Readings (Click the links to see the readings)

Isaiah 35.1-10 | Ps 96.7-13 | Luke 5.17-26

If You Want …
by St. John of the Cross (1542-1591)

If you want, the Virgin will come walking down the road
pregnant with the Holy and say,
"I need shelter for the night.
Please take me inside your heart, my time is so close."
Then, under the roof of your soul,
you will witness the sublime intimacy,
the divine, the Christ, taking birth forever,
as she grasps your hand for help,
for each of us is the midwife of God, each of us.
Yes, there, under the dome of your being,
does creation come into existence eternally,
through your womb, dear pilgrim,
the sacred womb of your soul,
as God grasps our arms for help:
for each of us is His beloved servant never far.
If you want, the virgin will come walking down the street,
pregnant with Light, and sing!

Prayer

Dancing God,
you exult over us with joy;
as we celebrate what has past
renew us by your love
that we may face the future with hope and joy;
through our Saviour Jesus Christ,
who is alive with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God now and for ever. Amen.
— Bosco Peters

Work by Hildegard of Bingen, 11th Century.

"On the domed ceiling God is thinking: I made them my joy, and everything else I created." — Jane Kenyon

Psalm 96.7-13 (Coverdale version, Book of Common Prayer) to a chant by Alan Gray (1855-1935). The National Service of Thanksgiving to Celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Her Majesty the Queen, St Paul's Cathedral, 5 June 2012. Combined Choirs of the Cathedral and Her Majesty's Chapel Royal, directed by Andrew Carwood.