蜜芽传媒

MUSIC:听 CHOIR - FANFARE (MARTIN SHAW)听听

REV SCOTT McKENNA听 - Introduction
Good morning and welcome to Mayfield Salisbury Parish Church, here in Edinburgh.听听 Famous for its part in the Scottish Reformation and Enlightenment, today our city is marked by its international reputation in science and the arts.听听 From the south side of Edinburgh, our Service is one of thanksgiving for the International Festival:听 for the imagination of the artists, talent and dedication of the performers, generosity of the sponsors and everyone who in any way helped to make this year鈥檚 festival an incredible and inspirational success.听听 In every form of art, silence has a significant if uncelebrated part to play.听听 Silences are the holy ground of human life.听 In the Christian tradition and elsewhere, the Eternal Silence, the mystery of God, is at the centre of all things.
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CHRISTINE DE LUCA - Call to worship
As we prepare our path towards that still centre and that mystery, let鈥檚 raise our voices in praise.

To Beethoven鈥檚 tune Ode to Joy, 鈥楽ing to God new songs of worship鈥�.

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HYMN - SING TO GOD NEW SONGS OF WORSHIP 听听(CH4 173 鈥� Tune, Ode to Joy)

SCOTT 鈥� Call to Prayer and Prayer
In this sacred space,

shaped by stone and ritual, memory and imagination,

we still ourselves that

our hearts may pulse and beat

in praise of creation鈥檚 Great Artist.

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Let us pray.

Mystery beyond mysteries,

ineffable, elusive,

luminous darkness hidden beyond our definitions,

in whose Consciousness

the dance, music and song of the cosmos

are conceived and performed.
we open ourselves to You.

Paradox of absence and presence,

along the pathways of the soul鈥檚 labyrinth,

we seek the Silence beyond silences.

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Into the stillness of the Holy One,

we bring our brokenness,

personal and societal;

every discord and hurt,

all that shames, excludes and diminishes.

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Tender Mother, forgiving Father,

may we feel the oil of Your healing on our foreheads,

hear Christ鈥檚 words of rebuke and welcome ring in our ears, and

know in our hearts that there is nothing Your depthless love cannot face.

In Your embrace, we are held for eternity.

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Strengthen us, O God,

in the knowledge that You put Your shoulder to our burdens,

that the essence of the religious life is reflective meditation,

virtue, compassion and, above all, a symphony of love:

love for the earth, love of others, and love of self.

Amen.

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CHRISTINE 鈥� First reading:听 2 Chronicles 5: 1 - 2, 7 - 8, 11 - 14

The first lesson is from the second book of Chronicles, Chapter 5.

Thus all the work that Solomon did for the house of the听Lord听was finished. Solomon brought in the things that his father David had dedicated, and stored the silver, the gold, and all the vessels in the treasuries of the house of God.

2听Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the ancestral houses of the people of Israel, in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the听Lord听out of the city of David, which is Zion
7Then the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the听Lord听to its place, in the inner sanctuary of the house, in the most holy place, underneath the wings of the cherubim.听8For the cherubim spread out their wings over the place of the ark, so that the cherubim made a covering above the ark and its poles

11听Now when the priests came out of the holy place (for all the priests who were present had sanctified themselves, without regard to their divisions),听12all the levitical singers, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun, their sons and kindred, arrayed in fine linen, with cymbals, harps, and lyres, stood east of the altar with one hundred and twenty priests who were trumpeters,听13it was the duty of the trumpeters and singers to make themselves heard in unison in praise and thanksgiving to the听Lord, and when the song was raised, with trumpets and cymbals and other musical instruments, in praise to the听Lord,
鈥楩or he is good,
听听听for his steadfast love endures for ever鈥�,
the house, the house of the听Lord, was filled with a cloud,听14so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud; for the glory of the听Lord听filled the house of God.

SCOTT - Introduction to Motet:

That image of the unifying power of song in praise is echoed now in a motet by Bob Chilcott, which celebrates voices and hearts brought together as one: The Singing Heart.

This will be followed by our Gospel lesson from St Mark Chapter 1, read by Louise Thomson of the Edinburgh International Festival.

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CHOIR 鈥揟HE SINGING HEART (Bob Chilcott)

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LOUISE 鈥� Second reading:听 Mark 1: 32-3932
That evening, at sunset, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons.听33And the whole city was gathered around the door.听34And he cured many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.

35听In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed.听36And Simon and his companions hunted for him.听37When they found him, they said to him, 鈥楨veryone is searching for you.鈥櫶�38He answered, 鈥楲et us go on to the neighbouring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.鈥櫶�39And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons.

CHRISTINE 鈥� INTRODUCTION TO HYMN
We sing the hymn,
鈥楬oly wisdom, lamp of learning, bless the light that reason lends.
Teach us judgement as we kindle sparks of thought your Spirit sends.鈥�

HYMN 鈥� HOLY WISDOM, LAMP OF LEARNING 听(CH4 604 鈥� Tune, In Babilone)

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SCOTT听 - Sermon

A celebration of music, theatre, dance and art, audiences at the Edinburgh International Festival have been blessed by a diverse range of performers from around the world.听听 Described as 鈥榲isionary, versatile and thrillingly vibrant鈥�, the LA Phil opened the Festival at Tyncastle Park with music from Star Wars, Harry Potter and the Philosopher鈥檚 Stone, and E.T.听 听Last night Edinburgh鈥檚 prestigious Usher Hall was hallowed by an exquisite performance of Benjamin Britten鈥檚 soul-searching masterpiece, War Requiem.听听听 Soloists of voice and instrument, chorus singers and orchestral ensembles, story-tellers and actors have through talent and dedication sought to enrich and transport the lives of their audiences.听听

Ludwig van Beethoven said that, 鈥楳usic is the mediator between the spiritual life and the sensual life鈥�.听听 The reformer Martin Luther believed music to be 鈥榯he most magnificent and delightful present God has given us鈥� and, a century ago, Edward Elgar creatively used music as therapy; a source of healing in mental and physical well-being.听听听 Beauty takes many forms; it is an antidote to life鈥檚 hardships and ugliness.听听听 For a passing moment, it lifts us out of mediocrity and the mundane.听听 Through the majestic beauty of melodic sound or graceful art, we taste the ethereal, the transcendent.听听

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In the Tanakh, the Old Testament, in the lesson of Second Chronicles, we read of the drama of liturgical ritual and pilgrimage in the dedication of Solomon鈥檚 temple.听听 With fine linens on display and the harmonious notes of cymbals, harps, lyres and trumpeters sounding in praise and thanksgiving, the Ark of the Covenant, the box containing the tablets of stone from Sinai, was borne into the inner sanctuary of the temple, into the Holy of Holies, the most sacred place on earth.听听 In the imaginative language of mythology, we are told that the wooden Ark was hidden under the wings of the cherubim; the angelic guardians hovered above God鈥檚 covenantal box.听听 Finally, the temple, the house of the LORD, was filled with a cloud, with the glory of God.听听

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The cloud is not incense or fumes from the burning of sacrifices; not visible to the human eye, it is the mystical manifestation of the Shekinah, the Presence of the Eternal.听听 Like twenty-first century festival goers, the worshippers of 1000BC, of the Late Bronze period, were captured by beauty; by beauty鈥檚 transcendence.听听 Aaron Copland asked, 鈥業s there a meaning to music?鈥櫶�听 He said, 鈥淢y answer to that would be 鈥榊es鈥�.听听 And, 鈥楥an you state in so many words what the meaning is?鈥櫶�听 My answer to that would be, 鈥楴o鈥�.鈥�

Perhaps the most precious moment of any stage performance is the fleeting emptiness, that moment of sacred silence which ever so briefly follows the final note, the last word.听听 That elusive, intangible fraction of time, a seeming emptiness, is replete with meaning; that tenderest silence bears each note that has been played.听听 At the centre of the Jerusalem festal pageant, in the very heart of the stone temple, the barest room housed the Ark.听听 An enclosure marked by darkness and stillness, the Eternal, the Mystery we call 鈥楪od鈥�, inhabited the emptiness.听听 In the mind鈥檚 eye, through the power of imagination, take yourself into that room:听 let the silence of the Sacred soak into your soul.听听 The mystics say that there is no eloquence greater than the silence of God.听听 At its best, religion is a stripping away, a stepping beyond doctrinal definitions; it is the embracing of uncertainty.听听 God is the ineffable, unknowable yet intimate life force that compels us to search for our completion, wholeness and fulfilment.听听 The Sufi poet, Rumi, said, 鈥楾he quieter you become, the more you are able to hear鈥�.听听 鈥極ur greatest need鈥�, said St John of the Cross, 鈥榠s to be silent before this great God鈥�.for the only language God hears is the silent language of love鈥�.听听 We are to sit in God鈥檚 company as lovers.

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For many people, silence can be frightening and distressing because it allows painful memories to surface.听听 With patience, self-forgiveness and the grace of God, we can journey beyond that, mature spiritually into a reservoir of silence; a restorative, even ecstatic place of uncomplicated meditation and healing.听听 At its best, silence is communion.听听 We can become tired of praying in words; tired of returning to God with words that no longer have life in them for us.听听 Our words can become barriers:听 they confine us when what we need is spiritual nourishment and new insights.听听 Whether it is sitting quietly in a peaceful room or on an undisturbed stroll along a sandy beach, we can be and let God be, allowing ourselves to be present to the Presence.

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Full of poetic imagery, potent and suggestive, the Gospel of Mark records the story of Jesus early one morning, while it was still very dark, journeying to a deserted place:听 there He prayed.听听 Inaudible, Jesus listened to the music of the Universe.听听 Read as a spiritual text, a text of the heart, of inwardness, we learn that Jesus is to be encountered in the darkness, in the desert moments of our lives.听听 We are invited to sit with Jesus in His solitude.听听 The mention of the morning in the story suggests resurrection, new life and new birth.听听 The most important journey we make in life is the inner journey.听听 St Augustine said, 鈥楥ome back to your heart.听听 In your inner self Christ has made His home.听听 In your inner self you will be renewed in God鈥檚 image鈥�.听听 In the performance of our lives, it is often the silences which have most meaning.

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CHRISTINE听

Some words of Rabindranath Tagore weave ideas of connection with nature, song and silence to express his desire to be at one with his God.听

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The poem was set to music by 膾riks E拧envalds and will be sung by the Edinburgh Singers.

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[Christine reads:]

In one salutation to thee, my God,

Let all my senses spread out

and touch this world at thy feet.

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Like a raincloud of July hung low

with its burden of unshed showers,

let all my mind bend down at thy door

in one salutation to thee.

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Let all my songs gather together

Their diverse strains into a single current

And flow to a sea of silence

In one salutation to thee.

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Like a flock of homesick cranes

Flying night and day back to their mountain nests,

Let all my life take its voyage to its eternal home

in one salutation to thee.

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CHOIR:听 SALUTATION (膾riks E拧envalds)

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Prayers of Thanksgiving, Intercession & Commemoration of the Faithful Departed听听

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SCOTT

Let us pray.

Holy God,

in ways diverse and rich we feel ourselves to be truly blessed.

Creation鈥檚 beauty is a sacrament:

听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 through the sky鈥檚 shifting clouds, the majesty of mountains,

听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 the rhythmic sound of waves flowing and ebbing,

听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 we see the unseeable God;

听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 in harvest moon and vermillion sunset,

听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 and nature鈥檚 fecundity of flower and bird,

we thank You for the blessing of fruitful beauty.

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We thank You for the gifts, dedication and hard work

听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 of artist and performer,

for all whose expertise and generosity enable the creative energy of the arts

听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 to flow and nourish this city and its welcome visitors.

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CHOIR: SUNG RESPONSE听 CH4 27 鈥� PSALM 34 (Taladh Chriosta) Verse 1

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CHRISTINE

We celebrate and pray for the witness

of Your church throughout the world,

听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 in all its colour, diversity and difference.

May the Body of Christ reflect the self-forgetfulness of Jesus;

听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 may it be a place of contemplation and compassion.

听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听

God of the soul,

we bring to You

the suffering of the world.

We are mindful of those broken by life events:

by hardships, injury, unkindness or abuse.

听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 We pray for all who work in caring professions:

for the services which seek to sooth and heal

the sicknesses of body, mind or spirit.

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听CHOIR - SUNG RESPONSE 听听CH4 27 鈥� PSALM 34 (Taladh Chriosta) Verse 2

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SCOTT

Eternal God,

dwelling deep within us,

bless our country,

our Queen,

political leaders at Westminster and Holyrood;

guide all who shape our common life.

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May we play our part in helping to build

听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 a future, a society, in which the stranger is welcomed,

听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 the vulnerable are valued and protected,

human rights are honoured, and

creation itself nurtured.

May we commit ourselves to overcome violence against neighbour,

cruelty to animals and careless destruction of the planet.

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CHOIR - SUNG RESPONSE CH4 27 鈥� PSALM 34 (Taladh Chriosta) Verse 3

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CHRISTINE

We remember the bereaved,

those who are dying,

those suffering in body, spirit or mind.

In reflective silence,

we call to mind those whom we love,

we remember their smiles, the joy they have brought us.

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We give thanks for people of peace,

co-pilgrims of all faiths,

spiritual leaders across myriad cultures,

for all who worship in temple, mosque, synagogue and church,

for all who make that journey inwardly.听听

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SCOTT

These prayers we offer in Jesus鈥� Name, and in His words

we would sum up all our prayers, saying together鈥�..

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ALL:听 Our Father

which 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 debts

as we forgive our debtors.

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.

HYMN 鈥� ALMIGHTY FATHER OF ALL THINGS THAT BE 听听听(CH4 497 鈥� Tune, Chilton Foliat)

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SCOTT - Benediction

The blessing of God almighty

Father, Son and Holy Spirit

Be with you and remain with you always.

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SUNG AMEN (Dresden)

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ORGAN VOLUNTARY 鈥� MARCH ON LASST UNS ERFREUEN

Composer: David Bednall听 (Published by Oxford University Press)