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Please note: This script cannot exactly reflect the transmission. It may include editorial notes prepared by the producer, and minor spelling and other errors.

Opening anno:
And now on Radio 4 time for a service for the second Sunday of Advent which comes from a historic church in South Wales.

EDWIN: Intro in church porch

Hello, croeso, welcome to Llancarfan, in the working countryside of the Vale of Glamorgan鈥� and welcome, to Sunday Worship.听I鈥檓 Canon Edwin Counsell, and I鈥檓 standing in the entrance to a church building whose roots wend their way back to Celtic origins, when Cadoc, a monk and teacher, established a monastery in this narrow valley, a couple of miles from the Bristol Channel, where the village of Llancarfan nestles comfortably.听 The current church building is newer鈥� not even a thousand years old!听 So this door has welcomed parishioners, visitors and pilgrims for centuries.

But as we cross the threshold, what a treat awaits us: in just the last few years, a vivid, kaleidoscopic array of 15th century frescos has been uncovered here.听 Just a few square centimetres of faded paint was enough of a clue that something astonishing might lie hidden beneath the limewashed surface.
FX: DOOR听CHOIR STARTS

And the scene we face as we come through the church door is breath-taking!听 The magnificent figure of St George, lance in hand, slaying the evil dragon鈥� the Seven Deadly Sins, painted in stark black and hellish red, reminding us of our innate pride, sloth, gluttony, lustfulness and all the rest.听 There鈥檚 a skeletal figure of death, reminding us of our mortality鈥� and, finally, some respite, in the acts of mercy that can bring relief to the poor, the sick, the oppressed and the bereaved.

Good and evil play counterpoint to one another in the 鈥榓rena鈥� of a parish church, where liturgy and community co-exist, and where the darkness and uncomfortableness of life, is set against the joy and light of Christian redemption.

The Fountain singers are a local music group 鈥� whose music draws us back in time 鈥� and their advent introit would have been the sound that resonated in this church five centuries ago.

Fountain Singers: Advent introit To you I lift up my soul

READING:听Psalm 36 (Kath Giblin, then Richard Parry)
1 Transgression speaks to the wicked deep in their hearts;there is no fear of God before their eyes.听
2 For they flatter themselves in their own eyes that their iniquity cannot be found out and hated.听
3 The words of their mouths are mischief and deceit;听 they have ceased to act wisely and do good.听
4 They plot mischief while on their beds;听 听they are set on a way that is not good;听 听they do not reject evil.听
5 Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens,听 your faithfulness to the clouds.听
6 Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,听 听your judgements are like the great deep;
7 How precious is your steadfast love, O God!

EDWIN: (cont鈥檇)
In those words of Psalm 36, the Psalmist explores the tension between human wickedness and divine goodness, as if that defines the nature of each.

In these Sundays of Advent, Sunday Worship is exploring some themes of the Lord鈥檚 Prayer鈥� and today we reach a line that trips off the tongue with surprising ease: deliver us from evil:

VOICES:听 鈥渄eliver us from evil鈥︹�澨�

贰顿奥滨狈:听

But what is the 鈥榚vil鈥� that we鈥檙e asking to be delivered from?

Some define it as the action and intention of Satan, the malevolent fallen angel, while others dismiss such talk as the Church playing games of power and control, as the conscience points its finger of accusation: yet the painted walls of this church tell of deeper truths and fuller experiences, as the different images and characterisations feel almost like cartoons, with larger than life figures telling of a timeless conflict between good and evil, right and wrong, that sits at the heart of human experience.

But the deadly sins are not there to bring fear or a hectoring threat of damnation: no, they鈥檙e quite gentle in their concern 鈥� and their warning.

Hymn: There鈥檚 a wideness in God鈥檚 mercy

贰顿奥滨狈:听

The wall-paintings here in Llancarfan have been gradually revealed in the last 20 years, having been hidden from view for almost 5 centuries... and there is still much work to do before the building gives up all of its painted secrets.听

Professor of Ecclesiastical History, Madeleine Gray, has been involved with this project from the start.

MUSIC (Bragod) UNDER SPEECH

Professor Madeleine Gray
Description 1 of painting

Fountain Singers: Gratulemur Christicole BETWEEN NEXT SECTIONS OF SPEECH

Richard Parry
Let not blynde pride / your meke myndes confounde
Syth it so many / hath brought unto the grounde.
But such of you / as are in hey degre听
Set all your myndes / and chefe intencyon听
To se the pore / have right and equyte.

Professor Madeleine Gray听

Description 2 of painting听

Richard Parry

Leve wrath prouoker / of great enormyte
As for of frendes / loue and benevolence
Is nat obtained / by batayle nor ryches
But by good ded / and stedfast faythfulnes

Kath Giblin (PSALM 51:1-2)
1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love;according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.听
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,听 and cleanse me from my sin.听

Professor Madeleine Gray
听Description 3 of painting听

Richard Parry:
Blynde nat your myndes / with wretchyd covetyse
Spende nat your riches / in prodygalyte


Professor Madeleine Gray听
Description 4 of painting听


Richard Parry:
Fle glotony / whiche is but bestelynes
Let abstinence / expel from your exces
By immoderate dyet: exces and glotony
Man oft is mordrer/ of his owne body

Kath Giblin:
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.听
11 Do not cast me away from your presence,听 and do not take your holy spirit from me.听
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation,听 and sustain in me a willing spirit.听
13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you.听
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.听MUSIC ENDS

EDWIN

That music, 鈥楪ratulemur Christicole鈥�; written around the time the walls of this church would have been fresh and vibrant, in their newly painted glory.听 The hymn speaks of hope and of our redemption 鈥� yet uses unusual and competing harmonies, that remind us how discordant human life can be.

We heard verses from Psalm 51, and it pulls no punches 鈥� look, Lord, create a clean heart within me 鈥� one that isn鈥檛 going to be led astray by the temptations of the world.听 Quite simply, let me know the joy of your salvation and, please, don鈥檛 cast me away from your presence... because in that, I know I鈥檒l find my salvation.

But there鈥檚 another voice in there, and it鈥檚 a voice of warning鈥� of those deadly sins.听 The words are from the 鈥楲yfe of St George鈥�, a hagiography, published around the time of these paintings, and telling explicitly of George鈥檚 famed encounter with the dragon鈥� a fabled encounter between good and evil.听 The voice of 鈥榙eadly sin鈥� isn鈥檛 the voice of a late-night horror movie.听 No, the Deadly Sins speak as a warning to the unwary, just in case the attraction of anger, sloth, envy, lust and all the rest, with their far-reaching consequences, become clothed with the ordinary experiences of everyday life.

And that鈥檚 a reminder that the themes of Advent confront us with the uncomfortable mention of mortality and judgement鈥� of heaven and hell鈥� and of a coming Saviour鈥�Father in heaven,who sent your Son to redeem the world听and will send him again to be our judge:听give us grace so to imitate him听in the humility and purity of his first coming听that, when he comes again,听we may be ready to greet him听with joyful love and firm faith;听through Jesus Christ our Lord,听who is alive and reigns听with you and the Holy Spirit,听one God, now and for ever.听 Amen.

We turn to our scriptures and to the second letter of Peter, chapter 3.

READING:听2 Peter 3:10-15

The day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and everything that is done on it will be disclosed.听 Since all these things are to be dissolved in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in leading lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set ablaze and dissolved, and the elements will melt with fire? But, in accordance with his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home.听 Therefore, beloved, while you are waiting for these things, strive to be found by him at peace, without spot or blemish; and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation.

Hymn: All my hope on God is Founded

EDWIN: ADDRESS 1

Sometime in the late 1540s, the parishioners of this church would have arrived to find the familiar, vivid wall paintings covered over with a first layer of paint, with the colour, pattern and texture of the place where they worshipped, suddenly made plain and featureless.听King Henry VIII was dead, and a new Prayer Book was acclaimed, that might unite all flavours of faith and political opinion.听 The smell of fresh paint was not from the artist鈥檚 fine brush鈥� but from the artisan鈥檚 lime-wash, that now covered the so-called 鈥榠dolatrous鈥� and 鈥榮acrilegious鈥� images, hiding them from both sight and mind.

This alludes to a deeper symbolism, where sin and evil isn鈥檛 washed away鈥� so much as white-washed over.

Within the competing harmonies of our lives, there are also discordant phrases and wrong notes, reflecting our greatest joys and deepest regrets, along with every good we can do, and every stupid and hurtful word or action, of which any of us is capable.

Words from the 2nd letter of Peter set the bar of divine expectation pretty high for all of us: we鈥檙e encouraged to lead lives of holiness while we wait for God鈥檚 Kingdom to be revealed to us and, meantime, while we wait for the unveiling of God鈥檚 reign, we simply should be without spot or blemish鈥� and watch out 鈥� the day of the Lord will come unexpectedly, like a thief!

The many-layered, painted wall can serve as an emblem of our calling and aspiration, while giving no indication of what might lie underneath鈥�. and don鈥檛 forget, a plain white wall can really show the dirt!

But peel away those white-washed layers that cover any of our lives, and we reveal not innate goodness or profound evil鈥� but, rather, the complexity of human experience鈥� and, woven deeply into all of this, is the presence of God.

The French priest and scientist Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, wrote, 鈥淲e are not human beings having a spiritual experience.听 We are spiritual beings having a human experience.鈥漁ur task isn鈥檛 to change the rules of nature, so that we might be delivered in an instant from every evil: instead, we鈥檙e invited to be the fulfilment of everything that the God of love, healing, reconciliation and profound forgiveness calls us to be;

We get it wrong, we mess up鈥� yet still, the God of love has a deep Advent desire to come amongst us.听

Fountain Singers: Ecce quod natura MUSIC UNDER NEXT

READING: Mark 1. 1-8

The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

As it is written in the prophet Isaiah,听鈥楽ee, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,听who will prepare your way; the voice of one crying out in the wilderness:听鈥淧repare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight鈥� 鈥�.

John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel鈥檚 hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed, 鈥楾he one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit.鈥�

EDWIN: Reflection 2

Llancarfan鈥檚 paintings can seem stark and uncomfortable, yet their connectedness enables them to tell a story; the 鈥楪olden Legend鈥� of St George speaks of redemption and victory over evil, alongside a 鈥榙ance with the devil鈥� 鈥� and, of course, the Deadly Sins, which mark the downfall and despair of the individual, before leading us on to embrace the community鈥檚 response, with its corporal acts of mercy.

The Advent story of John the Baptist, painted in the opening verses of Mark鈥檚 Gospel, is no less uncomfortable, telling of John鈥檚 unconventional ministry, foraging in the Wilderness and designing a 鈥榙istinctive鈥� wardrobe of animal skin, as we discover a compelling, larger than life character, living and working on the fringes of his society.

John鈥檚 Wilderness bordered the Dead Sea and, of course the River Jordan, where the Baptiser did his work; yet it wasn鈥檛 too far from Jerusalem, and obviously close enough to cause a stir, as crowds flocked to hear John speak.

The area was called the 鈥榃ilderness of Sin鈥�, the Hebrew name reflecting its proximity to Mount Sinai, rather than any semantic connection to sinfulness; but it points us to the place where the people of Israel roamed the desert in exil

鈥� and maybe that makes the place of John the Baptist鈥檚 Wilderness even more relevant to our deliverance from evil: John spoke and acted powerfully, baptising so that his audience knew of God鈥檚 forgiveness.

On the west wall of Llancarfan Church, almost lost along the margin where restored frescos meet cracked lime mortar; where blotched paintwork suddenly takes on the shape and form of letters that spell out the start of 鈥渂ut deliver us鈥︹��

Dire warnings of Deadly Sins have suddenly given way to acts of mercy that define the Christian response鈥� and that, in turn, leads us to our faint, final line from the Lord鈥檚 Prayer:

VOICES: 鈥淏ut deliver us from evil鈥︹��

John the Baptist seemed the most unlikely of heralds for the Incarnation, yet he spoke powerfully of being the one preparing the way 鈥� 鈥渓ook鈥� he says, 鈥渢here鈥檚 one coming after me, and I鈥檓 not even worthy to do up his shoes.鈥�

The evil from which we seek deliverance is manifest in our own fractured relationships, as much as in the devastation of war鈥� in our selfish, self-focussed, self-obsession, as much as in the global gap between rich and poor.

A life-changing conflict might be traced back to a bad decision, a word out of place or a stubborn refusal to heal a family rift, or save a friendship; yet Christian faith speaks of deliverance from evil in equally simple, and almost insignificant moments:鈥� in an embrace of peace鈥� in a few drops of water that give life in a drought 鈥� or give life in Baptism鈥� in a fragment of broken bread.

The God of Advent, the God of forgiveness and deliverance from every evil, is found in unexpected places and unusual people; and in the moment when the layers of human experience are peeled away to reveal, not the expected king, reigning in temporal power鈥� but a child in a Bethlehem manger.

Fountain Singers + Dulcimer: Angelos ad virginem

EDWIN:

The Fountain Singers, once more, with an Advent carol, 鈥楢ngelos ad Virginem鈥�, telling of the angel visiting Mary with quiet reassurance鈥� 鈥淥 be the salvation of mankind; you will be made the gate of heaven; the cure of sins.鈥澨� And so we pra

SAM SMITH:听

God of all love and compassion, as we wait in expectation for the coming of a Saviour, fill our hearts and our lives with the Advent hope of all that is to come, bringing a promise of freedom and forgiveness, that liberates our hearts to know you in our Saviour Jesus Christ.Let the fullness of your loving presence support, sustain and enliven all those who are burdened by conflict, illness, bereavement, poverty, or by the burdens of life;听Lord, walk with us and light our way in the times of uncertainty, for us and for our world; and as we strive to find peace, healing and reconciliation, we pray for the peacemakers of the world, that they may be encouraged in their task鈥� that they may be your children.Lord God, in all things, peel away the whitewash of our lives, and paint the scenes of your loving purpose on our hearts, each day of our Advent journey.Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer.

EDWIN:
So with hearts and voices that are expectant that God鈥檚 Kingdom will come, let鈥檚 pray in the words that Jesus taught to his disciples鈥�Our Father,听
who art in heaven,听
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,听
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,听
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,听
the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever.听 Amen.

HYMN: O come, O come Emmanuel

EDWIN:

May the Lord be with us to protect us; may he guide us and give us his strength; may he watch over us, keep us in his care and bless us with his peace.

The blessing of God almighty, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit come down upon you and rest upon you and on your homes; upon the people you love and those for whom you pray, today and always.听 Amen.

PLAYOUT: O come O come Emmanuel (Fountain Singers + Dulcimer)

CLOSING ANNO:

Vale of Glamorgan medieval music group the Fountain Singers bringing to a close this week鈥檚 edition of Sunday Worship. The service was led by Canon Edwin Counsell, leader of the Glamorgan Heritage Coast Ministry Area, and produced by Dominic Jewel.听