大象传媒

This script is indicative only of the text of the programme, and, as a working document, may include notes, together with grammatical and spelling errors. Some segments are unscripted and the text is a guide only to what was said.

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CONTINUITY: On Radio 4 and 大象传媒 Sounds now it鈥檚 time for Sunday Worship听

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Welcome听

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Regatta FX and commentary.

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OUTDOORS

Good morning and welcome听 to the bank of the River Thames at Henley, the weekend before our annual regatta, the most famous competitive rowing event in the world. The town has hosted Henley Royal Regatta since 1839, welcoming athletes and their supporters from across the globe to compete, but it鈥檚 also a society fixture 鈥� a unique combination of boats and boaters, blazers and frocks! People flock here during the regatta for entertainment, fun and relaxation, as they do to Henley throughout the year. I鈥檓 Father Jeremy Tayler, Rector of the ancient parish church of St Mary-the-Virgin where our service is taking place. Our church offers a warm welcome to all in the local community as we serve our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and we听 offer that same welcome to you. The choir leads the first hymn now, which speaks of the love of God, likening it to the wideness, not of the River Thames, but of the sea.听 鈥淭here鈥檚 a wideness in God鈥檚 mercy鈥�.听

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Hymn 鈥� There鈥檚 a wideness in God鈥檚 mercy

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The Collect for this day the Fifth Sunday after Trinity.

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A reading from Proverbs Chapter 3:听

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The Word of the Lord

Congregation: Thanks be to God听

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Anthem 鈥� O come let us sing听 (David Bednall)听

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Fr Jeremy: With us today is Debbie Bruwer, a local resident but also a double Olympic silver and five times World Championship gold medallist rower.听 As we鈥檒l hear in a moment, that reading we鈥檝e just heard is important to Debbie. Debbie, is rowing what brought you to Henley?听

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Debbie: Yes it was, I discovered rowing as a 17 year old and God had really given me a passion for sport so after I finished school I knew that if I was going to take it seriously I would need to move from Yorkshire down this way where the GB rowing team was based and so I did, I joined Leander Club which trains rowers to Olympic standard and ended up rowing as a full-time athlete for 15 years.听听

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Fr Jeremy: So tell us some of the highlights over that time听

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Highlights for me range from the unique atmosphere of Henley Royal Regatta just across the river with the psychology of knock-out racing and the crowd so close to the bank they can almost touch the rowing blades, to standing arms around my teammates to our national anthem on the medal podium, that鈥檚 a pretty incredible moment, the British public are such great supporters, there was always a sea of British flags, then of course for us the Olympics is the pinnacle so winning my first silver in Athens - the home of the games - was very special.听

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But of course these are performance highlights - over my fifteen years in the team I made amazing life-long friends - sharing ups and downs together as teammates really cements friendships - so precious, and also it was a huge period of time where God really moulded and shaped me and grew my faith through times of joy and times of struggle.听

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Fr Jeremy: Are there any particular ways in which you discerned God at work in your life through that time?听

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As an athlete is easy to feel like when you are doing well, that you have value and purpose, but then if you are doing badly that you can feel like you are a failure or are in the wrong place, but God showed me over the years that my identity is not in my performance - my wins and losses is not who I am - they don鈥檛 determine my value as a person. Who I am is a precious individual made and loved by God - who has worth and value just as each of us do regardless of the circumstances that surround us - this was a huge stability and anchor for me in the up and down world of sport and brought freedom to just get out there and get stuck into racing with all I could give.听听

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I also learnt to trust God鈥檚 plans for me. I had originally committed to rowing full time for two years then I was going to become a veterinary surgeon, but in those two years I didn鈥檛 make the cut for the Olympics and was absolutely gutted and initially felt like I had wasted two years of my life... however, instead I ended up rowing for fifteen years and then becoming a prison officer - neither of which I would have initially chosen! But God knew best and the plans he had would be a blessing and enable me to grow as a person and in my faith through that journey. So God over my years has showed me that he is faithful and trustworthy and my favourite bible passage for that time was 'Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding, but in all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your paths.'听听

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Fr Jeremy: This Olympic year we鈥檙e celebrating 100 years since Eric Liddell won Olympic Gold in Paris as depicted in the film Chariots of Fire - he was also an athlete who knew the certainty of God鈥檚 direction for his life.听

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Yes Eric Liddel was so inspirational - he had such a joy and passion in competing and using the abilities God had given him and enjoyed competing yet also a heart to serve others and share his faith wherever God called him which of course led to serving as a missionary in China and blessing many. (Nice quote: 鈥淚 believe God made me for a purpose 鈥� for China - but he also made me fast. And when I run, I feel his pleasure...to win is to honour Him.鈥� (Though this was written by English actor and screenwriter Colin Welland and put in the voice of Liddell, as played by actor Ian Charleson).听

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Anthem 鈥� Light of the world (John Dankworth)听

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FR JEREMY: Light of the World, music by John Dankworth. Our prayers for the Henley Royal Regatta begin with an intercession by Eric Liddell. It was probably written during his internment by the Japanese Imperial army during their occupation of China:听听

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READER: 鈥淔ather, I pray that no circumstances, however bitter or however long drawn out, may cause me to break thy law, the law of love to thee and to my neighbour. That I may not become resentful, have hurt feelings, hate, or become embittered by life鈥檚 experiences, but that in and through all, I may see thy guiding hand and have a heart full of gratitude for thy daily mercy, daily love, daily power and daily presence.鈥�

ALL: Amen听

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READER: We pray for the local community here in Henley, for the Henley Royal Regatta, for competitors, spectators, and organisers, for all the many local organisations and individuals who are involved, and for those in our community who are finding things hard at this time, that they would know your mercy and compassion. We pray too for the health of our river.

ALL: Amen听

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READER: A prayer for all who compete, in life, or in sport: Dear Father, may we compete with Your heart shining through ours. May we push ourselves to be what You tell us we can be. May we have kindness in our hearts, mindfulness in our souls, and endurance to finish. Keep us and our competitors safe from harm, and let our actions be a testament to your glory,

ALL: Amen听

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Second conversation between Fr Jeremy and Debbie Bruwer Fr Jeremy: So Debbie you retired from rowing, initially becoming a prison officer. Like Eric Liddell, ou鈥檝e described a clear sense of God鈥檚 call on your life: where did that take you next?听

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Yes I really loved my work being a prison officer and discovered that I enjoyed working with people from all walks of life, helping to give good structure and guidance for people but also encouraging them to move forward in a freer and more healthy way. I then later had an opportunity to work with Christians in Sport, a charity that tries to reach the world of sport for Christ in many different areas - church, schools, universities and also in the world of elite sport - in fact Christians in Sport supported me when I was an elite athlete so it鈥檚 great now to still be supporting athletes in the same way, encouraging them in their sport and also in their faith 鈥� it鈥檚 a wonderful privilege. I do this part time, and then part time I am also now manager at the Henley-on-Thames Churches Debt Centre.听

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Fr Jeremy: Many people have questioned whether debt help is needed in the Henley area, but it鈥檚 been wonderful to see the churches here partner together to provide this service because it is actually needed, isn鈥檛 it?听

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Yes, there is a lot of misconception around debt. Debt could be a few steps away from many of us in a job loss, bereavement, ill health or relationship breakdown. Myself and our volunteers walk alongside families and individuals from all walks of life on their journey out of debt - really wanting to help lift that weight and provide solutions for them to have hope for the future. It can be a very dark place for people to be experiencing isolation and withdrawal from community so it has been wonderful over these last few years to see individuals blossom as the weight of debt is gradually lifted, and see community rebuilt and people getting closer to understanding how precious they are as individuals with huge worth and value regardless of what situation they may be facing. God is really using the community here to transform lives and show his love and compassion.听

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Fr Jeremy: Thank you Debbie, it鈥檚 been great to talk with you.听

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Hymn 鈥� Guide me O thou Great Redeemer听

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READER: Verses form the book of Revelation, chapters 21 and 22:听

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The Word of the Lord

Congregation: Thanks be to God听

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CHOIR: Verses from Psalm 8.

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Talk from Fr Jeremy

In the name of the +Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen听

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Water runs through the bible like a river, quite literally from beginning to end.听 The creation story in Genesis begins with a description of the earth as a formless void, darkness covering the face of the deep, and the spirit of God sweeping over the waters.听 Later we hear a description of the river that waters the garden of Eden.听 Noah鈥檚 ark floats on the waters of the great flood.听 Moses is pulled from the river Nile, he leads the Israelites through the Red Sea, and he brings forth water from the rock in the wilderness.听 The prophet Jonah is tossed into the sea and swallowed by a great fish.听 Jesus is baptised in the river Jordan, and the disciples are called by Jesus from their boats on the shores of Galilee.听 On the night of his betrayal, Jesus and his disciples cross the brook of Kidron on their way to the Garden of Gethsemane; and after his death, our Lord鈥檚 side is pierced with a spear, and blood and water flow out.听 And the bible ends, as it begins, with water; with the story of the heavenly city, and the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing down the city鈥檚 street. The story of the garden of Eden presents us with a vision of God, humanity and the rest of the created world living in an ordered and harmonious relationship.听 The man and the woman walk in the garden with God.听 The earth brings forth its leaves and its fruits for their nourishment.听 They are permitted the fruit of all the trees save one, and yet they defy God鈥檚 command and reach out to grasp that forbidden fruit, and the harmonious relationship between God, humanity and creation is spoiled. The Genesis account has something important to say about the human condition, and our tendency to take and to grasp, our tendency to strive after things that are neither necessary nor good for us.听 And we can sadly see in our generation perhaps with particular clarity the consequences of this, and the extent of the disharmony of the relationships between God, humanity and creation. Our sense of creation as God鈥檚 sacred gift to us, our sense of creation as an aspect of God鈥檚 revelation to us, these ideas have been obscured, and instead of creation we have 鈥渘atural resources鈥� to be used and exploited. And likewise with humanity; the idea of the human being made in the image of God has been obscured, and humanity itself has become a commodity to be used and exploited.听

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The story of the heavenly city at the end of the Revelation presents us with a vision of the restoration of the harmonious relationship between God, humanity and creation.听 At the centre of the city鈥檚 street is the river of the water of life: nature, represented by the river and the tree which grows in its banks; human activity, represented by the street; and God, from whose throne the river flows.听 And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations, words which have a particular resonance in a world which continues to be so horribly scarred by division and conflict. The vision of the Christian faith is of the harmony between God, humanity and creation restored through the love of God revealed in Jesus Christ.听 And the Christian faith offers us hope that in God鈥檚 time, this lost harmony will be decisively, totally and triumphantly renewed. A critic might say that that鈥檚 little use to us right now.听听 But the Christian faith offers more than that.听 The Christian faith also offers glimpses of the Kingdom of God, that realm of harmony between God, humanity and creation, breaking into our flawed and troubled world in the here and now. In the first place, that is what the Church is supposed to be.听 You will all have your views on the extent to which the Church lives up to that calling, but that is nevertheless what we are for.听 Perhaps we have a local example here in Henley of the ways in which churches can work together to restore relationships in the work of the Henley Churches Debt Centre that Debbie told us about earlier. And sometimes you can catch glimpses of the possibility of a restored harmony in other places too.听 For me an important place is the garden, a place where the shared creative power of God and humanity can find expression, the gardener working with God鈥檚 creation to bring forth beauty and life. But I wonder too about rowing.听 There is something beautifully harmonious about the way that rowers work together in a team, and even in the case of the individual rower, you can see how rowing technique allows the rower to work in harmony with nature, their weight supported by the river as they use the resistance the water offers to the oars to propel themselves forwards. Now the truth is that I know very little about rowing, and apart from a brief period of rugby glory with the under 13bs, I have never been much of a sportsman.听 And I would imagine that when the athletes get out there on the river for a race, the contemplation of the perfect harmony of the Kingdom of God is probably not at the top of their agenda.听听听

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But perhaps I could encourage you all in whatever your walk of life to lift your eyes for a moment to give thanks to God for the beauty of creation, to give thanks to God for the beauty of human cooperation, to give thanks to God for the ways in which His kingdom breaks into our lives, and to ponder how each of us with God鈥檚 help might seek to respond to his call to live in closer harmony with each other, with creation, and with God in whom we all live and move and have our being, to whom, +Father, Son and Holy Spirit, be all praise and glory now and for ever. Amen.听

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Hymn 鈥� Glorious things of thee are spoken (Abbot鈥檚 Leigh)听

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READER 2: Let us pray:

Father, we pray for the Church in all the world. We pray that you would help your people to witness to your reconciling love, and the restoration of relationships through your Son Jesus Christ. We give thanks for the work of the Henley Churches Debt Centre.听

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Lord, in your mercy.

Hear our prayer.听

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Father, we pray for our nation at this election time. We pray that our public life would reflect both the dignity of humanity made in your image, and the beauty and wonder of your creation of which we are stewards.听

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Lord, in your mercy.

Hear our prayer.听

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Father, we pray for the wider world.

For peace in war-torn places

For justice and reconciliation

For the sick and the dying, that your mercy might be made known to all in need of your touch at this time. For a restoration of the brokenness that afflicts our relationships with creation and with one another.听

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Lord, in your mercy.

Hear our prayer.听

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Fr Jeremy: We conclude the prayers with the words our Saviour has taught us: 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, for ever and ever. Amen.听

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Anthem 鈥� Irish Blessing (Bob Chilcott)听

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Blessing听

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Organ voluntary听- Toccata from Suite Modale (Peeters)

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