成人论坛

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.

OPENING ANNO:成人论坛 Radio 4. And now we go live to St Martin-in-the-Fields for 鈥淎 Celebration for Ascension Day鈥� featuring music from Will Todd鈥檚 brand new Jazz Missa Brevis with the preacher Bishop James Jones. The service is led by the Reverend Dr. Sam Wells and begins with the traditional, Ascension hymn, Hail the Day that Sees Him Rise.鈥�

Welcome and Prayer of Penitence

Celebrant: Good evening and welcome. 听From our vantage point on the corner of Trafalgar Square, many significant landmarks of the London skyline are visible. 听Nelson鈥檚 Column proudly rises from the centre of the square, the dome that crowns the National 听Gallery sits elegantly above the colonnade, 听St. Stephen鈥檚 Tower, home to Big Ben, can be seen at the other end of Whitehall, and of course, the Baroque spire of St. Martin-in-the-Fields itself turns the eye skywards. 听Today we lift our eyes toward heaven; with the disciples we gasp in awe and wonder as Jesus is lifted up from the earth to take his place beside his Father in glory. 听

Celebrant: The Lord be with youAll: and also with you.Celebrant: Alleluia! Christ is risen听

All: He is risen indeed. Alleluia!

Celebrant: Seeing we have a high priest who has ascended to the heavens, let us make our confession in full assurance that he intercedes for us at the Father鈥檚 side.

The choir sings Kyrie from Jazz Missa Brevis Will Todd

Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.

Absolution

Celebrant: Almighty God, who forgives all who truly repent, have mercy upon you, pardon and deliver you from all your sins, confirm and strengthen you in all goodness, and keep you in life eternal; through Jesus Christ our Lord.All: Amen
The choir sings Gloria from Jazz Missa Brevis Will Todd

Collect

Celebrant: Risen Christ,听 you have raised our human nature to the throne of heaven:听 help us to seek and serve you, that we may join you at the Father鈥檚 side, where you reign with the Spirit in glory, now and for ever.听
All: 听 听 听 听 Amen

First Reading: Daniel 7: 13-14听
Read by the Reverend Elizabeth Adekunle, Archdeacon of Hackney听

A reading from the Prophet Daniel Chapter 7听
I saw in the night visions,and behold, with the clouds of heaventhere came one like a son of man,and he came to the Ancient of Daysand was presented before him.
And to him was given dominionand glory and kingdom,that all peoples, nations, and languagesshould serve him;his dominion is an everlasting dominion,which shall not pass away,and his kingdom onethat shall not be destroyed.
This is the word of the Lord. 听 听 听 听 听 听 听听
All: 听Thanks be to God.

Choir: 听 O Clap 听your Hands 听 John Rutter 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听听

Second Reading: Acts 1:6-11
Read by Anne Atkins

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles Chapter 1听
So when they had come together, they asked him, 鈥淟ord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?鈥� 听He said to them, 鈥淚t is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has fixed by his own authority. 听 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth.鈥� And when he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 听And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, 鈥淢en of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.鈥�
This is the word of the Lord. 听 听 听 听 听 听 听听
All: 听Thanks be to God.

Hymn: Let all the World (verse 1)

Gospel: Luke 24: 44-53
Read by the Reverend Sharon Grenham-Thompson听

Reader: Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke.
All: Glory to you O Lord.

Jesus said to them, 鈥淭hese are my words which I spoke to you, while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the prophets and the psalms must be fulfilled.鈥� 听Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and said to them, 鈥淭hus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 听 and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 听You are witnesses of these things. 听And behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you; but stay in the city, until you are clothed with power from on high.鈥�
Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. 听While he blessed them, he parted from them, and was carried up into heaven. And they returned to Jerusalem with great joy, 听and were continually in the temple blessing God.
This is the听Gospel of the Lord.

All: Praise to you, O Christ.

Hymn: Let all the World (verse 2)鈥�

Sermon: Bishop James Jones听鈥�

Choir: Christus Est Stella 听 Will Todd

Affirmation of Faith

Celebrant: Let us affirm our faith in Jesus Christ the Son of God.
听

All: Though he was divine, he did not cling to equality with God, but made himself nothing. Taking the form of a slave, he was born in human likeness. He humbled himself and was obedient to death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God has raised him on high, and given him the name above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, and every voice proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Amen.

Intercessions:Read by 听Revd Canon Ann Easter and Anna Drew

Reader: Lord of the Heavens, you came to earth to dwell with us and among us. 听Share in our humanity, be with us in our triumphs and disasters, join us in our joys and our sorrows. Be in our midst today and raise us up with you in glory to join in your eternal banquet. Your kingdom come
All: Your will be done.

Reader: Light of the World, you revealed your truth through your words and actions. Bring light into the darkness of the lives of all your children; those who are lost and alone, those who mourn, those who struggle with addiction or mental illness, those who live with constant pain or endless suffering.听 Your kingdom come
All: Your will be done.

Reader: Prince of Peace, you turned the other cheek to those who persecuted you. 听Bring 听peace to your war-torn world. Send your healing Spirit upon those who live in fear and all whose lives have been torn apart by violence; bring hope to any who are tormented by the horrors of war, and empower us all to work towards a more peaceful tomorrow.听 Your kingdom come
All: Your will be done.

Reader: Lord of Lords, you ascended to your throne in heaven to reign for all eternity, and you showed that true greatness is found in humility and true power is found in the service of others. 听Guide leaders, and all who make decisions that affect the lives of many, to use their authority for the greater good. Encourage those who strive for justice, who campaign and work for fairness for all your people.听 Your kingdom come
All: Your will be done.

Reader: Lord of Life, you died and rose again so that we might have new life with you. Inspire all who work to support the lives of others, infusing them with richness and meaning. 听Move your people to use their talents to create rather than destroy, to heal rather than to hurt, to inspire rather than to reproach and to enlighten rather than obscure so that the life of your Church may issue in goodness, truth and beauty. Your kingdom come
All: Your will be done.

The Peace:

Celebrant: Jesus said: 'Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.听 If you love me, rejoice because I am going to the Father.' Alleluia.听 The peace of the Lord be always with you.
All: And also with you听
Celebrant: Let us offer one another a sign of peace.
A sign of peace is exchanged amongst the congregation
Hymn: Alleluia, Sing to Jesus鈥僂ucharistic Prayer:
Celebrant: The Lord is here.
All: His Spirit is with us.Celebrant: Lift up your hearts.All: We lift them to the Lord.
Celebrant: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.All: It is right to give thanks and praise.
Celebrant: God of heaven and earth, in creation, liberation, prophecy and miracle you broke through the barrier between your glorious divinity and our fallen humanity; and once and for all in Jesus you came to be with us on earth in time so that we might come to be with you in heaven forever. In his crucified agony we demonstrated our allergy to your grace; but in your raising him from the tomb you showed the limitlessness of your love. In his wondrous ascension you open for us the gates of life eternal. 听
And so with the whole company of heaven, we join your everlasting praise.

The choir sings Sanctus & Benedictus from Jazz Missa Brevis听
Celebrant: God of humility and exaltation, your Son Jesus opened the hearts of the disciples to understand the Scriptures and preach repentance and forgiveness. Send upon us your Holy Spirit, that your disciples today may be clothed with understanding and power, and that this bread broken, and this wine poured out, may be for us his body and blood.
Who, at supper with his disciples, took bread, gave you thanks, broke the bread, and gave it to them, saying, 鈥楾ake, eat: this is my body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of me.鈥� After supper he took the cup. Again he gave you thanks, and gave it to his disciples, saying, 鈥楧rink this, all of you: this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.鈥櫶�

Great is the mystery of faith.

Choir: 听 Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again.

Celebrant: God of endings and beginnings, your Son ascended to your right hand on high when he had completed his work among us. Look with mercy upon all who long for a sense of that completion in their lives: who live under a dominion that oppresses; who grieve amidst their own powerlessness or failure; who are bewildered by the fragility of their life, the folly of your church, or the foolishness of those who have let them down. 听Give them patience and hope as they await the fulfilment of your promises. Bring your whole creation to its destiny in you, ever-loving ever-living God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Choir: Amen.

Lord鈥檚 Prayer
Celebrant: Let us pray with confidence as our Saviour has taught us听
All: Our Father, who art in heaven,听 hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done;听 on earth as it is in heaven.听 Give us this day our daily bread.听 And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.听 For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory,听 for ever and ever. Amen.听

Celebrant: We break this bread to share in the body of Christ.听
All: Though we are many, we are one body, because we all share in one bread.

The consecrated bread is broken听 听 听

The choir sings Agnus Dei from Jazz Missa Brevis Will Todd

Celebrant: Alleluia. Christ our passover is sacrificed for us.All: Therefore let us keep the feast. Alleluia.

Distribution of Communion

Celebrant and altar party to receive the Sacrament during the live broadcast听

Choir: 听Let all Mortal Flesh Keep Silence

Celebrant: God our Father, you have raised our humanity in Christ and have fed us with the bread of heaven: mercifully grant that, nourished with such spiritual blessings, we may set our hearts in the heavenly places; through Jesus Christ our Lord.听All: Amen

Hymn: Crown Him with Many Crowns

Blessing and Dismissal

Celebrant: Christ, our ascended King, pour upon you the abundance of his gifts and bring you to reign with him in glory; and the blessing of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit 听be among you and remain with you now and for ever.听

All: Amen

The Will Todd Ensemble plays an arrangement of Give me Joy in my Heart听

CLOSING ANNO:听A Celebration for Ascension Day came live from St. Martin-in-the-Fields in London. It was led by the Reverend Dr. Sam Wells and the Preacher was Bishop James Jones. The Will Todd Ensemble, the Daily Service Singers and St. Martin鈥檚 Voices were directed by Andrew Earis, the organist was Jeremy Cole and the producer was Katharine Longworth.

The storm clouds were gathering as I climbed the steps into the aircraft. Dressed casually I鈥檇 been hoping to rest on the short flight. I love gazing down from the skies at the earth below, peering through the clouds at the contours of land and sea. But soon we flew into a thunderstorm. The flight attendants stayed strapped into their seats. Buffeted about the clouds none of the passengers was talking. You could almost see bubbles above our heads filled with prayers, 鈥極 God, help us land safely!鈥橶ell, we survived, and as we came into land the man next to me began talking, 鈥榊ou know, I knew it was going to be a turbulent flight. In fact I knew it was going to be really bad but I didn鈥檛 tell you because I didn鈥檛 want to frighten you.鈥欌�極h, thank you.鈥� I said.听鈥楢ctually,鈥� he went on, 鈥業鈥檓 an airline pilot. What do you do?鈥欌�極h,鈥� I replied,鈥� I鈥檓 a priest 鈥� but I didn鈥檛 tell you because I didn鈥檛 want to frighten you!鈥橧t鈥檚 only human to say a prayer when we鈥檙e in difficulty. But when events of life and death overwhelm us and we鈥檙e plunged into emotional turbulence even words themselves seem unable to bear the burden of our dreads and dreams.The trauma of those first disciples in the aftermath of Christ鈥檚 crucifixion can鈥檛 be exaggerated. After a three year roller-coaster of following him, when their understanding of Jesus was constantly stretched and confounded, they saw him crucified, dead and buried. This man of justice nailed by injustice.听



Then three days later women from his inner circle confounded the other disciples even more with stories of seeing him alive.With their own eyes the disciples began to witness these claims for themselves as they came face to face with the scarred yet breathing body of Jesus.Through all of this they feared for their own lives. Yet the sight of Christ alive beyond his dying gave them courage. Just as the Risen Christ has brought strength to Christians for two millennia. In many parts of the world today where the freedom to speak and to believe is curtailed, in places like China, Pakistan and much of the Middle East, it鈥檚 听Christ鈥檚 Resurrection that brings hope to those who face equally hostile and crucifying opposition.Then, it all came to a climax with this final astonishing scene of Jesus ascending into heaven. Jesus, known as the Son of Man and Son of God, child of both earth and heaven, who鈥檇 been laid in the heart of the earth was then lifted to the throne of heaven. It鈥檚 a vision that鈥檚 inspired artists, poets and musicians for two thousand years.I love the poem of John Donne which begins,鈥淪ince I am coming to that Holy roome,Where, with thy Quire of Saints for evermore,I shall be made thy Musique;鈥滻 find myself quoting this verse more and more as I write letters of condolence to friends who are bereaved. And, I find myself meditating on it often as I think about my own mortal future.



鈥楾he Holy Room鈥� speaks of a place of welcome at the end of a long journey.鈥楾he Choir of Saints鈥� imagines being part of a great chorus of voices singing in harmony, a taste of which we鈥檙e enjoying tonight in Will Todd鈥檚 Missa Brevis.And the line, 鈥業 shall be made thy music鈥�, vibrates with the faith that, in spite of all my sins and shortcomings, my life, redeemed by the forgiveness of Christ, shall in some mysterious way become music to the ears of God.Such a hope is rooted in the Ascension of Christ who goes ahead of us from this land of the dying. It points unmistakably to there being another world. And it鈥檚 Christ who opens the Gate to heaven, to the world of the truly alive.This vision of a life beyond has, I know, comforted many in their grief. Many of the Hillsborough Families with whom I鈥檝e journeyed over the years have held on to the hope that their loved ones live on not just in their hearts but in a world beyond where one day they shall all be reunited.But this story of the Ascension is bi-focal. Yes, it fixed the eyes of the disciples on heaven. But Jesus and the Angels left them in no doubt that there was work yet to be done on earth.Christianity is not an escapist religion. It鈥檚 not about retreating into a personal spiritual bubble. It鈥檚 about doing God鈥檚 will on earth as it鈥檚 done in heaven. That鈥檚 the heart of the Lord鈥檚 Prayer. The earthing of heaven.
When Martin Luther contemplated the end of time he wrote,鈥淓ven if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.鈥滻t鈥檚 like having told a composer that the end of the world is nigh only to find them still labouring lovingly over their composition.Luther kept an eye on both the future and the present. That鈥檚 what this scene on Ascension Day captures.On the one hand the disciples looking up at Jesus receding beyond the clouds into the dimension of heaven; on the other Jesus looking down on the disciples and pressing them to take his message to the ends of the earth. A bi-focal faith.In the very last book of the Bible there鈥檚 another breath-taking scene. It鈥檚 a dramatic picture of heaven descending and God coming down to earth. The Ascension followed by, if I can coin such a word, the Descension. It鈥檚 a vision of the fusing of heaven and earth when the two worlds, once separated by sin and evil, finally become one. It鈥檚 nothing less than the answer to the Lord鈥檚 own Prayer for the earthing of heaven. The mission of Jesus is complete 鈥� heaven and earth are at last reconciled. The Kingdom has finally come.So, whether we鈥檙e making music or planting a seed in a window box or standing up for someone who鈥檚 been treated unfairly every act of creativity, kindness and justice is a step along the way of bringing heaven down to earth. All is a prelude to the coming of God鈥檚 kingdom. An overture to the great Jazz celebration when heaven and earth shall become one and the whole of Creation shall be made His music.