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.

Item 1: Introduction (Rosa):听
Bore da and Good morning! Welcome to Tabernacl听 Baptist church (or Tab as it鈥檚 affectionately known) - a Welsh-speaking chapel right in the heart of Cardiff鈥檚 commercial听 centre. I鈥檓 Rosa Hunt, and I鈥檓 the minister here. It鈥檚 lovely and peaceful inside our building but open the door and all the jangling and joy of city life floods in. It鈥檚 relatively quiet at the moment, and typically at this time of day you might find some people still snoozing in their sleeping bags just by the church railings.听 The Big Issue sellers are starting to claim their pitches, and last week I saw a听 woman who had fallen asleep by the bins.听 But by ten o鈥檆lock the city will have woken up, and we鈥檒l see shoppers hurrying past on their way to one of the big department stores..

When I stand at the huge church door and greet the congregation as they arrive, I鈥檓 often struck by the contrasts of the city - great affluence on the one hand, and great poverty on the other. How do we find hope in this strange harvest? Tabernacl stands as an exception to the brash commercial worlds outside its doors, a haven of peace and beauty. But it can鈥檛 allow itself听 the luxury of being an island completely cut off from the lives of those who scurry past it, especially at a time like this when people are scared to bits about interest rates and mortgage payments. In our service today we reflect on what a harvest of hope might look like in the heart of a city, and what role each of us might play in bringing hope to dark places.听听

God is every bit as much to be found outside those doors, on the city streets, as He is inside our beautiful building. Perhaps the city streets are every bit as sacred as our beautifully waxed pews 鈥� if not more so! Back in the 13th century, St Francis of Assisi acquired a reputation for seeing God in all people and all of creation. I like to think that he would have seen God in each person outside our church today. Our first hymn is based on a famous poem of his.

Item 2: Hymn 1听 ALL CREATURES OF OUR GOD AND KING

Item 3: OPENING PRAYERS (Helen Jones)
I鈥檓 Helen Jones and I鈥檓 one of the deacons here at Tabernacl.听I鈥檝e been singing harvest hymns at this time of year since I was a child, but what does it mean to sing about the beauty of nature and its abundance, when our earth is being poisoned and nearly one in three children in Wales and the UK live in income poverty? The cost of living crisis, inevitably points to this winter likely being a bleak time for a terrifyingly large proportion of the UK population.听And yet there is hope, despite all the elements that can seem beyond our control 鈥� [the wind, the rain, or even the lack of rain鈥�]

Let us pray. Loving God,We thank you for creating this beautiful earth to be our home, and equipping it with all we need in order to flourish and grow.听

At this time of year we traditionally give thanks for harvest. We give you thanks indeed for farmers who grow our food, and for those who pack and transport it to our supermarket, shop and market shelves But our church is far from the fields, surrounded as we are by shops, museums, libraries and other public buildings. [We鈥檙e at the end of the supply chain,听 and yet we have to remember that we are as dependent on the harvest as anyone else.] And so we give you thanks especially for our shops, where we can buy food to eat and where people can be employed so they can feed their own families. We thank you for the restaurants and cafes which surround us where fellowship is enjoyed and where relationships are built. We thank you for all who work in them, often serving late into the night.听

We thank you for those people and places who open their wallets and their doors to the hungry and homeless. For the beauty of the earth, For the beauty of the skies, For the love from which our birth

Over and around us lies, Father, unto to Thee we raise This our sacrifice of praise.Amen.

Item 4: Hymn 2) FOR THE BEAUTY OF THE EARTH

ITEM 5a : Introduction to Reading 1 (ROSA)
I mentioned earlier that today鈥檚 a big day in the Cardiff calendar, since the city is hosting its first half-marathon since the pandemic. Dafydd Huw, another of our deacons, and one of a number of talented musicians in the church, will soon be changing into his running gear in order to participate. It promises to be a joyous occasion in the city, with many participants running in aid of charities to help those in danger of being left behind. Dafydd brings us our first reading, which is taken from Lamentations 3, verses 19 to 26.

ITEM 5b Reading1, (Dafydd Huw)
19 The thought of my affliction and my homelessness听 听 is wormwood and gall!20 My soul continually thinks of it听 听 and is bowed down within me.21 But this I call to mind,听 听 and therefore I have hope:22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,[a]听 听 his mercies never come to an end;23 they are new every morning;听 听 great is your faithfulness.24 鈥淭he Lord is my portion,鈥� says my soul,听 听 鈥渢herefore I will hope in him.鈥�25 The Lord is good to those who wait for him,听 听 to the soul that seeks him.26 It is good that one should wait quietly听 听 for the salvation of the Lord.

ITEM 6 Sermon Part 1(Rosa)
The second half of the reading we have just heard is familiar to many. The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. A bit like Hamlet or Macbeth, or even Casablanca, we might be more familiar with the quotations than the actual source from which they come.听

Lamentations is not generally an upbeat book - the title鈥檚 a bit of a giveaway! It bewails the destruction of the city of Jerusalem: homes being destroyed, livelihoods ruined, families torn apart. In the passage immediately before our encouraging verse, the author tells us about his despair. He describes himself as one besieged and enveloped with bitterness and trouble, like one sitting in darkness as though in a grave. He tells us that he feels walled in so that he cannot escape, chained to a place of confinement. He feels like a traveller whose ways are blocked with hewn stones and whose paths are crooked. Worst of all, even though he calls and cries out for help, he feels that God has shut out his prayer. Indeed, he even fears that it is God himself who has brought this despair upon him, who has made his teeth grind on gravel and made him cower in ashes. 鈥淢y soul is bereft of peace鈥�, he says, 鈥渁nd I have forgotten what happiness is.鈥� Even though the Lamentations were written over two and a half thousand years ago, there are people on the streets outside this church right now who would echo these sentiments.

Tabernacl opens its doors on a Sunday afternoon so homeless people can have a safe and warm place to sit down, have something to eat and drink, and a listening ear. Anna, not her real name, came in a few weeks ago. She鈥檚 a refugee from Africa, and had been raped by her brother. She was afraid of sleeping in any of the local hostels and would rather try her luck on the streets. We got the impression that she might have forgotten what happiness is.
听But it's important to remember that the Book of Lamentations鈥� affirmation of hope, of God鈥檚 steadfast love and faithfulness, comes precisely in the midst of this darkest place of suffering. Somehow, the writer manages to proclaim the promise of new mercies even when all the evidence of his senses points to the inescapable conclusion that either God is not real, or God is not good. Another of our recent guests, David, would probably agree.听He had been beaten up and his back was very sore. We have a collection of prayer cards with encouraging messages for various situations, and I offered them to David. He gladly accepted the cards which offered help if you were grieving or anxious, but when I offered him a card for those who felt abandoned by God, he became indignant. 鈥淚 know God is always with me鈥�, he said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 need a card to tell me that. I can feel his love in my heart.鈥�

Like David navigating his way through the storms of life on the streets, the book of Lamentations holds on to faith in God鈥檚 steadfast love in the midst of terrible suffering. At the heart of the storm, the writer clings to his faith in God鈥檚 mercy, faithfulness and love, and it鈥檚 this which gets him through the darkness until the wind dies down and the dawn arrives at last. This image is beautifully and powerfully brought to us by Sir James Macmillan鈥檚 anthem, O Radiant Dawn, which is sung for us this morning by the Ardwyn Singers, under the direction of David Legatt:

ITEM 7: Anthem 1 O Radiant Dawn

ITEM 8a Introduction to reading 2 (Rosa)
It鈥檚 easy enough to recognise the dawn when it arrives. But how might we recognise God鈥檚 steadfast love and mercy in the midst of our spiritual and mental darkness? What might this hope look like for some of our Ukrainian refugees who are increasingly worried about what鈥檚 happening back home, or for the young couple who turned up last week having been made homeless because they couldn鈥檛 afford to pay their bills? How can we reap a harvest of hope when things seem so bleak?

Our next reading comes from 2 Corinthians chapter 9 verses 6 to 15. It鈥檚听 set in the context of a food emergency around two thousand years ago. There was a famine in Jerusalem, and the people living there would have been experiencing both physical and mental suffering as a result. Writing to the church in Corinth Paul urges them to collect money which can be passed on to those in Jerusalem to relieve their dire need.

ITEM 8b: Reading 2, 2 Corinthians 19.6-15 (Dafydd Huw)
6 The point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not regretfully or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work. 9 As it is written,鈥淗e scatters abroad; he gives to the poor;听 听 his righteousness[b] endures forever.鈥�

10 He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness.[c] 11 You will be enriched in every way for your great generosity, which will produce thanksgiving to God through us, 12 for the rendering of this ministry not only supplies the needs of the saints but also overflows with many thanksgivings to God. 13 Through the testing of this ministry you[d] glorify God by your obedience to the confession of the gospel of Christ and by the generosity of your partnership with them and with all others, 14 while they long for you and pray for you because of the surpassing grace of God that he has given you. 15 Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

ITEM 9: Sermon Part 2 (Rosa)
Then as now, life is bleak for those caught in a food emergency, whether in the first century or the twenty-first.听 According to the World Food Programme, 鈥淎 record-high number of people across six countries are either already starving or on the brink of disaster鈥�. And as a recent White House statement puts it: 鈥淭he compounding impacts of the pandemic, the deepening climate crisis, rising energy and fertilizer costs, and protracted conflicts 鈥� including Russia鈥檚 invasion of Ukraine 鈥� have disrupted global supply chains and dramatically increased global food prices.鈥� As a mum of four boys myself, I can鈥檛 imagine how awful it must be not to be able to provide food for my family. And yet this is a growing reality in our world today, and not just in far-flung places either.听

But what can we do about this? In The Cat in the Hat Dr Seuss writes the famous words:鈥淭his mess is so bigAnd so deep and so tall,We cannot pick it up.There is no way at all!鈥�

I feel that way sometimes when I see the level of deprivation in our society. Is there anything that ordinary people can do to help, or is there no way at all?

In this interesting passage, Paul suggests that there is something we can do, and it鈥檚 very simple. Paul tells the church in Corinth that obedience to the gospel of Christ means being generous to those in need. Another letter in the New Testament puts it like this: 鈥� What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, 鈥淕o in peace; keep warm and well fed,鈥� but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.鈥澨�

We can鈥檛 call ourselves Christians if we aren鈥檛 generous givers. God is compared to a generous farmer who scatters abundant seed and sows bountifully. So we too must be generous if we want to be like God and please Him, for God loves a cheerful giver! We can make God鈥檚 steadfast love become a reality for others, by showing them love ourselves.听

鈥淵ou will be enriched in every way for your great generosity鈥� writes Paul. Maria is a Ukrainian refugee who fled to Cardiff with her nine year old daughter Lina, and they were telling me that on their long and dangerous journey from Poland to Wales, Lina had acquired a balloon which gave her much pleasure. It wasn鈥檛 long, however, before they came across another Ukrainian family with a small boy who was upset. Lina decided to give the boy her precious balloon. The two families parted company, only to meet again a few days later at a train station. This time it was Maria and Lina鈥檚 turn to be upset, as they couldn鈥檛 work out how to buy tickets for the train. But the Ukrainian family with the small boy was there too, and recognising Lina as the generous balloon-giver, they bought tickets for Lina and her mother. The small seed of generosity sown by Lina had grown into a bountiful harvest.

听By being generous and cheerful givers 鈥� in so far as our own resources enable - , we can help shine light into the darkest places, and by so doing, we will be imitating our Master Jesus, lover of our soul, who is our refuge and haven. And now for John Wesley鈥檚 hymn, Jesu Lover of My Soul, sung to the tune 鈥楢berystwyth鈥� in a special arrangement made by today鈥檚 organist, Jeffrey Howard鈥�

ITEM 10:听 Anthem 2听 Jesu Lover of My Soul (arr. Howard)

ITEM 11a: Link to Intercessionary Prayers (Rosa)
We come now to our听 prayers, lifting up the needs of a suffering world to our generous God.

ITEM 11b: Intercessionary Prayers (Helen Jones)
Generous God, we pray for those for whom this autumn is not one of abundance, but of scarcity. For those who need to go to the food bank听 or who can鈥檛 afford to heat their homes. We pray for our government and all in authority at this time of change and turmoil. And we pray for a generous spirit among those individuals and charities who are in a position to help by donating food and money.听听

ITEM 11c Sung Response (Choir)听O Lord, hear my prayer

ITEM 11d: Intercessionary Prayer (Helen)
Healing God, we pray for those for whom the darkness is not just without but also within. For all those struggling with dementia, anxiety, addiction, low self-esteem and other mental health issues. May they find the help they need so that dawn might break through their darkness, and give them new hope.

ITEM 11e: Sung Response (Choir)O Lord Hear My Prayer听

ITEM 11f: Intercessionary Prayer (Helen)
Welcoming God, we pray for those in our country who are homeless. We think of those who sleep on our streets, as well as those who sleep in hostels or on a friend鈥檚 sofa because they have nowhere to call their own. We also lift up to you all those who are displaced in our country, especially those who have no idea what the future holds.听

ITEM 11g: Sung Response (Choir)O Lord Hear My Prayer听

ITEM 12 : Gweddi鈥檙 Arglwydd/Lord鈥檚 Prayer (Helen + choirs)
Let鈥檚 join our prayers with those of the whole church as we pray using the words that Jesus taught us and say:

Our Father who art in heavenHallowed be thy nameThy kingdom come, thy will be doneOn earth as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily breadAnd forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against usAnd lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evilFor thine is the kingdom, the power and the gloryFor ever and ever Amen
听
ITEM 13: Introduction to hymn (Rosa)
And now the choir of Tabernacl Church together with the Ardwyn Singers join together in our final hymn this morning 鈥� a firm favourite in Wales,鈥� We hope you enjoy the glorious sound of this hymn sung mainly in Welsh!
Tydi a Wnaeth y Wyrth, O Grist, Fab Duw. You did this mighty deed, Oh! Christ God's son,You gave me joy anew the race to run;Your Spirit held and guided me alongForever more I'll sing the glorious song. There鈥檚 a Hallelujah in my soul!听鈥�

ITEM 14:听 Hymn 3: Tydi a Wnaeth y Wyrth, O Grist, Fab Duw (Pantyfedwen)

ITEM 15: Bendith/Blessing
Gras ein Harglwydd Iesu Grist, a chariad Duw, a chymdeithas yr Ysbryd Gl芒n fyddo gyda chwi oll!

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen

ITEM 16:听 Organ Postlude (Jeff Howard)听Sigfrid Karg-Elert: Praise the Lord with Drums and Cymbals Op. 101, no 5
听
Closing Announcement:
Organist Jeffrey Howard bringing this morning鈥檚 live Sunday Worship to a close with Sigfrid Karg-Elert鈥檚听 Praise the Lord with Drums and Cymbals,听 Opus 101, no 5.听
David Michael Leggatt conducted Cardiff Ardwyn Singers and members of Tabernacle Church choir. The service was led by Revd Dr Rosa Hunt, minister at Tabernacle Welsh Baptist Church, who also delivered the sermon. The producer was Geoff Ballinger.