Join The Revd Canon Dr Alison Joyce, Rector of St Bride's, and St Bride's Choir for this week's reflection in words and music.

We begin our reflection with one of Robert White's hauntingly beautiful settings of "Christe, qui lux es et dies" which is a hymn for Compline, the final service of the daily liturgical cycle. The opening verses set the pattern of its prayerful tone:

"O Christ, who art the Light and Day

Thou drivest darksome night away;

We know thee as the Light of light

Illuminating mortal sight.

All holy Lord, we pray to thee,

Keep us tonight from danger free;

Grant us, dear Lord, in thee to rest,

So be our sleep in quiet blessed."

Alison recalls a woman planting bulbs despite knowing she would not live to see them bloom – choosing to spend some of her last hours planting them as a parting gift for others to enjoy. Alison goes on to reflect on the story of Jonah in today's reading, recognising in both that striving to be a blessing to others can be its own reward.

Our closing hymn – "Glory to Thee, my God this night" – echoes many of the themes of White's anthem. The words form one of a set of three hymns which Bishop Thomas Ken wrote for Winchester College and is sung to the tune commonly known as Tallis' Canon.

Information about our weekly Sunday services in St Bride's of Choral Eucharist at 11am (www.stbrides.com/worship-music/wo…horal-eucharist/) and Choral Evensong at 5:30pm (www.stbrides.com/worship-music/wo…choral-evensong/) can be found on the website.

Find out what's happening at St Bride's at www.stbrides.com/whats-on

If you enjoy listening, please leave a comment below or subscribe to our channel. It is great to get your feedback.

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We are hugely grateful for people's generosity which we wholly rely on to continue our work, maintain our wonderful architectural heritage and support world-class music-making. People are often surprised to learn that St Bride's receives no external funding.

If you would like to make a donation, you can do so at www.justgiving.com/stbrideschurchfleetstreet

Join The Revd Canon Dr Alison Joyce, Rector of St Bride's, and St Bride's Choir for this week's reflection in words and music.

The composer Michael Tippett was born in 1905 and became a confirmed pacifist as a consequence of which he eventually spent two months in prison in 1943. He composed the oratorio "A Child of Our Time" in reaction to the 1938 Kristallnacht pogrom in Magdeburg, beginning the work shortly after the outbreak of war and completing it in 1941. Our reflection opens with "Steal away" – the first of the set of "Five spirituals" which are interspersed throughout the oratorio and act like Bach chorales within the narrative.

The reading from Matthew speaks of forgiveness and relates Jesus's parable of the unforgiving servant. Alison reflects that she finds this parable – which seemingly leaves us with a satisfying sense of poetic justice – one of the most disturbing stories in the New Testament.

We close with the hymn "Be Thou my guardian and my guide" written by the nineteenth century poet and priest, Isaac Williams, who was a member of the Oxford Movement.

Information about our weekly Sunday services in St Bride's of Choral Eucharist at 11am (www.stbrides.com/worship-music/wo…horal-eucharist/) and Choral Evensong at 5:30pm (www.stbrides.com/worship-music/wo…choral-evensong/) can be found on the website.

Find out what's happening at St Bride's at www.stbrides.com/whats-on

If you enjoy listening, please leave a comment below or subscribe to our channel. It is great to get your feedback.

SUPPORT ST BRIDE'S

==================

We are hugely grateful for people's generosity which we wholly rely on to continue our work, maintain our wonderful architectural heritage and support world-class music-making. People are often surprised to learn that St Bride's receives no external funding.

If you would like to make a donation, you can do so at www.justgiving.com/stbrideschurchfleetstreet

Join The Revd Dr Jeff Lake, Associate Priest of St Bride's, and St Bride's Choir for this week's reflection in words and music.

We open with a setting of "Ubi caritas" by the Norwegian composer, Ola Gjeilo. Gjeilo sang Duruflé's famous version in his school choir and it made a huge impression on him. He described it as ‘the perfect a cappella piece’ and it strongly influenced his own composition.

Jeff considers the Gospel reading we have just heard from St Matthew and a passage by St Paul that calls us to love our neighbours as ourselves. He reflects that discipleship becomes real in our relationships with one another as we strive to live together in love.

We close with the hymn "Thy kingdom come, on bended knee" by the American Unitarian Minister Frederick Hosmer, which is based on the opening lines of the Lord's Prayer.

Information about our weekly Sunday services in St Bride's of Choral Eucharist at 11am (https://www.stbrides.com/worship-music/worship/regular-services/choral-eucharist/) and Choral Evensong at 5:30pm (https://www.stbrides.com/worship-music/worship/regular-services/choral-evensong/) can be found on the website.

Find out what's happening at St Bride's at https://www.stbrides.com/whats-on

If you enjoy listening, please leave a comment below or subscribe to our channel. It is great to get your feedback.

SUPPORT ST BRIDE'S

==================

We are hugely grateful for people's generosity which we wholly rely on to continue our work, maintain our wonderful architectural heritage and support world-class music-making. People are often surprised to learn that St Bride's receives no external funding.

If you would like to make a donation, you can do so at https://www.justgiving.com/stbrideschurchfleetstreet

Join The Revd Steve Morris, Associate Priest of St Bride's, and St Bride's Choir for this week's reflection in words and music.

We open with a masterful setting by Anton Bruckner of a text from Philippians "Christus factus est", which reflects on Christ's obedience unto his death on the cross. Though written for an unaccompanied mixed choir, it is remarkably symphonic in scale and full of chromatic tension.

Our reading from Exodus tells the famous story of Moses and the burning bush which he decided to turn aside and investigate. Steve is a reminded of the character Tristram Shandy whose life was one of near constant distraction. Steve contrasts this with the focussed and determined Protestant work ethic and explains why he is inclined to favour Shandy's example.

We close with the hymn "God of mercy, God of grace" the text of which was written by poet and minister Henry Francis Lyte. Lyte began his ministry in Wexford, Ireland but later settled in southwest England where his brother's death brought about a profound spiritual change in him.

A new episode of this online act of worship is released every Sunday morning.

Information about our weekly Sunday services in St Bride's of Choral Eucharist at 11am (www.stbrides.com/worship-music/wo…horal-eucharist/) and Choral Evensong at 5:30pm (www.stbrides.com/worship-music/wo…choral-evensong/) can be found on the website.

Find out what's happening at St Bride's at www.stbrides.com/whats-on

If you enjoy listening, please leave a comment below or subscribe to our channel. It is great to get your feedback.

SUPPORT ST BRIDE'S

==================

We are hugely grateful for people's generosity which we wholly rely on to continue our work, maintain our wonderful architectural heritage and support world-class music-making. If you would like to make a donation, you can do so at www.justgiving.com/stbrideschurchfleetstreet

Join The Revd Steve Morris, Associate Priest of St Bride's, and St Bride's Choir for this week's reflection in words and music.

We open this week with a hymn-like setting by Déodat de Séverac of the text "Tantum ergo sacramentum" from the hymn "Pange Lingua" by Thomas Aquinas. Its simple harmonies and structure lend an attractiveness that have made it the composer's best-known work in England.

The reading from Matthew includes the famous passage when Peter realises that Jesus is the Son of the living God. Steve reflects on his own moment of revelation.

We close with the famous hymn "Immortal, invisible, God only wise" by the Scottish poet and pastor Walter Chalmers Smith and sung to the Welsh melody St Denio.

A new episode of this online act of worship is released every Sunday morning.

Information about our weekly Sunday services in St Bride's of Choral Eucharist at 11am (www.stbrides.com/worship-music/wo…horal-eucharist/) and Choral Evensong at 5:30pm (www.stbrides.com/worship-music/wo…choral-evensong/) can be found on the website.

Find out what's happening at St Bride's at www.stbrides.com/whats-on

If you enjoy listening, please leave a comment below or subscribe to our channel. It is great to get your feedback.

SUPPORT ST BRIDE'S

==================

We are hugely grateful for people's generosity which we wholly rely on to continue our work, maintain our wonderful architectural heritage and support world-class music-making. If you would like to make a donation, you can do so at www.justgiving.com/stbrideschurchfleetstreet

Join The Revd Steve Morris, Associate Priest of St Bride's, and St Bride's Choir for this week's reflection in words and music.

We open with an anthem published in 1925 by Herbert Howells which sets the poem "My eyes for beauty pine" by Robert Bridges, who was later to become poet laureate. It expresses a quiet yearning, rather than a dogmatic faith, which resonated with Howells's spiritual temperament.

This week's reading follows on from the feeding of the five thousand and describes how Jesus walked on water to reach the disciples. Steve unpicks this story, reflecting that of all of Jesus's miracles, this one helps more than any other to understand who Jesus really is.

We close with the hymn "Who would true valour see" which owes its origins to one of the most famous works of religious literature, Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan. It is set to a folk tune which Vaughan Williams transcribed and then adapted from the singing of Mrs Harriet Verral which is now known as Monksgate where she previously lived.

A new episode of this online act of worship is released every Sunday morning.

Information about our weekly Sunday services in St Bride's of Choral Eucharist at 11am (www.stbrides.com/worship-music/wo…horal-eucharist/) and Choral Evensong at 5:30pm (www.stbrides.com/worship-music/wo…choral-evensong/) can be found on the website.

Find out what's happening at St Bride's at www.stbrides.com/whats-on

If you enjoy listening, please leave a comment below or subscribe to our channel. It is great to get your feedback.

SUPPORT ST BRIDE'S

==================

We are hugely grateful for people's generosity which we wholly rely on to continue our work, maintain our wonderful architectural heritage and support world-class music-making. If you would like to make a donation, you can do so at www.justgiving.com/stbrideschurchfleetstreet

Join The Revd Steve Morris, Associate Priest of St Bride's, and St Bride's Choir for this week's reflection in words and music.

This week's reflection opens with the motet "Ave verum corpus" by the English composer, William Byrd. It is his most performed and recorded work, in part because it is so expressive but also because it is simple technically to sing.

Our reading from Matthew tells of the miracle of Jesus feeding the five thousand. Steve then reflects on this best-known of Jesus's miracles which happened just after Jesus heard the terrible news of the beheading of John the Baptist.

We close with the hymn "Alleluia! Sing to Jesus" set to one of the most loved Welsh tunes, Hyfrydol, which was written by Rowland Prichard when he was only nineteen. It sets words by William Chatterton Dix, who unusually for nineteenth century hymnists was not a clergyman but instead worked in marine insurance.

A new episode of this online act of worship is released every Sunday morning.

Information about our weekly Sunday services in St Bride's of Choral Eucharist at 11am (www.stbrides.com/worship-music/wo…horal-eucharist/) and Choral Evensong at 5:30pm (www.stbrides.com/worship-music/wo…choral-evensong/) can be found on the website.

Find out what's happening at St Bride's at www.stbrides.com/whats-on

If you enjoy listening, please leave a comment below or subscribe to our channel. It is great to get your feedback.

SUPPORT ST BRIDE'S

==================

We are hugely grateful for people's generosity which we wholly rely on to continue our work, maintain our wonderful architectural heritage and support world-class music-making. If you would like to make a donation, you can do so at www.justgiving.com/stbrideschurchfleetstreet

Join The Revd Canon Dr Alison Joyce, Rector of St Bride's, and St Bride's Choir for this week's reflection in words and music.

The opening anthem this week is by Charles Wood. It sets the poem "Expectans expectavi"

by Charles Sorley who was a First World War poet who was killed at the Battle of Loos in 1915, aged just 20. Wood wrote his setting in 1919 shortly after the death of his own son who was serving in the Royal Air Force. The intense and yearning harmonies reveal Wood at the height of his Romantic church music writing.

The parables continue in our reading; this week, the parable of the mustard seed. Alison reflects on her personal aversion to risk, but risks must be taken as only the person who risks is truly free to grow and to love.

We close with the hymn "King of glory, King of peace" which sets words by the English priest and metaphysical poet, George Herbert.

Information about our weekly Sunday services in St Bride's of Choral Eucharist at 11am (www.stbrides.com/worship-music/wo…horal-eucharist/) and Choral Evensong at 5:30pm (www.stbrides.com/worship-music/wo…choral-evensong/) can be found on the website.

Find out what's happening at St Bride's at www.stbrides.com/whats-on

If you enjoy listening, please leave a comment below or subscribe to our channel. It is great to get your feedback.

SUPPORT ST BRIDE'S

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We are hugely grateful for people's generosity which we wholly rely on to continue our work, maintain our wonderful architectural heritage and support world-class music-making. People are often surprised to learn that St Bride's receives no external funding.

If you would like to make a donation, you can do so at www.justgiving.com/stbrideschurchfleetstreet

Join The Revd Canon Dr Alison Joyce, Rector of St Bride's, and St Bride's Choir for this week's reflection in words and music.

Edward Bairstow was supposedly the rudest Yorkshireman in a county famed for its blunt speaking but that is not apparent in the beautiful anthem "Blessed city, heavenly Salem" which he wrote in 1914. It sets words from a seventh-century hymn and crafts the plainsong melody for that text into a series of six contrasting variations. The anthem draws to a close with a beautiful, yearning solo soprano descant which together with the concluding tierce de Picardie provides one of the most entrancing moments in choral music.

Our reading from Matthew continues on from last week's as Jesus tells the parable of the weeds among the wheat. Alison's reflection begins with her favoured definition of a community as a place where the person you least want to live with always lives because to grow in love and grace you have to recognise that you need that person to be there.

We close with the hymn "How shall I sing that majesty" set to the rousing and popular tune "Coe Fen" by the composer Ken Naylor. The school at which he was Director of Music is situated near to that small fen on the outskirts of the university city of Cambridge.

Information about our weekly Sunday services in St Bride's of Choral Eucharist at 11am (www.stbrides.com/worship-music/wo…horal-eucharist/) and Choral Evensong at 5:30pm (www.stbrides.com/worship-music/wo…choral-evensong/) can be found on the website.

Find out what's happening at St Bride's at www.stbrides.com/whats-on

If you enjoy listening, please leave a comment below or subscribe to our channel. It is great to get your feedback.

SUPPORT ST BRIDE'S

==================

We are hugely grateful for people's generosity which we wholly rely on to continue our work, maintain our wonderful architectural heritage and support world-class music-making. People are often surprised to learn that St Bride's receives no external funding.

If you would like to make a donation, you can do so at www.justgiving.com/stbrideschurchfleetstreet

Join The Revd Canon Dr Alison Joyce, Rector of St Bride's, and St Bride's Choir for this week's reflection in words and music.

The English composer William Henry Harris was organist at St George’s Chapel, Windsor for over thirty years and was appointed Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order for his service. Whilst there, he wrote two orchestral works which were premiered at The Proms and conducted at two coronations. However, he is best-known for his choral music and this week's reflection opens with the anthem "Behold, the tabernacle of God" which was written for the opening of the Royal School of Church Music at Addington Palace, Croydon in 1954.

This week's reading is the famous and much-loved parable of the sower from St Matthew's Gospel. Alison reflects that the parable is neither about the sower or indeed the seed but about the soil.

We close with the hymn "Come down, O Love Divine" by the 15th century Jesuit poet Bianco da Siena sung to the tune Down Ampney, which was the birth place of its composer, Ralph Vaughan Williams.

Information about our weekly Sunday services in St Bride's of Choral Eucharist at 11am (www.stbrides.com/worship-music/wo…horal-eucharist/) and Choral Evensong at 5:30pm (www.stbrides.com/worship-music/wo…choral-evensong/) can be found on the website.

Find out what's happening at St Bride's at www.stbrides.com/whats-on

If you enjoy listening, please leave a comment below or subscribe to our channel. It is great to get your feedback.

SUPPORT ST BRIDE'S

==================

We are hugely grateful for people's generosity which we wholly rely on to continue our work, maintain our wonderful architectural heritage and support world-class music-making. People are often surprised to learn that St Bride's receives no external funding.

If you would like to make a donation, you can do so at www.justgiving.com/stbrideschurchfleetstreet