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主播大秀 Radio 4. The Bishop of Plymouth the Right Reverend Dr Nicholas McKinnel is the preacher for this morning鈥檚 Sunday Worship now which comes live from St Eustachius鈥� Church, in Tavistock, Devon. The service is led by the vicar, the Very Reverend Dr Christopher Hardwick, and begins with the hymn 鈥業mmortal, invisible, God only wise鈥�.

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CHOIR/ORGAN/ALL: HYMN: Immortal invisible, God only wise (St Denio)

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CHRIS:

Good morning and welcome to the western edge of the Dartmoor National Park. Tavistock stands within the Tamar Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

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Our Parish Church is named after a Roman centurian who became a Christian in the second century. It is said that whilst hunting a stag near Rome, Eustachius saw a vision of a crucifix lodged between the stag鈥檚 antlers and was immediately converted to Christianity. Despite facing many future adversities, he remained steadfast and faithful to his new found faith. By his example, he has inspired many others on their Christian journey. God鈥檚 Church in this place today is a place of prayer and worship open for all in the community, and for the many visitors who come day by day from all over the world.

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This service is part of an annual festival of music which takes place here each summer with The Exon Singers. It is a pleasure to welcome them. 听

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You join us as we celebrate the Feast of the Transfiguration which helps us to see more clearly the glory of God, in the face of Jesus Christ our Lord, in everything around us.

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CHOIR: ANTHEM: My Spirit Sang all Day (Finzi)

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CHRIS:

Let us pray.

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Father in heaven,
whose Son Jesus Christ was wonderfully transfigured
before chosen witnesses upon the holy mountain,
and spoke of the exodus he would accomplish at Jerusalem:
give us strength so to hear his voice and bear our cross
that in the world to come we may see him as he is;
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.

ALL: Amen

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CHRIS:

Today, the Church remembers an occasion when Jesus went up a mountain with his closest disciples Peter, John and James. It is called the Transfiguration because Jesus is changed, his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning and the disciples saw Moses and Elijah, talking with him. A cloud appeared and a voice was heard saying, "This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him."

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Peter, John and James are eyewitnesses as God鈥檚 glory is revealed. It is an extraordinary moment, for it gives us a glimpse of another world. It is extraordinary because it reminds us there鈥檚 a reality beyond the world we see around us 鈥� a reality which is greater than we can simply see and touch. We hear now from the first chapter of the Second Epistle of Peter.

READER 1 (PAT MORRISON): 2 Peter 1; 16-19

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We did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honour and glory from God the Father when that voice was conveyed to him by the Majestic Glory, saying, 鈥楾his is my Son, my Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.鈥� We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven, while we were with him on the holy mountain.

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So we have the prophetic message more fully confirmed. You will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.

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CHRIS:

The disciples see Jesus in a new way. They understand the presence of God in an amazing experience. For them, everything now looks different. The gospel invites us to be free enough to see things in a new way also. In this complex world, with its warfare, conflicts and violence, poverty and injustice, there are possibilities available to us, greater perhaps than we could ever imagine. 听Inspired by the words of Psalm 72, James Montgomery鈥檚 hymn 鈥淗ail to the Lord's Anointed鈥� speaks of this, of the power of Christ to enter our time and space and become the beacon of God鈥檚 changeless love, transfiguring our worldly experiences, turning darkness to light, weakness to strength, and sighing into song.

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CHOIR/ORGAN/ALL: HYMN: Hail to the Lord's Anointed (Cruger)

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CHRIS:

鈥淗e comes to break oppression, to set the captive free, to take away transgression, and rule in equity.鈥�

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A new reality has been opened up for us.听 But how do we begin to experience this new life? The account of the Transfiguration, in chapter 9 of St Luke鈥檚 Gospel, begins with Jesus taking his disciples to pray. Jesus shows us the power of prayer to transform and deepen our understanding of God鈥檚 infinite love for each of us, and for the world.

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READER 2 (REVD SUE TUCKER): Luke 9; 28-36

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Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray.听 And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white.听 Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him.听 They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.听 Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him.听 Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, 鈥楳aster, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.鈥� Peter did not know what he said. While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, 鈥楾his is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!鈥櫶� When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.

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CHRIS:

Perhaps you鈥檝e had an experience of the wonder and majesty of God in your life and not been sure what to say about it or how to respond? Such an experience may be difficult to understand, sometimes not. Sometimes it can come through the appreciation of nature 鈥� sometimes indeed, on a mountain, or through music, literature or art. Perhaps through listening to the voice of God revealed in Scripture, through praise and worship, and through prayer said quietly and faithfully at home, or in Church.

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All these can help us to come to know the wonder and majesty of God, and to see things in a new and different way 鈥� from the point of view of Jesus, from the point of view of the poor and powerless, from the point of view of other cultures.

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In a moment we welcome [the Right Revd Dr] Nicholas McKinnel, Bishop of Plymouth, as our preacher. But first, the choir sings a piece by the English composer Thomas Tallis who spoke of the light which illuminates our lives as the 鈥淟ight of Light鈥�: 鈥淥 Light of Light, by love inclined, Jesu, redeemer of mankind, with loving-kindness deign to hear from suppliant voices, praise and prayer.鈥�

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CHOIR: ANTHEM: O nata lux (Tallis)

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SERMON: + NICHOLAS

May God open his word to our hearts, and our hearts to his word.

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I have facial recognition on my new phone.听 In the shop when I was buying it, I had to turn my face to all angles so that it would learn to recognise me, and it does.听 Every time I look at it the phone turns itself on expectantly 鈥� though the shop assistant did tell of one smartly made up lady who鈥檇 bought a phone 鈥� but when she got out of bed the next day, it couldn鈥檛 recognise her!

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I鈥檓 not sure what facial recognition software would have made of Jesus on that Mount of Transfiguration.听 鈥淲hile he was praying,鈥� we read, 鈥渢he appearance of his face changed and his clothes became dazzling white.鈥澨� It is a unique event in the life of Jesus as the disciples become eye witnesses of his majesty.

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We are well used to the way things get talked up, exaggerated.听 It鈥檚 part of today鈥檚 world: football managers going to win the league, holiday paperbacks covered with glowing reviews, politicians offering wonderful solutions, the old British values of understatement and modesty have been replaced by the compulsion to make great claims and bold promises, even if they rarely live up to their billing.听

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On the whole that鈥檚 not usually God鈥檚 way.听 His presence and power are more normally hidden in human weakness.听 Think of Jesus, born in humility, walking the roads of Galilee, needing to borrow a coin, nowhere to lay his head, and on into arrest, crucifixion 鈥� and when on that first Easter morning he was raised from the dead, he makes discreet appearances to only a few unimportant people.听 It鈥檚 all a bit disappointing.听 Today鈥檚 spin doctors and image consultants could have done a much better job 鈥� but somehow you get the impression God wasn鈥檛 too bothered about that sort of thing.听 He wants to draw us into relationship, not overwhelm us with the spectacular.听

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There are though just a few moments when as it were reality bursts through, and here in the Transfiguration the disciples are given a glimpse of the glory of God in Jesus鈥� humanity, an anticipation of the transfiguration of the whole of creation from one degree of glory to another.

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It鈥檚 on a mountain, traditionally Mount Tabor 鈥� in the ancient world mountains were places where people met with God.听 Think of Abraham on Mount Moriah or Moses also with his face shining on Mount Sinai.听 You can understand it.听 Around us here in Tavistock are the Tors of Dartmoor and from their peaks you look down and get our busy and stressed world in perspective, find space for encounter, sense the openness of the heavens around.听

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With Jesus are the two visitors from Jewish history, Moses and Elijah, representatives of the Law and the Prophets, the whole weight of the Old Testament bearing witness so that we have the prophetic message more fully confirmed.听 They speak of his departure, literally his exodus, which he was about to accomplish in Jerusalem.听 In other words they are discussing his death, and only a few verses later Jesus sets his face to go to Jerusalem.听 Maybe this experience is to strengthen and reassure him in preparation for all that lies ahead.听 And 鈥榚xodus鈥� is a strange word to use, a deliberate reminder of the Exodus in which Moses led the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt to freedom in the Promised Land.听 Now Jesus鈥� death will lead God鈥檚 people out of the slavery of sin and death into the new creation of God鈥檚 kingdom.

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There are times when we all need reminding that the Christian faith is not first and foremost about what we do 鈥� it鈥檚 about what God has done.听 鈥淚t is finished鈥� are the words of Jesus at his death.听 The cross has been called the dustbin for the sin of the world, the place where we can take the mess that we make of our lives and of our world and dump them there on him 鈥� not in a morbid way but so that we can live gladly, generously, gratefully in the light of God鈥檚 forgiveness.

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And to help us do so, after the visitors, the voice.听 From the cloud that envelopes them comes the divine command: 鈥淭his is my Son, my chosen: listen to him鈥�.听 This foretaste of glory is not just for their or our wonder, they are not to build monuments in memory of it.听 It is given that they and we should listen to Jesus, let his words shape our lives, for our God is not only to be adored; He is a righteous God to be heard and obeyed.听

I think of the Roman Catholic theologian Hans K疟ng, who writes of Jesus: 鈥淲hatever the reason for it, the fact deserves careful consideration that, after the fall of so many gods in this century (he is writing in the 20th Century, thinking of fascism, communism, materialism) this person, broken at the hands of opponents and constantly betrayed through the ages by his adherents, is obviously still for innumerable people the most moving figure in the long history of mankind.听 Unusual and incomprehensible in many respects, he is the hope of revolutionaries and evolutionaries, he fascinates intellectuals and anti-intellectuals.听 He requires the capable and the incapable.听 He constantly stimulates theologians and even atheists to think again.鈥�

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One example of this might be the Russian novelist Alexander Solzhenitsyn鈥檚 journey into Christian faith, how in each changing situation, from working as a young physicist in Rostov, through commanding an artillery battery on the Russian front, on into arrest and the years of arctic labour camps, and then cancer, marriage breakdown and deportation 鈥� all this led him to see emerging the sacredness of the value of truth, compassion and freedom: values which Solzhenitsyn recognised as uniquely embodied in the Christian faith.

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On the sacred mountain the disciples catch a glimpse of what the apostle Paul would later call 鈥渢he light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.鈥澨� Here is a divine facial recognition, the disclosure of another world, the glory of God always ready to break upon us, and saying, 鈥淭his is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him.鈥�

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CHOIR: We Shall Walk Through the Valley in Peace (Trad. Arr. Hogan)

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CHRIS:

鈥淭he Glory of the Lord is breaking upon us鈥�. In the power of the Spirit and in union with Christ, let us pray to the Father.

READER 3 (JUDITH):

Lord of glory, it is good that we are here.
In peace we make our prayer to you.
In trust we confirm our faith in you
Help us to set our faces steadfastly to where you would have us go.
Lord, look with favour on us.
ALL: Lord, transfigure and heal us.

READER 4 (HILARY):

Lord of glory, look with favour on your Church,
proclaiming your beloved Son to the world
and listening to the promptings of his Spirit
May the Church be renewed in holiness that she may reflect your glory.
Lord, look with favour on your Church.
ALL: Lord, transfigure and heal us.

READER 3 (JUDITH):

Lord of glory, look with favour on the nations of the world,
scarred by hatred, strife and war (鈥�)
May they be healed by the touch of your hand.
Lord, look with favour on the world.
ALL: Lord, transfigure and heal us.

READER 4 (HILARY):

Lord of glory, look with favour on those in need and distress,
suffering as your Son has suffered
and waiting for the salvation you promise
May the day break
and Christ the Morning Star bring them the light of his presence.
Lord, look with favour on all who suffer.
Lord, transfigure and heal us.

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CHRIS:
Lord of glory, it is good if we suffer with you
so that we shall be glorified with you.
According to your promise bring all Christ鈥檚 brothers and sisters
to see him with their own eyes in majesty
and to be changed into his likeness from glory to glory.
To him be praise, dominion and worship
now and for all eternity.
ALL: Amen.

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CHOIR: Lord's Prayer (Radcliffe)

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CHRIS:

We see more clearly the glory of God, in the face of Jesus Christ our Lord, in everything around us. A new reality has been opened up for us. Christ is the world鈥檚 true light in whose glory we share, and who shines to transfigure shades of darkness caused by pain, pride and suffering, filling them with the beauty of his peace, and enfolding them with his love.

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CHOIR/ORGAN/ALL: HYMN: Christ is the world's true light (Nun Danket)

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BLESSING: +Nicholas

Christ Jesus,
the splendour of the Father and the image of his being,
draw you to himself
that you may live in his light and share his glory;
and the blessing of God almighty,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be among you and remain with you always.

ALL: Amen.

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ORGAN: VOLUNTARY: 听Allegro Marziale (Harold Greenhill)