Sunday Service, 9 July 2023
Led by Rev. Sarah Tinker
Musical Prelude: from ‘My Lady Nevell’s Grownde’ (played by George Ireland)
Opening Words of Welcome and Chalice Lighting:
Good morning everybody and welcome to Kensington Unitarians’ Sunday gathering. Welcome to those of you joining us online and to those of you gathered here in person at Essex Church here in Notting Hill, London. For those of you I’ve not met before I’m Sarah Tinker, I used to be the minister here and now I have happily been put out to grass in east London.
Today’s service is a bit of a personal treat for me as we’re celebrating the life and work of composer and musician William Byrd, who died 400 years ago in July 1623. And thanks to our pianist today George Ireland for finding such great pieces that could be played on a piano. Byrd was a Catholic who composed for the Protestant Court of Queen Elizabeth. I want to use his life story and his music to illustrate the ways in which the spirit can transcend human limitations of one sort of religion or another.
So let’s take a moment to comprehend the remarkable diversity of human spirituality in our world, the many religions and sects and creeds and doctrines – it can seem overwhelming at times, it can seem unbearably divisive at times can’t it. And yet, if we go beyond differences we may find unity, oneness, – and it’s that message of oneness in diversity that encouraged me to join our Unitarian community many years ago. The oneness of all that is.
Let’s take a companionable breath together now and as we breathe in and out let’s remember the oneness that lies at the core of all existence. (light chalice)
And may this our chalice flame, one light shining out as a beacon to all, may this flame remind us of all that we have in common, all that we share – one people living one life on this our one planet earth home.
Hymn (on sheet): ‘Remember the Flame that Guides’
And we have as our first hymn today a new hymn called ‘remember the flame that guides’ -written by our Unitarian minister and Welsh secretary Melda Grantham to the Beach Boys tune ‘Sloop John B’ – itself based on a folk song from the Bahamas I believe. I reckon the Beach Boys could give William Byrd a run for his money in writing complex vocal harmonies – but we’ll just sing a simple version today – do feel free to join in singing the words you’ll find on your screens or on the hymn sheet, or simply enjoy listening – Melda’s written some great lyrics here I think – here’s the words of the last verse: Remember both friend and foe / As on our journeys we go; / And strive to live our lives in harmony. / Respecting the earth, and each person’s worth / And love will show us what our world can be. Take it away George!
Remember the flame that guides
The journeys of our lives;
Illuminates each hour and precious day.
Its radiance we need, we’ll follow its lead –
For love will guide us and show us the way.
Remember the reasons why
We’ll never choose to walk by;
But stand for what is right and just and true.
For others we’ll care, each burden we’ll share –
May love sustain us in all that we do.
Remember both friend and foe
As on our journeys we go;
And strive to live our lives in harmony.
Respecting the earth, and each person’s worth –
And love will show us what our world can be.
Candles of Joy and Concern:
Each week when we gather together, we share a simple ritual of candles of joy and concern, an opportunity to light a candle and share something that is in our heart with the community. So we’ve an opportunity now, for anyone who would like to do so, to light a candle and say a few words about what it represents. We’re going to people in the building first, and take all of those in one go, and then I’ll call on the people on Zoom to speak out.
So I invite some of you here in person to come and light a candle and then if you wish to tell us briefly who or what you light your candle for. Please do get up close to the microphone as that will help everyone hear (including the people at home). You can take the microphone out of the stand if it’s not at a good height and have it microphone pointing right at your mouth. And if you can’t get to the microphone give me a wave and I’ll bring it over to you. Thank you.
(in person candles)
And if that’s everyone in the room we’ll go over to the people on Zoom next – you might like to switch to gallery view at this stage – just unmute yourselves when you are ready and speak out – and we should be able to hear you and see you up on the big screen here in the church.
(zoom candles)
And I’m going to light one more candle, as we often do, to represent all those joys and concerns that we hold in our hearts this day, but which we don’t feel able to speak out loud. (light candle)
Time of Prayer and Reflection for the 75th anniversary of the founding of the NHS
You may have heard on the news this week that it’s the 75th anniversary of the founding of our NHS – National Health Service, so passionately steered into being by the commitment of Welsh politician Nye Bevan. At its core is the principle of a health service for all people, free at the point of need. Still admired the world over, yet our health service feels very much under pressure – through decreased funding and increased human need.
So do join me now in prayer for all peoples of the world, that they may receive the health care they need, when they need it. Spirit of life and love, help us to care for one another, help us to distribute resources more fairly in a world where a few have so much and many have so very little.
We give thanks for our national health service and for all those who work within it. May they be paid fairly, may their working conditions be reasonable, may they show true compassion for those they assist.
We pray for all those who work for scientific improvements in healthcare and give thanks for all that is being achieved.
We pray for all those who work in holistic ways to care for the whole person, at every stage of their life.
We pray for all those in hospital this day that they may receive the best of care.
We pray for those in our own community who may be struggling at times to get the care they need.
In a few moments of quiet there is space for our own thoughts and prayers for those we know to be in need this day ……………
We creatures who live, and know that at some time we will die, may our journeys through life be blessed with gentle touch, wise guidance, and the inspiration to live our best lives, in service to the greater good of all, this day and all days, Amen
Reading: ‘More than we deserve’ by Robert R Weston
In this short piece Unitarian Universalist minister Robert Walsh plays with the idea of what have we done to deserve this. He thinks of composer Johan Sebastian Bach’s music, he thinks of spring flowers and lovers – and he sees them all as unearned gifts in life – gifts that we can only appreciate and be grateful for.
I wonder what unearned gifts in life you are appreciating at the moment?
I heard the Second Brandenburg Concerto played in honour of Bach’s 300th birthday, and I was swept away. I remembered a story about the people who send messages into outer space. Someone suggested sending a piece by Bach. The reply was “But that would be bragging.”
Some say we get what we deserve in life, but I don’t believe it. We certainly don’t deserve Bach. What have I done to deserve the Second Brandenburg Concerto? I have not been kind enough; I have not done enough justice; I have not loved my neighbour, or myself, sufficiently; I have not praised God enough to have earned a gift like this.
Life is a gift we have not earned and for which we cannot pay. There is no necessity that there be a universe, no inevitability about a world moving toward life and then self-consciousness. There might have been…nothing at all.
Since we have not earned Bach—or crocuses or lovers—the best we can do is express our gratitude for the undeserved gifts, and do our share of the work of creation.
Hymn 155 (purple): ‘The Day Will Come, Must Come, And Soon’
Have a look at our next hymn which is 155 in the purple book. It’s words are modern – written by Andrew Pratt, a Methodist minister and prolific hymn writer. This hymn is a cry for human unity through love. Andrew’s put his words to an old 16th century tune – written by William Byrd’s musical mentor – Thomas Tallis – and this tune became a staple of church music – written to a regular metre – that churchgoers throughout the centuries would recognise – so often has it been sung – known as Tallis’ Canon. Let’s hear the tune through once and then feel free to stand, sit, sing or simply listen, the words are on the screen for all of you joining us on Zoom today.
The day will come, must come, and soon,
when we will sing a song of joy
with sisters, brothers, not like us,
who share the image of one God.
Whatever name, whichever faith,
at heart we share a common bond,
a shared humanity in God,
whose name and character is love.
That love will drive us to the day
when every wall is broken down,
when love and joy and song are one:
that day will come, must come, and soon.
Meditation: ‘Our favourite sounds’
Irish writer and priest John O’Donohue writes about music’s ability to take us to other realms, to help us transcend the everyday, the mundane. He writes: ‘Great music opens doorways into eternal presence. It educates and refines your listening; you begin to sense your own eternity in the echoes of your soul. Music is the perfect sister of silence.’
We’ll share some quiet time together now so let’s get ourselves comfy for a good few minutes – as these few words from me will lead into a few minutes silence and then George will be playing some beautiful Elizabethan dance music by William Byrd – Pavanne and Two Galliards for us.
Let’s find a way of being for these next few minutes, that encourages us to rest within our very being, letting busyness or discomfort drop away if we can, resting in our seats or wherever we are right now, aware of the gentle force of gravity holding us in place, the strength of the earth beneath us, the air gently touching us, as we breathe in the oxygen of life and release all that is no longer needed. We might like to raise and lower our shoulders in a gentle stretch, allowing life’s tensions to be released as we breathe out, our muscles softening and relaxing. And in the stillness we’re creating, the invitation is to think of our favourite sounds – our ideal music, or sounds of the natural world – the sounds that help us transcend the every day, the sounds that take us to another level, give us a glimpse perhaps of the eternal, of that which contains all. Let’s enjoy the fellowship of silence and stillness together now, which will end with a chime from our bell and lead into our music for meditation.
Period of Silence and Stillness (~3 minutes) – end with a bell DING
Musical Interlude: ‘Pavanne & Two Galliards: The Earl of Shrewsbury’
Reading: ‘Why they sing’ by Carie J Johnsen (adapted)
This reading, which we’ve adapted quite a bit, was collaboratively written by almost every member of the choir of the Unitarian Universalist Community Church (Augusta, ME). Choir members were asked to respond in 50 words or less to the question, “Why do you sing?” Portions of their full responses were then woven into a responsive reading. But we’re going to read it as a conversation – and I know quite a few of this congregation enjoy singing or have sung over the years in choirs – so I wonder how we’d answer the question ‘why do we sing?’
Singing is an act of creation, of bringing into the world something that wasn’t there before.
Singing is a natural expression of my spirit—at the same time it can be soothing, energizing, crying, laughing, angelic or down in the dirt blues…it’s all good!
Singing is energy going out into the world to create even more sympathetic energy. It can change the world.
I sing to create an uplifting atmosphere for myself and others–to dispel the bleak mid winter.
I sing for the pure joy of it. I sing for that spine-tingling sensation when you know you and your fellow singers have touched those who listen.
I sing because it opens doors; doors inside and out.
I sing because it helps me understand the power inside me, and how to use it fearlessly and gently.
Singing is alive with emotion and expressing myself that way makes me feel whole.
Learning the songs that touch different people’s hearts is a way of knowing them better.
Singing is channelling a feeling. You open your mouth and out comes something amazing that makes other people feel like you do. You’re happy. They’re happy. You’re empowered. They become empowered.
Music allows me to step into the emotional shoes of the composer—to step beyond an intellectual empathy with another person and imagine that I really feel what he or she wanted to convey. So even if the lyrics are not something I would write, I have a deeper understanding of another human being.
Why do I sing? Yes, it feeds the soul; it brings me back to a childhood of singing in the car or while doing the dishes with my family; it engrosses me in something beautiful.
I especially love harmonic chords, and the sounds that are made as different vocal lines are woven together into a whole.
Music expands my world.
I love the challenge of making the notes all come together and blend with other voices. Making music together is the ultimate expression of community harmony.
And their closing message: With gratitude we celebrate the gifts shared. With wonder and delight we receive. May these melodic offerings continue to touch our hearts and nurture our spirits.
Thank you to Carie Johnsen and to the choir of the Augusta UU Church.
Reflection: ‘Musicke of Sundrie Sorts’ by Sarah Tinker
I’ve enjoyed a week of immersion in William Byrd’s music, as dear old Radio Three marks the 400th anniversary of his death in 1623. And as always, the more I’ve learnt about Byrd – the greater my musical and historical gaps of knowledge are shown to be. So forgive any blunders or omissions. And really what I’m saying can be summed up thus: that William Byrd was a key composer of the English renaissance, regarded as a father of English church music, although after his death his works in Latin almost disappeared from use and were only re-discovered and newly appreciated in the late 19th, early 20th century. He was equally well known for his secular music, in Queen Elizabeth’s reign when music and dance were so very popular. We know that Byrd followed his Catholic faith without imprisonment – having served under the Catholic Queen Mary as a choir boy in the Chapel Royal – under the guidance of Thomas Tallis, Byrd went on to serve the Protestant Queen Elizabeth and then King James – their patronage clearly gave him some protection against the laws at that time that punished Catholics for following their faith. It’s thought that Queen Elizabeth was far more interested in music than she was in religion – and she clearly recognised Byrd’s great abilities.
I’ve known and loved the work of Byrd and Tallis since my teenage years – but this week I have learnt so much more about him as person – and he was not the person I thought he was. Rather than the quiet, spiritual and cautious Catholic believer I thought him to be – Byrd was a strong, stubborn, determined character – who not only survived but prospered in challenging times. He was remarkably litigious and could bear a grudge as well as any of us! Musicians in Elizabethan times, as today, had to have a number of strings to their economic bow – it was hard to make a living from music then as I’m sure it still is today. Byrd made money as a landlord and pursued his tenants’ rents with vigour, never afraid to take them to court if needs be. And Tallis and Byrd together negotiated a remarkable arrangement with Queen Elizabeth whereby they two alone had the patent, the sole right to publish printed music – for 21 years. This was lucrative for them as printed music was very popular – the middle classes increasingly could afford to buy instruments in the Elizabethan era and live music was played in people’s homes and enlivened their social lives through song and dance. William Byrd was also helped by patrons and much of his work was gathered together in collections dedicated to those who funded him – such as Mrs Nevell and the Earl of Salisbury – we’ve heard pieces from those collections on the piano today. Some of these original collections can be seen in the British Library and other libraries.
We know that Byrd also more quietly made collections of religious music for fellow Catholics and it’s these pieces that especially speak to me – with their soaring harmonies, the combining of simplicity and complexity in sound. To be found with a copy of music for the Catholic mass in Latin could result in imprisonment yet Byrd continued to write such pieces, for just 3, 4 or 5 voices, which could be sung in people’s homes, allowing them to worship in the way they chose even if it was illegal then for a Catholic priest to enter the country. There’s a bravery in such a commitment to his chosen faith that impresses me. And I’m so grateful that this music has survived to this day.
Earlier on in our meditation, I spoke of music’s ability to lift us beyond the mundane, beyond every day life and its concerns. That’s what the music of William Byrd and Thomas Tallis does for me. When listening to it, I can transcend life’s limitations and frustrations, find a higher place at least for a while. Music can alter our mood, our emotions. I wonder if other forms of music do that for you. I have at least one good friend who swears by the pop music of the 60s – especially the Beatles and the Beach Boys – as such a joyous way to take ourselves to another place and time, another state of being. Some of us respond to particular rhythms and styles of music – for me, choral harmonies seem to touch my soul. So if life so far has not introduced you to Byrd’s music do give it a try.
I think I can sum up my week of immersion in the music of the English 16th and 17th centuries in three points.
Our first reading today spoke of life’s unearned gifts – and mentioned Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos. Let’s share our favourite music with one another, let’s celebrate music as a remarkable gift that humanity has created, or discovered. Let’s help one another find the music that speaks directly to our souls, our hearts, our spirits.
Byrd’s life was shaped, as all our lives are shaped, by a complex response to, and expression of, the politics, the economics, the religious, the cultural aspects of the times in which we are born – mixed in with our personalities and the backgrounds we were born into. Each of us exists within our own context – a context shared to some extent with others, yet still ours to bring our unique shape to.
And that’s what William Byrd was: a unique and complex human being. At the start of my exploration I had a simplistic story about him – now I’ve had a glimpse of the unfathomable, contradictory, hugely creative and practical being that he was – a survivor in challenging times. And I give thanks for the life and work of William Byrd – truly one of the founding father’s of English musical composition. Amen
Hymn 39 (purple): ‘For the Splendour of Creation’
Our closing hymn today – 39 in our purple book – for the splendour of creation – is sung to Gustav Holst’s inspiring tune – a hymn of gratitude for humanity’s noble enterprises – let’s sing in the hope that humanity can live up to its noble potential.
For the splendour of creation that draws us to inquire,
for the mystery of knowledge to which our hearts aspire,
for the deep and subtle beauties which delight the eye and ear,
for the discipline of logic, the struggle to be clear,
for the unexplained remainder, the puzzling and the odd:
for the joy and pain of learning, we give you thanks, O God.
For the scholars past and present whose bounty we digest,
for the teachers who inspire us to summon forth our best,
for our rivals and companions, sometimes foolish, sometimes wise,
for the human web upholding this noble enterprise,
for the common life that binds us through days that soar or plod:
for this place and for these people, we give you thanks, O God.
Announcements:
My thanks today go to George Ireland for particularly splendid piano playing – I think dear William Byrd would have been a little bit pleased with us! And thank you to Ramona and Charlotte for technical support and to all of you for coming to church – be that here in the building or online – it’s great that you come and join us. Thank you to Brian for reading today – if you would like to read sometime – do let your minister Jane Blackall know.
Details of our various activities are on the back of the order of service and also in the Friday email. Do sign up for that if you don’t already receive it.
I know this congregation very much has a life beyond Sunday mornings; we encourage you to keep in touch, look out for each other, and do what you can to nurture supportive connections.
Benediction: ‘A new song, a new harmony’ by Richard S Gilbert
Let’s ready ourselves for our closing words now which will be followed by William Byrd’s cheering Salvator Mundi 11, saviour of the world.
By our presence here with one another,
Hearing the harmony that is the music of the spheres,
May some of the harshness and discord of our human lives
Be transmuted into music.
A new song in our hearts may there be,
And a new harmony in our beings,
So that we shall return to our several duties
with fresh courage, and with eagerness and with rejoicing.
Amen. Go well and blessed be.
Closing Music: ‘Salvator Mundi II’ (all piano pieces today by William Byrd)
Rev. Sarah Tinker
9th July 2023