Pentecost & Christian Unity
Pentecost Sunday was a busy day. St Margaret’s and Holy Cross held a joint
worship service at 9.30 AM. Rev Tim Watson delivered the sermon. Rev Chris
Lockley led the Holy Communion liturgy. The Good Faith choir led the singing
including Dvorak’s ‘Spirit of all Freedom’ during Communion, and sang ‘Spirit
Like A River’ to start the service and, later, a South African piece ‘Thumamina’.
Choir musical director Susan Reid (on keyboard) was joined by Rev Tim Wat-
son (on drums) accompanying Good Faith for ‘Spirit Like A River’.
In the evening a third congregation joined us when Holy Rosary came to our
church for our 6 PM Taizé Prayer Service, celebrating the 2019 Week of Prayer
for Christian Unity. Indeed, there were people from various other churches too -
including leaders from St Brigid’s Catholic Church , Dickson and Ainslie Church
of Christ. There were at least two Quakers in the 75 or so strong congregation
at the service and at the refreshments afterwards.
Choristers from Good Faith were joined by some from Holy Rosary to lead the
congregation in singing/chanting the Taizé pieces, including the final
‘Magnificat’ sung as a round. Regular musicians, Susan Reid (keyboard) and
David Hunt (wind) were joined by Nicola Worrall (violin) and Ruth Dunnicliff-
Hagan (flute) to provide excellent accompaniment. Rev Tim Watson was a
splendid Cantor, revealing his lovely tenor voice to us for the first time.
The Service included a brief Meditation: “The parable of Taizé and the unity of
the Church”. It also included this Prayer for the Unity of Christians, by the
Chemin Neuf Community, based on a prayer of Abbé Paul Couturier:
Lord Jesus, who prayed that we might all be one
We pray to you for the unity of Christians
According to your will, according to your means.
May your Spirit enable us
To experience the suffering caused by division
To see our sin
And to hope beyond all hope.
Amen.
A lot of people expressed their delight at the Taizé Service afterwards and
suggested we should conduct them again, perhaps quarterly - sometimes in
our church and sometimes at Holy Rosary.
- Brian Rope
St Margaret’s News
8
June 2019