成人论坛

Opening Anno: 成人论坛 Radio 4. Sunday Worship today from Northern Ireland is led by Canon Simon Doogan of St Columbanus Church, Ballyholme in Bangor.It听 begins with the hymn Glorious things of thee are spoken.

MUSIC Glorious things of thee are spoken听 (AUSTRIA听 FJ Haydn)
Performers: The Coventry Singers/ Leddington Wright

CD: The Hymn Writers Newton and Cowper (Mission Worship]

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Canon Doogan

David and all the house of Israel

brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet.

The Lord of glory be with you.

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Welcome to Ballyholme on the North Down coast.

We鈥檙e glad of your company this morning

for socially distanced worship by the sea 鈥�

a tranquillity our neighbourhood has come to value over the last 16 months.

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MUSIC UNDER 听鈥淓mperor鈥� Quartet听 2nd mvement听听 (FJ Haydn)
Performers: The Kodaly Quartet
CD: Haydn String Quartets听 (Naxos)

We鈥檙e all emerging nervously from what we pray will be
the final raft of public health restrictions,

and so today鈥檚 Old Testament reading

captures that mixture of gladness and fear, joy and caution,

which is still in the air for all of us.

It鈥檚 the journey to Jerusalem of the Ark of the Covenant: effectively,

a community recasting its future around the God who at every turn

has proved both present and faithful.

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Opening our worship is someone who took up a new role

in our local area almost two years ago.

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Rev Jan Stevenson

Good morning my name is Rev Jan Stevenson, Community Pastor in Ballyholme Church of Ireland

and I am originally from Co. Cork.

听I鈥檝e been asked on more than one occasion 鈥淲hat is a Community Pastor?鈥�

There are two parts to my job: helping the local church be more engaged with their community.听

And helping people who live in Ballyholme

become more aware of the good things the local church offers.

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So let us pray.

Merciful God,

you have prepared for those who love you such good things

as pass our understanding:

pour into our hearts such love toward you that we, loving you above all things,

may obtain your promises,

which exceed all that we can desire;

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

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To make space for the love we鈥檝e just prayed for in today鈥檚 Collect,

let鈥檚 ask God to clear away from our lives

all that鈥檚 less than worthy of him鈥�

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MUSIC:听听听听听听听听听听听 Purify my heart听 (Brian Doerksen)

Performers:听听 The Choir of Ballyholme Primary School

CD:听听听听听听听听 听听听听听听听听听 Songs of Praise - The School Choir of the Year Album (成人论坛)

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Purify my heart sung by the boys and girls

of Ballyholme Primary, former

Songs of Praise and 成人论坛 Northern Ireland

School Choir of the Year.

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The Ark of the Covenant

was a box made from acacia wood,

plated with gold and containing the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments.

It was the great symbol of Israel鈥檚 faith

and represented the very presence of God

among His people.

In every way alive

to Israel鈥檚 deep spiritual traditions,

King David knew that if only

he could bring the Ark the 8 or 9 miles

to his new capital Jerusalem,

God would be at the heart

of Israel鈥檚 revitalized, unified life.

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Reader

Second Samuel, chapter 6, beginning at verse 3.

They carried the ark of God on a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab,

听which was on the hill.

Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab,

were driving the new cart with the ark of God;

and Ahio went in front of the ark.

David and all the house of Israel were dancing before the Lord

with all their might,

with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals.

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Canon Doogan

MUSIC UNDER Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis (R Vaughan Williams)
Performers: Academy of St Martin in the Fields/Marriner

CD: Vaughan Williams (Argo)

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The mood is jubilant, even raucous.

The famously musical King David

gets caught up in the dancing and singing 鈥�

but not for long.

Because when the attendant Uzzah

reaches out instinctively to steady the Ark

he dies on the spot.

Strictly speaking,

the Ark wasn鈥檛 to be touched or looked at,

and never carried on a cart.

But it鈥檚 a disturbing tragedy, to say the least,

indeed many rank it among the Scriptures鈥� most hard to reconcile pictures of God.

It certainly stops the Israelites in their tracks,

although that sense of everything juddering abruptly to a halt

is surely still a fresh memory for all of us.

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We鈥檙e praying of course it won鈥檛 have to happen again,

but in the 1970s Bishop David Sheppard coined the haunting phrase

鈥渃ommunities of the left behind鈥�.

In the 1990s in his Reith Lectures Rabbi Jonathan Sacks spoke famously

of 鈥渢he emptiness at the heart of our common life鈥�.

Churches and other faith groups have long felt called by God

听to offset the fragmentation they feel all around them.

The need is plainly there.

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Researching the Pandemic鈥檚 human cost, when places of worship were closed

the University of York collected testimony and grass-roots data from more than 5000 people.

75% of non-church members valued access to churches not just as a priority in their local community

but as places of quiet reflection and comfort.

The same study reported that around 90% of churches

had contacted isolated people regularly and offered online engagement.

Jan picks up our story in Ballyholme.

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Rev Jan Stevenson

MUSIC UNDER听 Spring from the Four Seasons (Vivaldi arr Max Richter)
Performers: 听听听听听听Max Richter & Daniel Hope & Konzerthaus Kammerorchester Berlin
CD:听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 听Recomposed by Max Richter: Vivaldi, The Four Seasons (Deutsche Grammophon)

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I arrived in Ballyholme Parish almost two years ago to find a local church

well integrated with the local community.

But there were other things that would enhance what they were offering.

We started a drop-in coffee morning for the parents and grandparents

听dropping off their pre-school children to Tiddliwinks, a playgroup in our Halls.听

Then the first lockdown stopped us in our tracks!

We were allowed one trip out of the house for exercise each day,

so I spent many days prayer walking in Ballyholme.

听Asking God what plans He had to draw the people He loved to Himself

and what He wanted me to do?

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As we approached December a small group of us

talked about what we could do to bring a little cheer

听to Ballyholme on this heavily curtailed Christmas.听

We wanted to put up a Christmas tree, Ballyholme had never a tree.

We were too late for many of the usual grants.

听Then a friend overheard the local hairdressing salon owner

talking about how he would love to put up a tree outside his shop.

听We joined forces with him, his wife and a friend who knew a thing or two

about Facebook and 鈥淐hristmas at Holme鈥� was born.听

The local primary school got involved in decorating the shop windows.

The local businesses all contributed Prizes for a charity Raffle.

听Local churches and residents put out even more lights and we 鈥渓it up Ballyholme鈥�.听

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Canon Doogan

Is it fair to say that individualism is a lonely dead-end?

We need to be part of something bigger,

a story, a framework 鈥� a network.

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Croatian theologian Miroslav Volf once said that salvation

is a gift of community from God.

Volf鈥檚 premise was Biblical:

as God brings the children of Israel out of slavery in Egypt,

so he opens the way for a new, alternative form of social living.

Instead of human beings ruling over other human beings,

they come together freely and place themselves under a covenant

made with the God who has revealed Himself as One,

the true Lord of all people.

Liberation, you might say, creates community.

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The times have been turbulent, often traumatic.

Finding ourselves 鈥榠n it together鈥�

with people who see the world differently and whose life experiences

are a million miles from our own,

has been profoundly humanizing.

Sharing our vulnerabilities

has opened us to trust and partnerships we never saw coming,

so undoubtedly

there have been redemptive and grace-filled blessings even in the low-points.

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Perhaps the real gift though

has been experienced by those who have sought to express the 鈥榲enturesome love鈥�

at the heart of all true Christian discipleship,

the love which sees what God is already actively doing around us

and makes the choice to get involved.

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MUSIC:听听听听听听听听 You Say (Lauren Daigle)

Performers:听听 The Choir of Ballyholme Primary School
成人论坛 Recording

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Reader

Second Samuel, chapter 6, beginning at verse 12.

David went and brought up the ark of God鈥� to the city of David with rejoicing;

and when those who bore the ark of the Lord had gone six paces,

he sacrificed an ox and a fatling.

David danced before the Lord with all his might;

David was girded with a linen ephod.

So David and all the house of Israel

brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet.

As the ark of the Lord came into the city of David,

Michal daughter of Saul looked out of the window,

and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord;

and she despised him in her heart.

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Canon Doogan

So David tries again.

When, the Levitical priests hoist the Ark on their shoulders three months later,

what they鈥檙e really doing is lifting up God in the midst of his people.

Offering sacrifice after just six steps, on they move.

Wearing a priestly vestment, an ephod, David abandons not only his royal robes

but his regal pose to dance once more, without affectation, before the Ark.

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Again, in a way that might feel familiar to us after a succession of lockdowns,

the restart proceeds with a mixture of fearfulness and gladness.

This time though, Israel seem spurred to a new humility and obedience.

Their priority is the glory of God.

Who is he, the King of glory? asks Psalm 24 which some think

was specially written for the occasion,

The Lord almighty

thunders back the answer: He is the King of glory.

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MUSIC:听听听听听听听听听听听 Lift up your heads听 (GF Handel)
Performers:听 听Oregon Bach Festival Orchestra and Chorus
CD:听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Messiah听 (H盲nssler Classics)

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Canon Doogan

Many longed-for celebrations were cancelled, postponed or scaled back last year.

Hopefully there will come a time soon

when we can reschedule our get-togethers, not least because, as studies show,

celebrations generally and dancing specifically

are a huge aid to our wellbeing.

An antidote to sadness and stress, they give us perspective, and, crucially,

stop us taking ourselves too seriously.

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That鈥檚 particularly important for Christians since in the end, there can be no high or low

at the festival of God.

Granted, we have reason sometimes to be solemn before the Lord,

or to be silent and pensive, or to cry out to Him in heartache and pain.

But as people of the cross and empty tomb blessed with the gift of the Spirit,

our offering to God must give way ultimately to a rising sense of the joy of our salvation.

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Accordingly, there鈥檚 nothing lukewarm or halfhearted in David鈥檚 dancing.

As Richard Foster famously put it in Celebration of Discipline,
worship is breaking into the presence of God,

or better yet, being invaded by that presence.

Beautiful liturgies, forms and rituals, prayer and fasting they all have their place,

but we have not worshipped the Lord until His Spirit touches ours

as He summons us, body and soul, to the altar of God.

But, as long as there are Davids dancing, there will be Michals

watching from windows.

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His first wife and King Saul鈥檚 daughter, Michal thinks David鈥檚 dancing is

over-the-top, undignified and demeaning.

Having spent the majority of my 50 years living and working in Northern Ireland,

I know that while I might hope there鈥檚 no one I despise in my heart

and presume such hostile feelings are beneath me,

the moment I take that as read,

I鈥檓 in potentially dangerous territory.

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It leads to a question many of us have faced, sometimes

in our closest personal relationships:

how can we be unapologetically what we spiritually are,

affirming that our theological convictions are true and, so far as we are concerned,

the best way to come to God,

while at the same time

live and let live in a religiously diverse world where not everyone may appreciate

what, how or where we worship?

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Well, here again Miroslav Volf is helpful.

The Biblical injunction to love your neighbour established that religious ritual

is nothing without justice.

It would seem to follow that if God is one and the Lord of all people

justice is only justice if it covers everyone.

Add to that Jesus鈥� inaugural announcement

that the Spirit of the one Lord was upon him to proclaim good news not only verbally

but also physically and concretely.

If we factor in too the apostle Paul鈥檚 moment of clarity

that God鈥檚 gratuitous love in Christ

extends to all human beings on equal terms

well then perhaps a theory of living together begins to emerge.

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As our Community Pastor Jan is discovering

theory can become practice to everyone鈥檚 benefit.

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Rev Jan Stevenson

What an exciting journey it has been to date and it feels as if we are just at the start of something really good.

听To experience God鈥檚 heart for our local community is a real joy.

I believe we are rediscovering God鈥檚 pleasure and His favour

when we the church go outside our comfort zones and into the community.

听I am fortunate to have been able to gather a fantastic team of people from our church

and the events we arrange are designed

to enable others from the church to connect with their neighbours.

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To sum up what Jesus says in Matthew 28:19-20 鈥淕o and I will be with you鈥�.听 We have gone out to engage with the local community and we have known wonderful answers to prayer at every stage.

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We have run a number of Litter picking events at Ballyholme beach.听 Saturday 19th June approximately 60 people of all ages joined us to clean the beach. There were lots of people I had never met before.听

This simple event brought people together that wouldn鈥檛 have otherwise met us their local church.

Jesus reminds us that He leaves the 99 sheep safe in the sheepfold

to go after the sheep that is not safe.

I believe God is pleased when we go to engage with people in our local communities

听offering genuine concern and a caring local community to support them.

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Covid 19 has been a devastating event, we need to work together to combat the social isolation and anxiety that may be part of the legacy of the pandemic.听 The hope that we have as followers of a living God can be so helpful for people who have seen many of the things they got security from shaken in the pandemic.

#Together is better

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MUSIC:听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Lord of the Dance (American Shaker Tune)
Performers:听听听听听听 The Priests

CD:听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 The Priests Alleluia (SWM7)

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Leading our prayers is Maria Flynn,

Principal Designate of local secondary school

St Columbanus College.

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MUSIC UNDER:听 Sophie鈥檚 Lullaby (Aly Bain)

Performers: 听听听听听听听Aly Bain and Phil Cunningham
CD: 听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听The Best of Aly and Phil (Whirlie Records)

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From Nazareth to Capernaum,

Gallilee to Bethany, so many communities made Christ their own.

We pray now, in his name, from wherever his Spirit unites us today...

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Lord may we find new ways

to bless the places we call home and the neighbours with which we share them.

We thank you for the lifelines:

the shops and businesses, the utilities and amenities,

the mail and communications 鈥� reminders that none of us lives to ourselves alone鈥�

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Lord we lift before you the schools

after a year of obstacles and uncertainty.

We pray too for the surgeries, health centres and chemists,

and we name to you the ones we know

for whom the Pandemic has meant

procedures delayed, treatments postponed

and worry compounded鈥�

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Lord we pray for the people

we might be tempted to forget.

Those who are anxious or depressed鈥�

those who are struggling, emotionally or mentally鈥�

those who are grieving鈥�

and those who feel

they have no one to turn to鈥�

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Lord show us the people to whom

we might offer welcome and hospitality.

We acknowledge the importance

of our own safe spaces,

and as we think back with gratitude to those who showed kindness to us,

give us opportunities

to extend the same gift to others鈥�

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Lord we pray for those in authority

at every level of government, local, national and international.

Guide and direct those who set the policy, uphold the law

and keep the peace, especially in Northern Ireland

over these days of heightened tension鈥�

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Lord God for the communities

of which we鈥檙e part,

for those with whom we share our lives

and for all who serve our common interests and needs

we praise you and bless you.

Show us, Lord, how to make our contribution

for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

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Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed by 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

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MUSIC:听听听听听听听听听 Ye choirs of new Jerusalem (ST FULBERT HJ Gauntlett)

Performers: Choir of Wells Cathedra/Archer

CD:听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 听The English Hymn, Vol. 3 Hills of the North Rejoice (Hyperion)

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Canon Doogan

听Once installed in its new tent in Jerusalem, David furnishes the Ark

with everything necessary for ritual worship.

And then the sacrifices begin.

When the day of praise

finally draws to a close

David blesses the people

in the name of the Lord of hosts.

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But before the people leave for home

David does one more thing:

he distributes food parcels

of bread, meat and raisins.

It鈥檚 a gesture

overflowing from David鈥檚 sense

that he has received

abundantly from the Lord himself,

and must pass that blessing on.

But it鈥檚 also where private faith

turns into public action.

It鈥檚 where community ministry begins.

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Enable us Lord, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,

to reveal your glory

in all we think and say and do,

that your presence

may bless and strengthen us and all those among whom we live,

this day and for ever more. Amen

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MUSIC:听听听听听听听听听听听 Thy hand O God has guided 9 (THORNBURY Basil Harwood)

Performers:听听 Choir of Wells Cathedra/Archer

CD听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 The English Hymn, Vol. 1 - Christ Triumphant (Hyperion)

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ORGAN:听听听听听听听听听听 Nun danket alle Gott, BWV 657听 (JS Bach)
Performer:听听听听听 Simon Preston
CD:听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Bach The organ Works CD9 (Deutsche Grammophon)

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