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OPENING ANNOUNCEMENT: 91热爆 Radio 4. At ten past eight it鈥檚 time for Sunday Worship on Radio 4 and 91热爆 Sounds. Today it comes in Northern Ireland and is led by the Right Reverend Ken Clarke. The service begins with hymn 鈥淎ll people that on earth do dwell鈥�

CHOIR听 ALL PEOPLE THAT ON EARTH DO DWELL (OLD HUNDREDTH)

BISHOP KEN: Good morning from Belfast where I鈥檓 joined by the New Irish Choir along with members of the New Irish Orchestra who use the arts to encourage people to worship God.

You鈥檙e welcome to this service which will reflect on the meaning of life and the human search for this. 听search for this. For when we look at the world, at events like those happening in Ukraine or perhaps or perhaps at our lives, it can at times be easy to sense only a lack of meaning. The book of Psalms often reflect this but the roter of Psalm 16 could say to God
You show me the path of life.
In your presence, there is fulness of joy;
in your right hand, there are pleasures for evemore.

听Let us pray

Good morning from Belfast where I鈥檓 joined by the New Irish Choir along with some members of the New Irish Orchestra who use the art of music to encourage people to worship God.

You鈥檙e welcome to this service which will reflect on the meaning of life and the human search for this.听 For when we look at the world, at events like those happening in Ukraine or perhaps at our own lives and experiences, it can at times be easy to sense only a lack of meaning. The book of Psalms often reflects this sometimes with a rawness we find rather disconcerting although it is always in the context of belief in God. So the听 writer of Psalm 16 could say to Him

You show me the path of life.
In your presence, there is fulness of joy;
in your right hand, there are pleasures for evemore.

听Let us pray

We praise and worship you, Lord God, When all was chaos you spoke
your Word and created all things in time and space
making us in your own image
You breathed life into us and you give us abundant life. in Jesus Christ
The Word made flesh for us

We thank you that our cosmos finds order and reality only in him and for the clarity he gives about your nature, about human experience, and about eternal life. We bless you for revealing yourself to us, in him, by the power of your Spirit,

Worthy of praise from every mouth, or confession from every tongue
of worship from every creature is your glorious name,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit one God for ever.

Yet we have to acknowledge our confusion at times, our lingering concerns about life and meaning. For our lives can be difficult and confusing

We can feel overwhelmed by powerlessness and anger.
we experience uncertainty.

We search for meaning but aren鈥檛 always sure where to look
so we can turn to Superficial things which have no power to address our deepest needs.

Forgive us we pray in name of Jesus and help us realise our unanswered questions are not unanswerable in you but lead us on in the humble pursuit of meaning in the person and work of your Son.

Giver of all good gifts, grant us the humility to revisit our convictions about life and meaning; grant us the courage to follow where your revelation in Christ Jesus leads; bestow upon us the life everlasting that he has come to bring. Lead us always to him, the Way, the Truth, and the Life. And it is in his name that we offer these and all our prayers. Amen.

Our next hymn speaks of the weary, the worn and the sad finding in Jesus Christ a resting place and the thirsty having their thirst quenched. It鈥檚 I heard the voice of Jesus say, 鈥淐ome unto me and rest鈥�

CHOIR: I HEARD THE VOICE OF JESUS SAY (KINGSFOLD)

BISHOP KEN: Our readings from Ecclesiastes and John 鈥榮 Gospel Chapter 1 offer differing perspectives on the meaning of life.

READER

Remember听your Creator
听听听听in the days of your youth,
before the days of trouble听come
听听听听and the years approach when you will say,
听听听听鈥淚 find no pleasure in them鈥濃��
before the sun and the light
听听听听and the moon and the stars grow dark,
听听听听and the clouds return after the rain;
听when the keepers of the house tremble,
听听听听and the strong men stoop,
when the grinders cease because they are few,
听听听听and those looking through the windows grow dim;
听when the doors to the street are closed
听听听听and the sound of grinding fades;
when people rise up at the sound of birds,
听听听听but all their songs grow faint;
when people are afraid of heights
听听听听and of dangers in the streets;
when the almond tree blossoms
听听听听and the grasshopper drags itself along
听听听听and desire no longer is stirred.
Then people go to their eternal home
听听听听and mourners听go about the streets.

听Remember him鈥攂efore the silver cord is severed,
听听听听and the golden bowl is broken;
before the pitcher is shattered at the spring,
听听听听and the wheel broken at the well,
听and the dust returns听to the ground it came from,
听听听听and the spirit returns to God听who gave it.

听鈥淢eaningless! Meaningless!鈥� says the Teacher.[]
听听听听鈥淓verything is meaningless!

听

SOLO: RUN TO THE FATHER (Matt Maher, Ran Jackson, Cody Carnes)

BISHOP KEN: 听Run to the Father sung there by Oliver Rea.

READER

In the beginning was the Word,听and the Word was with God,听and the Word was God.听听He was with God in the beginning.听听Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.听In him was life,听and that life was the light听of all mankind.听听The light shines in the darkness,听and the darkness has not overcome[]听it.

There was a man sent from God whose name was John.听He came as a witness to testify听concerning that light, so that through him all might believe.听听He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

听The true light听that gives light to everyone听was coming into the world.听听He was in the world, and though the world was made through him,听the world did not recognize him.听听He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.听Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed听in his name,听he gave the right to become children of God鈥斕�听children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband鈥檚 will, but born of God.

听The Word became flesh听and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory,听the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace听and truth.

BISHOP KEN: John鈥檚 Gospel also includes that amazing statement by Jesus that God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. It is I suppose one of the most quoted verses in the entire Bible. After we hear Bob Chilcott鈥檚 setting of those words, Pastor Andrew Roycroft will lead our reflection.

CHOIR: GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD ( Bob Chilcott)

PASTOR ANDREW:

Northern Irish comedian Kevin McAleer once told the story of taking a stroll across some fields during the Troubles. His mind was beset by the big questions of life - who am I? Why am I here? Where am I going? He longed for a kindred spirit who would ask the same kinds of questions. Just at that he was intercepted by an army patrol. Abruptly a soldier barked out - who are you? Why are you here? Where are you going? The same questions alright, but changed utterly by their context!

Philosopher Charles Taylor has written that 'a need for meaning, a desire for eternity, can press us against the boundaries of the human domain鈥�, and somewhere deep down many of us would agree. We can perpetually or suddenly find ourselves questioning why we are here, what we have done with the life we have lived so far, and what will we do with the time that remains. Regardless of how sophisticated our world has become, living with a nagging sense that meaning matters is common across cultures. The beginning of our career or the loss of it, a sudden trauma or the gradual wearing effect of routine and busyness can leave us longing for meaning.

So what is the meaning of a human being? And why does this question matter so much to us?

Perhaps more than any other 20th century writer Viktor Frankl had the authority and the capacity to help us to wrestle with the meaning of life. An Auschwitz survivor and an esteemed psychiatrist, the entirety of Frankl鈥檚 adult life was spent grappling with meaning and working to help others find theirs. Reflecting on his experiences and his practices professionally he wrote that 鈥楾here is nothing in the world, I venture to say, that would so effectively help one to survive even the worst conditions as the knowledge that there is a meaning in one鈥檚 life. There is much wisdom in the words of Nietzsche: 鈥淗e who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.鈥濃��

Finding that 鈥榳hy鈥� can be an exasperating experience in the 21st century. Meaning has become so pluralised and personalised that searching for it can seem futile. We can feel like we are on the receiving end of Douglas Adam鈥檚 imaginary supercomputer in The Hitchiker鈥檚 Guide to the Galaxy鈥� named Deep Thought who when tasked with finding the meaning of the universe took seven and half million years to respond and came up with the answer 42! Terry Eagleton in considering the meaning of life writes,

One is reminded of the American poet Gertrude Stein, who was rumoured on her deathbed to have asked over and over again 鈥榃hat is the answer?鈥�, before finally murmuring 鈥楤ut what is the question?鈥� A question about a question posed while hovering on the brink of nothingness seems a suitable symbol of the modern condition.

The genius of 20th century Modernist writers like James Joyce and Samuel Beckett was their ability to face that sense of uncertainty and to allow their characters to fall into irredeemable absurdity. We might admire the consistency of such a worldview, but few of us really want to embrace it in the day to day. We want meaning, we have an irrepressible urge to understand ourselves, our place in the world, and our own destiny, but are often stymied in our search for it.

Meaning without God is, of course, possible. Many who don鈥檛 share a Christian worldview live lives which are constructive and full of purpose 鈥� often finding significance in acts of charity or solidarity with fellow humans, or in an enriched domestic or friendship circle. It would be a na茂ve person indeed who didn鈥檛 credit that reality. But even in these conditions meaning without God can still leave us longing for more. Perhaps the most honest portrayal of this that I have read is by the Irish poet Dennis O鈥橠riscoll. In an astonishing piece entitled 鈥楳issing God鈥� he reflects on a world where God is no longer invoked, relied upon, or enjoyed. The opening lines of the poem give a flavour of its honesty: (copyright material)听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 听听听听听听听听听听听

The pursuit of meaning, with or without God, is powerfully portrayed in the unsettling and thought-provoking Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes. Its author resists easy answers and superficial questions, choosing instead to personally and empirically discern meaning from his own experiences. His journey through material wealth, intellectual endeavour, and mindless hedonism is realistic, entertaining, and somewhat depressing. All that is available to him 鈥榰nder the sun鈥� is vanity, leaving him in deficit and difficulty, yielding nothing but disappointment and depression. Out of a life liberally seasoned with variety, the Teacher concludes his meditation by counselling young people to remember and embrace God, short-circuiting the misery that his search for meaning has yielded. The Teacher鈥檚 experience is recognisable and repeatable, a testimony to life drawing us up short when it comes to the really big questions.

In the Gospel of John, we see both a different approach and a better outcome. Because John points us to a person rather than to philosophy or ideology.

John鈥檚 prologue to his gospel is a seamless combination of poetry and theology, describing the big realities of Jesus鈥� identity and incarnation. The Son of God is the Word, the Logos, and in that description John centres meaning for us all. Jesus is the embodiment of wisdom, he is the highest thought the mind can hold, and he is the great organising principle of the cosmos. Encountering Jesus leads not just to the meaning of life but to a life of meaning. A life centred in eternal reality and personal redemption.

In John 1:4 we read 鈥業n him was life, and the life was the light of men鈥�. Jesus is not just someone who lived life in the incarnation but the giver of all life in the universe. As such he shapes our meaning and can grant us a fulfilment and peace that no one and nothing else can. Trusting in him grants us forgiveness of sin and its guilt, the right to belong to God, a grasp on him as the Way, the Truth, and the Life, the joy of meaning located outside of ourselves, and enjoying him as the centre of all meaning. All of this can be found in Christ alone, through faith in him for salvation.

So when Kevin McAleer was asking about meaning and purpose, his questions were among the best ones any human being can ask. This internal discussion is crucial, but sharing it with a good discussion partner is even more so. Jesus enters the conversation and invites us to see him as the only true answer.

CHOIR: THE GOODNESS OF JESUS (CityAlighht)

BISHOP KEN听 The Goodness of Jesus.
And so we pray for others. Let us pray

READER(S)

Let us pray:

We pray for all who are victims of war and violence, oppression and brutality in Ukraine and other prat of the world. We remember refugees, those fleeing for their lives, after losing lost family livelihood or home. Have mercy upon them, Lord and bless all who seek to help them in their need

God of righteousness and peace, forgive the selfishness, greed and arrogance that cause peoples to be at enmity with each other. Help us and all people to live together in charity and goodwill; and teach the nations the things that belong to their peace

Lord God, you created us free to choose and made us accountable to you and to each other: give to all who this week will be voting to elect representatives to serve on councils and in the Northern Ireland Assembly a sense of our responsibility, clear judgement and a generous concern for the welfare of all people

We pray for everyone who feel that life in worthless or without purpose or meaning, lost in a maze of confusion or doubt. Be gracious to them and may your Spirit be near them to help and guide and support.

And these and all our prayers we offer in the name and for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Our Father, who 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 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.

听

BISHOP KEN: Before the blessing and our final hymn, singing of Christ our hope in life and death, can I thank you for joining us this morning with the hope that your lives may be blessed and meaningful.

The God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the eternal covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight:

And the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit be with you and remain with you always. AMEN

CHOIR: CHRIST OUR HOPE IN LIFE AND DEATH听 (Keith Getty, Matt Boswell et al)

听

CLOSING ANNOUNCEMENT Sunday Worship came from Norther Ireland and was led by the Bishop Ken Clarke. The preacher was Pastor Andrew Roycroft.听 The New Irish Choir Music was directed by Jonathan Rea. And you can hear that service on 91热爆 Sounds for a month.

The producer was Bert Tosh. 听

Next week Sunday Worship will come from the Chapel of St John鈥檚 College, Cambridge for a celebration in music and word of the life and works of the priest and poet George Herbert.