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Introduction (Canon Ian, Precentor)

A very warm welcome to Llandaff Cathedral here in Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. Unusually, our Cathedral sits outside the city centre, in an almost rural village setting at the side of the River Taff.

Like many churches, we see the care of God鈥檚 creation, both with our voices and with our actions, as a key part of our Cathedral鈥檚 mission. As leaves fall to expose bare branches, our minds may turn to the impermanence of things, but Autumn is also a time of new beginnings, expectations and hopes.

Our Cathedral Choir and congregation sing the first hymn, 鈥楪reat is thy Faithfulness鈥�, expressing this so beautifully:聽鈥榡oin with all nature in manifold witness聽to Thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love.鈥櫬�

Music 1 Hymn - Great is thy Faithfulness聽

Ian - Dean Jason, the Dean of Llandaff, leads us in prayer:

Opening Prayer (Dean Jason, Dean of Llandaff)

O Lord,聽You who made us to till and to keep the earth,Grace us, we pray, to preserve its beauty聽and to protect it against harm,as well as to delight in all its variety聽and to steward all of its riches,聽so that we might care for it as you care for it,聽in wisdom and in love.

We pray this for your sake and our neighbour鈥檚 as well,聽both near and far.

In the name of the One who sustains all of creation, Jesus Christ himself.Amen.

(by W. David O. Taylor)

Ian 鈥� Our environmental strategy is led enthusiastically by the Cathedral鈥檚 Chancellor. Canon Jan explains a little of the journey so far.聽

Context passage (Canon Jan, Chancellor)

Eco Church is an A Rocha project aimed at equipping churches of all denominations in England and Wales to take practical steps in caring for Creation. Churches must take meaningful action in their worship and teaching, buildings, land use, community and global engagement, and lifestyle, in order to progress through Bronze, Silver, and Gold awards.

In 2020, we were excited to receive a Bronze Eco Award and with our enthusiastic Eco Church group we鈥檙e working hard to achieve silver 鈥� starting to build a new and exciting culture of sustainability, rooted in the core values of our Christian faith. With the help of the Woodland Trust we鈥檝e improved our surroundings by removing non-native, invasive species and planting a new mixed species native hedge. We held a 鈥楥ommunity Planting Day鈥� last November to put in the trees, and lots of our congregation including children 鈥� and Bishop Mary - came to take part. Each person had 5 trees to plant- it may sound a lot but they were just tiny twigs at that stage! We watched them anxiously through the winter and were delighted to see them sprout leaves and grow in the spring. As the hedge grows and thickens it will provide food and shelter for many creatures. We鈥檝e replaced old and inefficient boilers to reduce our carbon footprint whilst making the building 鈥楬eat Pump ready鈥�. We鈥檝e devised eco-friendly activities and life-style changes for our Sunday School families, and we offer regular sustainability tips to our congregations. Keep Wales Tidy helped with our churchyard Butterfly Garden and our Bishop, Mary, blessed our Cathedral shaped bug-hotel which was designed and made by one of our volunteers.

Penitential Rite (Dean Jason)

We are making slow and steady progress. Still, we remain sorry for the many ways we have fallen short of God鈥檚 expectations of us in the care of the planet. And so we pray for his mercy and forgiveness, and express our sorrow.

Music 2 Mealor 鈥� Coronation Kyrie

Ian 鈥� Paul Mealor鈥檚 Kyrie formed part of the Coronation Service of King Charles. Mealor described it as 鈥榓 cry from the deep soul of the hills and valleys of Wales for hope, peace, love and friendship.鈥� Our first reading now is from the Old Testament, the first of the Psalms and is read by Dean Jason.

Reading 1 鈥� Psalm 1 (Dean Jason)

Happy are those聽who do not follow the advice of the wicked,聽or take the path that sinners tread,聽or sit in the seat of scoffers;聽but their delight is in the law of the Lord,聽and on his law they meditate day and night.

They are like trees聽planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season,聽and their leaves do not wither.聽聽In all that they do, they prosper.聽聽The wicked are not so,聽but are like chaff that the wind drives away.聽聽Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgement,聽nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;聽for the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,聽but the way of the wicked will perish.

Ian 鈥� Bishop Mary ministered across Wales before she became the Bishop of Llandaff; she joins us in worship and offers her thoughts and reflections.

Reflection 1 鈥� Bishop Mary

Those words from that ancient song or 鈥榩salm鈥� in the Bible contrast the choices set before us: The psalmist says, we can choose to flourish or to perish. This seems to speak so directly to us as we consider our relationship with the environment and the climate emergency that鈥檚 impacting the world.聽聽

Biblical language about creation fits our setting here in Wales. Valleys, trees, rocks and mountains define much of our landscape. Wales has such a range of breathtaking scenery, and it also bears the marks and scars of our agricultural and industrial history. Here, in in Llandaff we enjoy both something of the open space of the countryside and we鈥檙e also aware of the busy hum of the city nearby.

What we notice in our local environment reflects both the beauty of creation, and its fragility. As we pray for the needs of the whole world here, we鈥檙e aware of communities elsewhere that are under threat due to climate change: Areas that flooded, places where crops will no longer grow, and people having to flee their homelands because they are becoming uninhabitable.聽 All of this makes us more aware of our shared need to look after creation, and to discover ways to live more sustainably.

Some of our leaders in eco-awareness have come from amongst our oldest and youngest worshippers. It鈥檚 been wonderful to see the enthusiasm of small children to be involved in planting our new hedges and our little service of blessing the bug cathedral became quite extended when so many of the youngsters who鈥檇 taken part in creating it were also keen to sprinkle it with holy water! It鈥檚 also been great to see some of our older members of the congregations sharing their wisdom about how to tend and care for all that鈥檚 growing.

Gathering at the cathedral for morning and evening prayer at this time of year with the darker mornings and evenings, when we鈥檙e aware that winter鈥檚 coming, it can feel as if we鈥檙e at a turning point, a time of change. It鈥檚 a time when the pace of life undergoes a subtle shift: During the spring and summer we saw growth happening all around us. In autumn and winter much that鈥檚 growing and changing is more hidden and mysterious. Leaves and seeds are falling to the ground, and in the coming months as many trees and shrubs will become bare, below the soil we know that growth continues 鈥� even though we cannot see this.

Perhaps there鈥檚 a hopeful message for us in this聽 鈥� a truth about our own growth and journey towards finding the courage and trust we need for the future. The psalmist suggested that we should be like 鈥渢rees planted by water鈥�.聽 Maybe this prompts us to think carefully about our environment, to be intentional about our use of resources and to listen to our religious traditions, and the wisdom of those around us. We may feel the聽 challenge, uncertainty and hardship of these times, but there are still possibilities for growth and healing, and God has gifts and blessings still to show us.

lan - people can feel small and insignificant in the face of global challenges. In Llandaff, through the Eco Church project, we have learned that every person matters, and can make a difference. Against the backdrop of 'earth's delight', the 16th century poet Thomas Campion frames our humanity as 'God's work', from clay and dust. We, and the earth, are literally made from the same stuff. Campion's words are set to music by Richard Lloyd: 'View me Lord, a work of thine'.聽

Music 3 - Lloyd - View me, Lord聽

Ian 鈥� our next reading will certainly resonate with Canon Jan and her husband Graham as they have championed better stewardship of the land around the Cathedral. They organised a community planting day to replace non-native invasive species with mixed native trees to form a new hedge along our boundary. Jan reads from the Gospel according to St Luke, chapter 13.

Reading 2 鈥� Luke 13.6-9 (Canon Jan)

Then he told this parable: 鈥楢 man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. So he said to the gardener, 鈥淪ee here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?鈥� He replied, 鈥淪ir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig round it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.鈥濃��

Reflection 2 鈥� Bishop Mary

There鈥檚 a huge apple tree in my garden here in Llandaff, it鈥榮 loaded with large cooking apples. I love stewed apple, so I promised myself that I鈥檇 gather the fruit and cook it, so that I鈥檇 have boxes of cooked apple stored in the freezer to last through the winter. I started so well, collecting the windfalls, cooking and freezing them, but quickly life with its busyness has taken over and so many apples haven鈥檛 been harvested by me. Surprisingly they haven鈥檛 remained on the ground either. An army of squirrels has been busy in my garden! They鈥檙e extraordinary to watch, these little creatures have managed to carry off even the biggest apples with an agility I would never have believed possible.

And they鈥檙e reminding me of some truths we鈥檝e heard in this service in our music and readings: That creation is not the property of humanity - the earth is a gift of God. It doesn鈥檛 belong to us, and its goodness and riches yield plenty for all creation to enjoy - if only we can learn how to share. The squirrels are helping me to ponder my role in the garden of God鈥檚 creation, they鈥檙e reminding me that it鈥檚 not only humans who enjoy and depend upon all that grows. Our task in life is not only about looking after our own needs, we also have a role to play in protecting and preserving the whole of creation.

Perhaps there鈥檚 an echo of this message in the reading from St Luke鈥檚 Gospel that we just heard: Jesus鈥� parable about the fig tree that wasn鈥檛 bearing fruit can be read as a story with a warning.聽 It鈥檚 usually understood more broadly as being about humanity鈥檚 response to God. If we relate this story to our calling to care for creation, and our failure to act to make a difference, we can hear it chiming in with what we鈥檙e hearing from climate scientists. There鈥檚 a shared message here giving us a stern reminder that unless we listen and respond to the urgent needs of the planet, our future is bleak, and destruction seems inevitable.

But we can also hear this as a story of mercy; a message that offers a possibility for things to be different. We know that it is achievable for us to make positive changes. The parable of the fig tree is a reminder that the Christian message is all about hope. God invites us to a way of life and of resurrection. For believers, Jesus demonstrates this when he shows humanity how love put into action can be transformative. He not only demonstrates this, but invites us to participate in this way of living.

Living in greater harmony with the creation that God made good, means seeking to live differently. It鈥檚 about recognising the awesome wonder of God鈥檚 gifts to us in creation and learning to share the goodness of this world with generosity and with grace.

Ian 鈥� Our next hymn takes the Welsh tune Ebeneezer by Thomas John Williams. Ralph Vaughan Williams referred to it as one of the greatest hymn tunes and its certainly a wonderful sing! Rosalind Brown鈥檚 words inspire us to hope, 鈥楥hallenge us to new approaches, Healing, restoration bring鈥�.

Music 4 鈥� HYMN When we gasp in awe and wonder

Intercessions ending with Lord鈥檚 Prayer (Dean Jason)

Act of Eco Commitment by A Rocha (edited from Times and Seasons)Lord God,聽the earth is yours and all that is in it,聽the world, and those who live in it;聽hear our prayer, accept our service and receive our pledge:聽

Lord God,聽we pledge ourselves to your service聽in caring for your creation,聽that your kingdom may grow聽from the seed of hope聽into a tree of righteousness聽and justice for the world,聽and the creation itself聽will be set free from its bondage to decay聽and will obtain the freedom of the glory聽of the children of God,聽through Jesus Christ our Lord.聽Amen.聽

O Lord our God,聽you brought your people into a good land,聽and send showers of blessing聽that the earth shall yield its increase;聽flourish within us your gift of faith聽that, in our worship, our churches,聽our communities, and our lives,聽we may honour and renew your creationand join in obedience聽with the wind and the waters,聽the wilderness and the desert,the birds of the air and the fish of the sea,聽and all created things to give glory and praiseto the image of the invisible God,聽the first born of all creation,聽Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,聽who is alive and reigns with you聽in the unity of the Holy Spirit,聽one God, now and for ever.聽Amen.聽

As our Saviour taught us, we boldly pray:

Our Father, who art in heaven,聽

hallowed be thy name,聽

thy kingdom come,聽

thy will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.聽

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.聽Amen.

Ian 鈥� the American church musician Bruce Neswick provides the music for the famous words of Psalm 67聽鈥楾he earth has yielded its increase;聽 聽 God, our God, has blessed us.鈥橪et the peoples praise you, O God;聽 聽 let all the peoples praise you.

Music 5 鈥� Neswick 鈥� Let the peoples praise you O God

Summing Up material (Canon Ian)

Thank you for joining us this morning. Sometimes a priority for the environment will increase our levels of anxiety, and of course it should. But as Christians, we never lose sight of the joy that comes from serving our Creator, who has given us everything, and calls us to live in his abundant life.

Words from our final hymn:聽鈥極 may this bounteous God聽through all our life be near us,with ever joyful hearts聽and blessed peace to cheer us鈥�.

Music 6 鈥� HYMN Now thank we all our God

Blessing (Bishop Mary)

God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ

who is the source of all goodness and growth,

pour out his blessing upon all things created,

and upon you his children,

that you may use his gifts to his glory聽

and for the welfare of all peoples;聽

and the blessing of God almighty,

the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit,

be among you and remain with you always.聽Amen.聽

Organ Playout (Aaron Shilson)
Rawsthorne 鈥� Sortie on Nun danket alle Got