A Service of Commemoration the 460Th Anniversary of the Death of Revd Dr Rowland Taylor

A Service of Commemoration The 460th anniversary of the death of Revd Dr Rowland Taylor

A Civic Service in conjunction with Hadleigh Town Council, Aldham Common Charity & St Mary’s Church Hadleigh

Sunday 8 February 2015, 3pm St Mary’s Church, Hadleigh Processional Hymn Stand after the hymn is announced

PRAISE, MY SOUL, THE KING OF HEAVEN; To His feet thy tribute bring. Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven, Who like thee His praise should sing? Praise Him! Praise Him! Praise Him! Praise Him! Praise the everlasting King!

Praise Him for His grace and favour To our fathers in distress; Praise Him, still the same forever, Slow to chide, and swift to bless. Praise Him! Praise Him! Praise Him! Praise Him! Glorious in His faithfulness!

Father-like, He tends and spares us; Well our feeble frame He knows; In His hands He gently bears us, Rescues us from all our foes. Praise Him! Praise Him! Praise Him! Praise Him! Widely as His mercy flows.

Angels, help us to adore Him; Ye behold Him face to face; Sun and moon, bow down before Him, Dwellers all in time and space. Praise Him! Praise Him! Praise Him! Praise Him! Praise with us the God of grace!

Henry Francis Lyte

2 Please sit

The Story of Liberty - a short film

The Welcome The Very Revd Martin Thrower

Almighty God, by whose grace and power your martyr Roland Taylor triumphed over suffering and was faithful unto death: strengthen us with your grace, that we may endure reproach and persecution and faithfully bear witness to the name of Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

A reading from Foxe’s Book of Martyrs

The Actes and Monuments, popularly known as Foxe's Book of Martyrs, is a work of Protestant history and martyrology by John Foxe, first published in English in 1563 by John Day. It includes a polemical account of the sufferings of Protestants under the Catholic Church, with particular emphasis on England and Scotland. The book went through four editions in Foxe's lifetime and a number of later editions and abridgements, including some that specifically reduced the text to a Book of Martyrs.

Read by Penny Cook (Chairman of Aldham Common Charity)

3 First Bible Reading Acts 7: 55-60 Read by Sue Angland (Mayor of Hadleigh)

Stephen….filled with the Holy Spirit, …gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. “Look,” he said, “I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” But they covered their ears, and with a loud shout all rushed together against him. Then they dragged him out of the city and began to stone him; and the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. While they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he knelt down and cried out in a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he died.

Hymn Stand after the hymn is announced

I VOW, TO THEE MY COUNTRY, all earthly things above, Entire and whole and perfect, the service of my love: The love that asks no question, the love that stands the test, That lays upon the altar the dearest and the best; The love that never falters, the love that pays the price, The love that makes undaunted the final sacrifice.

And there's another country, I've heard of long ago, Most dear to them that love her, most great to them that know; We may not count her armies, we may not see her King; Her fortress is a faithful heart, her pride is suffering; And soul by soul and silently her shining bounds increase, And her ways are ways of gentleness and all her paths are peace.

Cecil Arthur Spring-Rice (1859-1918)

4 Please sit

Second Bible Reading Luke 24: 1-12 Read by Jenny Frost (Clerk to The Aldham Common Charity)

…..on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in, they did not find the body. While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.” Then they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.

The Address The Very Revd Martin Thrower

Sir John Shelton there standing by, as Dr. Taylor was speaking and saying the Psalm Miserere [being the 51st Psalm], in English, struck him on the lips; " Ye knave, said he, " speak Latin: I will make thee." At the last they set to fire: and Dr. Taylor, holding up both his hands, called upon God, and said, " Merciful Father of heaven, for Jesus Christ my Saviour's sake, receive my soul into thy hands."

5 Please stand

Psalm 51

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.

Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.

Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are justified in your sentence and blameless when you pass judgment.

Indeed, I was born guilty, a sinner when my mother conceived me.

You desire truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have crushed rejoice.

Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.

6 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.

Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me.

Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit.

Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you.

Deliver me from bloodshed, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your deliverance.

O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.

For you have no delight in sacrifice; if I were to give a burnt offering, you would not be pleased.

The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

Do good to Zion in your good pleasure; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, then you will delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on your altar.

7 Offertory Hymn

During which a wreath will be laid at the Rowland Taylor stained glass window in the St John’s Chapel. The offertory is for St Mary’s Church – alive and active in the community.

WE SING THE PRAISE of him who died, of him who died upon the cross; the sinner's hope let men deride; for this we count the world but loss.

Inscribed upon the cross we see in shining letters, “God is love”: he bears our sins upon the tree: he brings us mercy from above.

The cross: it takes our guilt away, it holds the fainting spirit up; it cheers with hope the gloomy day, and sweetens every bitter cup.

It makes the coward spirit brave, and nerves the feeble arm for fight; it takes its terror from the grave, and gilds the bed of death with light.

The balm of life, the cure of woe, the measure and the pledge of love, the sinner's refuge here below, the angel's theme in heaven above.

Thomas Kelly (1760-1855) alt.

Please sit 8

Prayers Led by Revd Daniel Thompson

The song Liberti is used in the prayers

Where’s this life, lived to the full In a world of strife, why are we so dull? Love unknown, taken for free Come and sup at this liberti

Do you see it in my face? Do you see it in my world? Do you see it in my race? Do you see it in this place?

Love unknown, taken for free Come and sup at this liberti Surrendered not defeated, dying to be free For his land of love called liberti.

Do you see it in my face? Do you see it in my world? Do you see it in my race? Do you see it in this place?

Love unknown, taken for free Come and sup at this liberti

9 Hymn Stand after the hymn is announced

LOVE DIVINE, all loves excelling, Joy of heaven to earth come down! Fix in us Thy humble dwelling, All Thy faithful mercies crown. Jesus, Thou art all compassion, Pure unbounded love Thou art; Visit us with Thy salvation, Enter every trembling heart.

Come, Almighty to deliver, Let us all Thy grace receive; Suddenly return, and never, Never more Thy temples leave. Thee we would be always blessing, Serve Thee as Thy hosts above, Pray, and praise Thee without ceasing, Glory in Thy perfect love.

Finish then Thy new creation, Pure and spotless let us be; Let us see Thy great salvation Perfectly restored in Thee! Changed from glory into glory, Till in heaven we take our place; Till we cast our crowns before Thee, Lost in wonder, love and praise.

Charles Wesley (1707-1788)

Remain standing

Final Prayer & Blessing

God our redeemer, whose Church was strengthened by the blood of your martyr Roland Taylor: so bind us, in life and death, to Christ’s sacrifice that our lives, broken and offered with his, may carry his death and proclaim his resurrection in the world, and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. Amen.

Remain standing for the recession to pass

Please join us for tea and cake after the service, served at the back of the church.

www.stmaryshadleigh.co.uk

Scripture readings from The New Revised Standard Version Background information for Foxe’s Book of Martyrs © Wikipedia With grateful thanks to Sue Andrews & Roger Kennell

Rowland Taylor Memorial – Aldham Common