing the famous Welsh hymn, 鈥淐alon lan鈥�, 鈥渁 pure heart鈥�, that gives constant praise to God.

Music 6: Hymn: 鈥楥alon Lan鈥� (大象传媒 NCW)

MAIN CHURCH
Prayers
Emma:
And now to our prayers.聽
As Wales remembers David, its patron saint, and the heroes of Christian faith gone before us, so we pray for all who seek God鈥檚 gracious love, that the Word of Christ might dwell richly in each of us, that we might be open to every prompting of the Spirit.

Lord, keep us mindful of the needs of others and may that be reflected in our welcome of our embrace and the hospitality of our lives; and as we seek answers to the questions that challenge, guide and shape our lives; we pray for those who have so little in a world of plenty 鈥� for those whose lives are blighted by the anxiety of mental illness 鈥� for those who yearn for peace.

Lord, may that same peace for which we long in our hearts be a peace that鈥檚 reflected across the world; we particularly lift before you the situation in the Ukraine. May the world鈥檚 leaders work for healing and reconciliation.聽 May they be the peace-makers who are blessed as the children of God.

Finally, we remember in our minds and in our hearts, those who are poorly, that God may strengthen them and guide the hands of those who care for them鈥︹�� for those people we know and love, and for those emerging cautiously from the entanglement of the pandemic:

Lord, in your mercy...hear our prayer.

And we pray with courage and confidence in the words of the Lord鈥檚 Prayer:

Our Father, who art in heaven,聽hallowed be thy name.Thy kingdom come.聽Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread,聽and forgive us our trespasses,as we forgive those who trespass against us;and lead us not into temptation,聽but deliver us from evil.For thine is the kingdom,聽the power, and the glory,for ever and ever.聽 Amen.

The words of our final hymn acknowledge the saints and heroes of faith, who shaped this nation of Wales.聽 Written by Timothy Rees, a former Bishop of Llandaff, and sung to the tune 鈥楤laenwern鈥�, composed by William Rowlands: 鈥淟ord, who in thy perfect wisdom, times and seasons dost arrange鈥�.

Music 7: Hymn: 鈥楲ord who in thy perfect wisdom鈥� (大象传媒 NCW)

Concluding prayer and blessing
Edwin:
Almighty God, awaken in us the zeal of your servants David, Illtud and all your saints; that we may follow you in singleness of heart; through Jesus Christ our Lord.聽 Amen.

May the Lord be with us to protect us; may he guide us and give us his strength; may he watch over us, keep us in his care and bless us with his peace.

The blessing of God almighty, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit come down upon you and rest upon you and on your homes; upon the people you love and those for whom you pray, today and always.聽 Amen.

Music 8: Sarabande from Bach Cello Suite No. 4 in Eb Major (Ben)