Radio 4 Sunday Worship

I am not playing at the church this week so I rose at 0800 and was cooking breakfast whilst listening to Radio 4. On came Sunday Worship from Down Cathedral, Downpatrick. I am not a great fan of this programme but there was sufficient atmosphere to keep me listening: I am glad I did.

The first hymn is not often sung around here; it was "God whose city sure foundation" (WESTMINSTER ABBEY) although I am used to slightly different words ("Christ is made the sure foundation"). Later the choir sang Stanford's "Jubilate" which I do not often hear because Matins (which I used to sing as a chorister) is a rare service these days - not that this was Matins.

It took me back to the time when a church where I had been organist for just 2 weeks did a Radio 4 Sunday Worship. The BBC is up against time constraints and what you hear is not the normal service with all the gaps, faffing about and time-wasting which can plague English church services. No, the producers have a rehearsal and time everything to the second. When we did it, some people received communion but the majority received once we were off-air. Thus my concluding voluntary happened some 20 minutes before the service ended and Radio 4 went back to the studio. To be fair tne BBC do package the service up into a neat little product. They thus avoid too music music or speaking at a time and the service has pace and variety.

It seems to me that moving from one item to another swiftly and without patronising chatter is what I seek in worship as it keeps me focused. In my universe, focus and attentivenses is what I can offer to whatever God I believe in at the time. I cannot do with the oft heard, "And now we turn to page 43 of our blue books and join in the prayer which you will find at the bottom of the page". I know, I know, this is helpful speak for visitors but, honestly, how many churches get visitors these days?