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FR ADRIAN PORTER SJ

Good morning and welcome to the Jesuit Church of the Sacred Heart in Edinburgh for Sunday Worship.听 I am Fr Adrian Porter, and members of the congregation here in our city-centre church will join me in leading the service.

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This Sunday falls in the time of celebration when Christians worldwide mark the festival of Easter 鈥� our belief that, after being crucified and buried in a tomb, Jesus was raised by God his Father to new life.听 This risen Christ is the one we follow, the one we carry in our hearts and minds, the one who works our salvation each day and promises hope for our future.听

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I鈥檓 joined this morning by Edinburgh University Chamber Choir, directed by Michael Bawtree and accompanied by Joseph Beech.听

Easter is the season when we sing 鈥榓lleluias鈥� 鈥� praising God with joyful and thankful hearts 鈥�

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MUSIC:听 ALLELUIA, O SONS AND DAUGHTERS听
(Tune:听 O filii et filiae, medieval arr. Walford Davies)

FR ADRIAN听 Lucernarium
Standing at the centre of our churches during this Easter time is the Paschal Candle 鈥� a symbol of God鈥檚 presence in our midst, as he was in the pillar of fire which led the children of Israel out of slavery (Ex 13:21-22), and of the resurrection of Jesus Christ as the sun rose on Easter morning.

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At the first lighting of this year鈥檚 Paschal Candle, on Easter night, we heard sung a very ancient Christian text, the Exsultet 鈥�

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MUSIC: 听听PLAINSONG 鈥� EXSULTET 听听

MUSIC:听听 EASTER SONG OF PRAISE (Composer; Richard Shephard)

FR ADRIAN听听 Collect for Fifth Sunday of Easter

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Let us pray.

Almighty, ever-living God,

constantly accomplish the Paschal mystery within us,

that those you were pleased to make new in holy baptism

may, under your protective care, bear much fruit

and come to the joys of eternal life.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

God, forever and ever. 听Amen.

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READER 听Introduction to Old Testament Reading 鈥� Ezekiel 19:1, 10-14 Alter

The prophet Ezekiel presents us with some of the most striking, memorable and strange images of the Old Testament.听 In all likelihood he was a Jerusalem priest, exiled to Babylon in 597BC; he tries to make sense of exile, of a sense that God has deserted his people, a feeling of betrayal.听 Ezekiel seeks an explanation in Israel鈥檚 behaviour and her breaking of the covenant.

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READER
And you, sound this lament over the princes of Israel, and say,

鈥榊our mother was like a vine

planted by waters,

fruitful and branching from many waters.

And she had mighty boughs for the sceptres of rulers.

And its stature rose on high

to be among the clouds.

And it was seen in its height

with all its branches.

But it was torn from its roots in fury,

to the ground it was flung,

and the east wind withered its fruit,

it fell apart and withered,

her mighty bough the fire consumed.

And now she is planted in the desert,

in a parched and thirsty land.

And a fire springs out from her boughs,

consumes her fruit

and no mighty bough is there within her,

a sceptre for ruling.鈥�

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The word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

MUSIC:听听 PSALM 听(Psalm 79/80 Grail / Anthony Gregory Murray OSB)听

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Choir:听 God of hosts, bring us back;

let your face shine on us and we shall be saved.

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Congregational Response: 听God of hosts, bring us back;

let your face shine on us and we shall be saved.

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Cantor:听 O shepherd of Israel, hear us,

shine forth from your cherubim throne.

O Lord rouse up your might,

O Lord, come to our help.

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Congregational Response: 听God of hosts, bring us back;

let your face shine on us and we shall be saved.

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Cantor:听 God of hosts, turn again, we implore,

look down from heaven and see.

Visit this vine and protect it,

this vine your right hand has planted.

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Congregational Response: 听God of hosts, bring us back;

let your face shine on us and we shall be saved.

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Cantor:听 May your hand be upon the one you have chosen,

the one you have given your strength.

And we shall never forsake you again;

give us life that we may call upon your name.

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Congregational Response: 听God of hosts, bring us back;

let your face shine on us and we shall be saved.

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READER听听 Introduction to Gospel - John 15:1-8 RSV

As we have heard, in the Old Testament Israel, God鈥檚 own people, is described as a vine that, come what may, God waters, tends and protects, even when it is torn from its roots or consumed by fire.听 In today鈥檚 gospel, from St John, Jesus takes up the image of the vine to describe the intimate relationship between himself and his Father in heaven, and the relationship between Jesus and his disciples.

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READER听 - FR DAVID STEWART SJ

The Lord be with you.

ALL:听 And with your spirit.

A reading from the holy gospel according to John.

ALL:听 Glory to you, O Lord.

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Jesus said to his disciples, 鈥淚 am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch of mine that bears no fruit, he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already made clean by the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If a man does not abide in me, he is cast forth as a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples.

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The gospel of the Lord.

ALL:听 Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

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MUSIC:听 MOTET 鈥� PREMANANDA; LAMB OF GOD / I AM THE VINE
(Composer: Christopher Walker)

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FR ADRIAN听 Reflection

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鈥淚 can鈥檛 abide Radio 4 Sunday Worship!鈥澨� Someone who holds this view is likely to have switched off some time ago!听 鈥淚 can鈥檛 abide . . .鈥� is a strong phrase; we can almost see the shaking of the head; the exaggerated horror at the thought; the exclusion of further discussion.听 If you 鈥渃an鈥檛 abide" something then that鈥檚 the end of the matter and of any relationship you might otherwise have had with whoever or whatever it is that you can鈥檛 abide.

A favourite hymn, 鈥淎bide with me鈥�, uses that word 鈥渁bide鈥� too but in a wholly opposite sense.听 This is where I want and choose to be.听 Henry Lyte鈥檚 extraordinary text uses those three words to say everything.听 The verses of the hymn explore the different times I ask God to abide with me:

鈥渨hen the darkness deepens鈥�

鈥渨hen other helpers fail鈥�

鈥渨hen earth鈥檚 joys grow dim鈥�

鈥渨hen change and decay in all around I see鈥�

But each time we return to the simple prayer, 鈥淎bide with me鈥�.听 鈥淎biding鈥� sums it all up.听 There is no need for more to be said.

That slightly strange word 鈥渁bide鈥� is at the heart of the gospel we hear today 鈥� John鈥檚 parable of the vine.听 John is the great theologian, he writes his account of Jesus鈥� life theologically, seizing on ideas, even single words, and holds them up to the light to see if they enlighten our minds and hearts.听 John twists and turns words and ideas into new combinations like a Rubik鈥檚 cube, until everything makes the best sense we can make of it.听

And so with this word 鈥渁bide鈥� (渭苇谓蔚喂谓 in Greek) which occurs repeatedly in these verses of chapter 15, eleven times in the first eleven verses.听 For John, 鈥渁biding鈥� is the best way of describing the relationship Jesus has with his Father and his disciples have with Jesus.听 And that includes ourselves.

The parable of the vine is used by Jesus to explore what it is to 鈥渁bide鈥�.听 If the branches which produce the grapes abide in the great stem of the vine, they will be laden with fruit at the harvest, and become the best wine.听 鈥淎biding鈥� is everything.

The care and attention the vineyard workers pay to the vine, pruning the branches back in order to be more fruitful, increases the quality of the yield.听 Everything is about the fruit.听

The other day I met a young couple with tiny premature twins 鈥� their eyes locking on to everything everywhere, full of potential and possibility.听 It was easy instantly to recognize that promise of the newborn which brings such overwhelming joy.听 The delight of their parents was wonderful to see but it reminded me of the awesome task that lies ahead of them.听 At baptism, the words of the liturgy remind parents that they 鈥渨ill be the first teachers of their child in the ways of faith. May you also be the best of teachers . . .鈥�

These premature twins, only weeks old, were so manifestly and utterly dependent on their parents, abiding in them for everything.听 And through that very natural and beautiful abiding relationship they will, in the coming months and years, receive everything from their parents鈥� . . .

The gift of play, of wonder, of exploration, of imagination

The gift of delight in language, of words and their sounds and meanings, and poetry and books

The gift of music, its melodies and rhythms, its timbres and textures, its colours and ability so precisely to express and then overwhelm our senses and emotions

The gift of laughter and humour and irony and self-deprecation

The gift of forgiveness: learning both to give and receive

The gift of compassion: of seeing things from another鈥檚 perspective, of walking in their shoes

The gift of sharing what we have and who we are; and of graciously receiving gifts freely given without deserving them; above all the gift of love.

So, stick around Jack and Ned, as you make your home in your parents and they in you, for life.听

It is in this very ordinary but awesome way, that we Christians believe God channels his life into each new child, each and every addition to the human race, and grafts you as new branches into the stem of the vine, his own child and Son, Jesus Christ.

MUSIC:听 JUBILATE DEO (Composer; William Walton)

Of course, as children grow up, they find and seek out other sources of nourishment and life, other guides and paths.听 They take what their parents have taught them and add to that stock of love, wisdom, and lived experience; and one day they will themselves become channelers of God鈥檚 life.听 Some children, of course, are less fortunate, and their parents can struggle or fail to give them what they need.听 But God鈥檚 graciousness is often made known to them in other way.

And this is the great challenge to each of us, however grown up we have become 鈥� to notice the sources of our lives.听

The daily and infinite blessings of God, the graces God bestows on us sometimes magnificently, sometimes imperceptibly, are the running streams, the wellsprings that nourish and refresh us.

The rising of the sun each morning

The coming of the rains and clouds breaking into sunshine

The stars of the dark night

The companionship of friends and love and forgiveness of family

Bumping into newborn twins

Yet sometimes these wells can become brackish or even poisoned 鈥� by self-interest, by greed, by the frictions, resentments and accumulated hurts of the years 鈥� often with the very ones that once were our abundant sources of life.

And then the fruit is not so abundant and may shrivel and perish altogether 鈥� and we find ourselves dead, to be cut off and cast aside.听 Jesus warns us to be on our guard against what steals and destroys the life in us (cf. John 10:10); promising that he has come that we may have life and have it to the full.听 We can only be open to that promise of abundant life if we abide in him and he in us.听 And his total commitment to that relationship has already been played out and sealed eternally in his going to the cross for us: Lamb of God, have mercy on us; Lamb of God, who live in me and I in him will live for ever.

In another vine story 鈥� in the gospel of Matthew (21:33 RSV) 鈥� God, imagined as the owner of a vineyard, takes great care: he 鈥減lanted a vineyard, and set a hedge around it, and dug a wine press in it, and built a tower . . .鈥澨� God doesn鈥檛 give up easily on his vine, he labours and works to make it thrive, to give it every chance, to protect it from the onslaught of dishonest interests.听

In the reading we heard from the prophet Ezekiel a few moments ago, God replants his vine even in the desert and causes it to grow.听 Ezekiel is likely writing from exile in Babylonia, a priest of the Jerusalem Temple who has lost everything.听 His only hope is that God will notice the east wind withering the fruit of his vine, the fire consuming her boughs, parched and thirsty and will again tend and water and husband his broken people.听 Sometimes that is how we feel.听 And so we simply acknowledge of our need, our dependence, and seek out again the sources of life we so desperately crave but so often ignore, distracted by the allure of more immediate returns.听 Lamb of God, have mercy on us, grant us peace.

鈥淎biding鈥� is a lifelong activity and understanding of who and how we are; it is something we do in every passing moment of our existence; something as critical as breathing but as unthinking as taking that next breath.听 To seek a life in God, a life of the spirit, is to do this 鈥渁biding鈥� thing as well as we can.

BIDDING PRAYERS听

FR ADRIAN

In the joy of this Easter time, with confidence and hope, we bring our needs and the needs of the whole world before God our Lord.

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READER

Let us pray for all who seek God, who ask that God鈥檚 face may shine on them for salvation 鈥� may they abide in him, finding in the Lord their way, their truth and their life.听 Lord, in your mercy:

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SUNG 鈥� ALL听 Hear our prayer and give us your peace.
(Ettal Communion Litany 鈥� Composer; Philip Endean SJ)

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Let us pray for the leaders and governors of peoples and nations 鈥� that they may be filled with God鈥檚 Spirit and bring peace and justice to all.听 We especially pray for places where there is conflict and war: in Israel and Palestine, in Ukraine, in Yemen, in Haiti and Ecuador.听 Lord, in your mercy:

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SUNG 鈥� ALL听 Hear our prayer and give us your peace.

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Let us pray for all who feel cut off or abandoned, through illness, old age or bereavement; through poverty and exclusion; through exploitation or injustice; for those who have given up in the face of insurmountable challenges 鈥� may the Lord in his goodness and mercy abide in them, and they in him.听 Lord, in your mercy:

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SUNG 鈥� ALL听 Hear our prayer and give us your peace.

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Let us pray for our own intentions, for those who have asked for our prayers, and for those who have no one to pray for them.听 Lord, in your mercy:

SUNG 鈥� ALL 听Hear our prayer and give us your peace.

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We bring all our prayers and petitions before God our Father, in the words that Jesus taught us:

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MUSIC:听 OUR FATHER (Composer; John Tavener)

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FR ADRIAN

God our Father,

life of the faithful,

glory of the humble,

happiness of the just,

hear our prayer,

and fill our emptiness with your blessings

for the foretaste of eternal joy.

Through Christ Jesus your Son.听 Amen.

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FR ADRIAN + CONGREGATION听听听 Blessing

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The Lord be with you.听

And with your spirit.

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May the peace of God, which is beyond all understanding,

Keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God, and of his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.

All:听 Amen

And may the blessing of almighty God,

the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit,

come down on you and remain with you forever. 听

All:听 Amen.

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Go in the peace of Christ.

Thanks be to God.

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MUSIC:听 HYMN 鈥� CHRIST IS ALIVE, WITH JOY WE SING

(Tune: Vulpius; Words: Pamela Stotter)