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1) Welcome and Introduction to the theme
Good morning and Welcome to Sunday Worship.

My name is Stephen Wigley and I鈥檓 a Methodist minister who has served in a variety roles across Wales since marrying my Welsh wife Jenny and moving 鈥榓cross the border鈥� some 37 years ago. All of听 this speaks to this morning鈥檚 service because we鈥檙e going to be exploring the significance of Offa鈥檚 Dyke, that major earthwork built by the 8th century King of Mercia to mark out the border with Wales. It was originally built to prevent conflict and border raids, and in this regard its impact doesn鈥檛 appear to be any longer lasting than the great Norman castles whose ruins remain scattered along its route.听

These days it鈥檚 become a route for ramblers, taking advantage of the opportunity to walk along ancient ramparts surrounded by some quite magnificent scenery. But over time Offa鈥檚 Dyke has served to mark out a sense of 鈥榖order country鈥� for people and places along the route, and as we shall also discover this morning, it鈥檚 helped to create space for some quite distinctive spiritual voices which we hope to hear as we walk just a small portion of the 177 mile Offa鈥檚 Dyke Path.听
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2) Opening Prayer

And as we set off this morning, I鈥檓 mindful that some parts of the path can be a little rugged, so I鈥檓 going to use some verses from the much-loved hymn by Love Maria Willis as an opening prayer.

Father, hear the prayer we offer: not for ease that prayer shall be, but for strength that we may everlive our lives courageously.听 Not for ever in green pastures do we ask our way to be; but the steep and rugged pathwaymay we tread rejoicingly. Be our strength in hours of weakness, in our wanderings be our guide; through endeavour, failure, danger, Father, be thou at our side. Amen

That sense of walking as an opportunity to spend time with God is something very familiar to songs and spirituals. So now we hear Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee with their version of 鈥楯ust a closer walk with thee.鈥�

3) Song 鈥楯ust a closer walk with thee鈥� (Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee)

4) Psalm 16.5-11 (鈥楾he boundaries have fallen in pleasant places鈥︹��)

The first part of our walk from Sedbury, near Chepstow, takes us up the hillside overlooking the beautiful Lower Wye valley, so at this point it鈥檚 easy to understand how the Psalmist can speak of 鈥榯he boundary lines鈥� being 鈥榝allen in pleasant places鈥�.

The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;听 I have a goodly heritage. I bless the Lord, who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. I keep the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices; my body also rests secure. For you do not give me up to Sheol or let your faithful one see the Pit.You show me the path of life.听 In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

5) Reflections on Tintern Abbey 鈥� how the desire for simplicity can lead to ever greater wealth
At this point we鈥檝e reached a local landmark called the 鈥楧evil鈥檚 pulpit鈥�, so called because it offers a magnificent view over the majestic ruins of Tintern Abbey in the valley below. Tintern was the first of the great Cistercian Abbeys to be founded in Wales in 1131, interestingly with the patronage of one of the great Marcher Lords Walter de Clare, based in Chepstow. The Cistercians had broken away from their parent Order, the Benedictines, to try and restore the original simplicity of the monastic vision. They looked to build their abbeys specifically in 鈥榩laces remote from the conversation of men鈥� and where alongside the monks there were 鈥榣ay brothers鈥� who helped actually to run the estates.听

But although remote, their estates became increasingly prosperous, not least as their structure of work and worship fitted in well with the dominant wool industry. So the irony is that the very thing they wished to create, a life of prayer and simplicity, served also to make them rich and prosperous, and attracted the interest of local lords and authorities. Border politics played their part too, as Tintern itself suffered during uprising of Owain Glyndwr. By the time it was closed as part of Henry VIII鈥檚 Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1536, Tintern had lost much of its former glories. But looking across the river at its majestic ruins, it鈥檚 hard not to catch a sense of the vision which inspired its founders.听

6) Hymn 鈥楯erusalem the golden鈥�

7) More reflections looking back at Tintern 鈥� role of Nature and the Romantic movement

When the monasteries were dissolved, those responsible took everything that was valuable with them including the lead roofs, which meant that the buildings soon fell into rack and ruin, with much of the stonework being used to supply other building work nearby. That鈥檚 how things were for hundreds of years, but over time the ruins came to be seen in a new light as having a majestic beauty of their own. This perspective was influenced both by artists who had visited Italy and seen how the ruins of the classical period could still speak in art and literature, and also by the emergence of the Romantic movement which saw in the beauty of Nature itself, something which could reveal the Divine.

One of the great figures of this movement in Britain was the poet William Wordsworth, who had first visited Tintern as a young man in 1793. Returning to the area on a walking tour with his sister some five years later, he was struck once again by the power and majesty of its scenery, the hills and woods, the rushing river and the majestic ruins. He was moved to write one of his finest poems, composed he claimed entirely in his head, which spoke of how in nature he found, 鈥榯he Anchor of my purest thoughts鈥μ� the guide , the guardian of my heart and soul of all my moral being鈥�. It鈥檚 this poem we know as 鈥楲ines written a few miles above Tintern Abbey, on revisiting the banks of the Wye鈥�, and we鈥檒l hear an extract from it now.

8) Excerpt from Wordsworth 鈥楲ines composed above Tintern Abbey鈥�

9) Reflections on Brockweir Moravian Church 鈥� impact on John Wesley

North of Tintern, the route divides and the lower path takes you down to the little village of Brockweir on the River Wye. It鈥檚 a pretty village, but perhaps the most striking thing about it is the lovely, white-washed chapel on the bank of the river which is actually a Moravian Church, one of very few in this country. The Moravians, with their origins in the teaching of the great Czech reformer Jan Hus, were to play a distinctive role in the history of the Reformation in Europe.听

One of the Moravian leaders, Peter Bohler, would have a significant influence on John Wesley at a time听 when he was still unsure of his faith and future following the failure of his mission to America.听

So perhaps it鈥檚 not surprising that one of the few hymns which John himself wrote (as compared to his brother Charles), is actually a translation of a Moravian hymn; and we鈥檒l now we hear a modern setting of that hymn 鈥楴ow I have found the ground wherein鈥︹��

10) Hymn 鈥楴ow I have found the ground wherein鈥� (J Wesley - London Fox singers)

11) Meeting with Sue Groves, Lay Pastor at Brockweir
Having established the link with Wesley and Methodism, I鈥檓 intrigued to find out what brought the Moravians to this quiet village just off the River Wye. Fortunately, we have Sue Groves, the Lay Pastor of this fellowship, to tell us a little more.

12) John 4.1-10 (Jesus meets a Samaritan woman by the well)

Our Gospel reading is the famous passage from John 4 which reminds us that Jesus knew well what it meant to travel across border country, and to initiate conversations that cross all kinds of boundaries. And (if I may) I鈥檒l ask Sue to read it for us.

Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard, 鈥淛esus is making and baptizing more disciples than John鈥濃�� he left Judea and started back to Galilee. But he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob鈥檚 well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon.

A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, 鈥淕ive me a drink.鈥� (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, 鈥淗ow is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?鈥� (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, 鈥淚f you knew the gift of God and who it is that is saying to you, 鈥楪ive me a drink,鈥� you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.鈥�
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13) Hymn 鈥業 heard the voice of Jesus say鈥� (H. Bonar)

14) Reflections (north of Hay) on Clyro and Kilvert country

Well, after that break for rest and refreshment it鈥檚 time to resume our 鈥榯raveling days鈥�, and we rejoin the Offa鈥檚 Dyke Path walking north of Hay-on-Wye towards Knighton. Across the other side of the valley is the picturesque village of Clyro, best known for the Diaries kept by Rev. Francis Kilvert who was curate there from 1866-72, and which in time has led to this wider area becoming known as 鈥楰ilvert Country鈥�.

What鈥檚 fascinating about Kilvert鈥檚 diaries is the lively interest which he takes in all aspects of life, in nature and the seasons, in faith and worship, in the lives of local people and in the joys of eating and exercising. 鈥榃hy do I keep this voluminous journal?鈥� he asks. 鈥楶artly because life seems to me such a curious and wonderful thing that it seems a pity that even such a humble and uneventful life of mine should pass altogether away without some such record as this.鈥橳he complete diaries run to hundreds of pages, but perhaps the entry for Easter Day 17th April 1870 helps to bring out the widespread range of his interests 鈥� and his faith.听

15) Excerpt from Kilvert鈥檚 diaries

16) Conversation with Rev. Sue Lawler 鈥楳inistering across borders鈥�

As we walk this stretch of Offa鈥檚 Dyke, we鈥檙e joined by a colleague of mine, Rev. Sue Lawler. Sue lives just a few miles away in Painscastle and has spent much of her ministry in the border areas around Welshpool.

17) Reflections passing Montgomery, home of George Herbert, pastor, priest & poet

The next stage of the Path takes us from Knighton to Buttingdon Bridge near Welshpool, and on the way passes just a mile east of the county town of Montgomery, or Trefaldwyn as it is known in Welsh. Overlooking the pretty Georgian buildings which characterise the town today are the remains of a 13th century Norman castle on a crag to the west, which speaks of this area鈥檚 long history of involvement in wars between Welsh princes and Marcher Lords, until it came into the hands of the Tudor, and in part Welsh, King Henry VII, following the death of King Richard at the battle of Bosworth.

At this point the new King gave it to another powerful local family, the Herberts. It was into this family that, some hundred years later, the great poet, priest and pastor George Herbert was born. He was originally intended for a political career, and indeed sat as the local Member of Parliament in the time of James 1st, before deciding instead to take Holy Orders in the Church of England, and spending the rest of his relatively short life as Rector of Bemerton, near Salisbury.

However, although his time as a Parish priest lasted barely 3 years, during it Herbert wrote two hugely influential works: a guide to Pastoral Ministry entitled 鈥楢 Priest to the Temple or The Country Parson, his Character and Rule of Holy Life鈥� and a collection of poems entitled 鈥楾he Temple鈥�. These writings, especially the poems, have become much-loved by subsequent generations of Christians; indeed many of them are now known as hymns: 鈥楰ing of glory, king of Peace鈥�; 鈥楲et all the world in every corner sing鈥�, and some were later set to music by Ralph Vaughan Williams entitled the 鈥楩ive Mystical Songs鈥�.听We will hear one of those settings now, entitled 鈥楾he Call鈥�.

18)听 Music from 5 Spiritual songs 鈥楥ome my way, my truth, my life鈥�

19) Reflections on end of journey; family history of crossing borders

Our journey along parts of Offa鈥檚 Dyke is now approaching its end. Further north the path will move away towards Oswestry and Llangollen and then along the Clwydian hills before finishing at Prestatyn, by Rhuddlan castle.

The current border finishes further east, following the River Dee towards Chester, and that bring to mind a host of other memories for me and my family. For a few miles south of Chester there are two villages on either side of the River Dee, Farndon in England and Holt in Wales, separated by a mediaeval bridge across the river, and each with its own parish church dedicated to St. Chad.

My wife Jenny has a foot in both camps. Her father Dennis came from Holt on the Welsh side and her mother Amy from Farndon on the English side. Amy married Dennis at St. Chad鈥檚 church in Farndon, and then travelled half a mile across the bridge to live in Holt, and this short journey meant that Jenny and her brothers grew up in Wales and not in England.

When Jenny felt a call to ministry, it was to ministry on the Church in Wales, not England. Then when we met and got married, it was in St. Chad鈥檚 Church in Holt, with the understanding from our Churches that they would find a way for each of us to exercise our ministry 鈥� in Wales. This has meant that over the last 37 years we have moved and ministered in Llangollen, Mumbles, Aberystwyth, Swansea, Radyr and Cardiff 鈥� so that half mile between Farndon and Holt has made a huge difference.

It has also brought home to me something really important about borders. They鈥檙e often thought of in terms of boundaries which keep people apart 鈥� as indeed Offa鈥檚 Dyke was originally intended to be. But I鈥檝e come to understand how they can also become areas which draw people together and which help enable new insights and relationships. Maybe that鈥檚 what the Psalmist meant when he says that 鈥榯he boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places鈥� 鈥� and maybe this can be true for you as well.

20) Closing Prayer

As this journey draws towards a close, we spend some time in prayer,听reflecting both on the walk and also on the role of boundaries:

We pray for all those who have walked this way before us,听asking that we may learn from their wisdom and witness;

We pray for all those who journey with us today, asking that they may know that they do not travel alone;

And we pray for all those听 who still seek a direction for their life,asking that they may discover the one who is the way, the truth and the life.听

We pray also for those who live in the border lands of our world,for those places where boundaries are contested and fought over, for those people who feel caught on the wrong side of the borderand separated from their loved ones on the other side;听And for all those who have found borders to be a meeting place,where new experiences and relationships can be found and shared.
We ask these prayers as we share in the words of the Grace.

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God,听
And the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all,
Now and forever more, Amen.

In the course of our journey, we鈥檝e come across different religious communities with their own music and traditions of faith.听 So now we鈥檙e going to end with a Shaker song that speaks of finding ourselves 鈥榠n the place just right鈥�, sung by Bryn Terfel.

'Tis the gift to be simple,听'tis the gift to be free,'
Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.
When true simplicity is gained,
To bow and to bend we will not be ashamed,
To turn, turn will be our delight,
Till by turning, turning we come round right.

21) Song 鈥楽imple gifts鈥� (Shaker song version by Bryn Terfel)

22) Blessing
May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be always at your back.听
May the sun shine warm upon your face; may the rains fall soft upon your fieldsand until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand. Amen.

23) Music: Aaron Copland - Appalachian Spring / Detroit Symphony Orchestra