This information is presented through the courtesy of the Runnymede Borough Council and the Magna Carta Trust - Hon. Secretary Tim Williams
of the
786th Anniversary
of the Sealing
of the
Magna Carta
at Runnymede
Order of Service
Saturday 16 June 2001
[picture of the Memorial]
The American Bar
Association
Magna Carta Memorial
Runnymede Meadow
2001 Triennial
Celebrations
hosted by
Runnymede Borough
Council
Magna Carta Triennial Service
This service to mark the 786 anniversary
of the sealing of Magna
Carta is hosted by the Magna Carta Trust
and the Borough of
Runnymede. You are welcomed by:
The Worshipful the Mayor of the Borough of Runnymede, Councillor John Ashmore.
The Right Reverend John Gladwin, Lord Bishop of Guildford.
The Right Honorable The Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers, Master of the Rolls, and Chairman of the Magna Carta Trust.
The brass music before, during and after this service is provided by Katie Hodges (trumpet), Ruth Cantrill ((trumpet), Rob Thrower (French horn), Mark Rutland (trombone), Matt Rumble (tuba).
The choir is drawn from the Genesis Corale.
Entrance
As the leaders of the service enter please stand and sing.
Hymn:
Judge Eternal, throned in splendor,
Lord of lords and King of kings,
With thy living fire of judgment
Purge this realm of bitter three things:
Solace all its wide dominion
With the healing of thy wings.
Still the weary folk are pining
For the hour that brings release,
And the city’s crowded clangour
Cries aloud for sin to cease,
And the homesteads and the woodlands
Plead in silence for their peace.
Crown, O God, thine own endeavor;
Cleve our darkness with thy sword;
Feed the faithless and the hungry
With the richness of thy word;
Cleanse the body of this nation
Through the glory of the Lord.
Words of welcome and introduction
Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers, Master of the Rolls
and Chairman of the
Magna Carta Trust
(Please sit)
Reflection and Thanksgiving
Though not all the issues of modern constitutional life could have
been
addressed in such an ancient document, Magna Carta laid a
foundation for the
rule of law so deep that it has enabled many
different and greater principles of
justice to be built on it by
succeeding generations. This has not been the case
at all times and
it all places, as readings from Nelson Mandela and Aung San Suu
Kyi make clear.
The twentieth century readings in the service will be taken and
introduced by
Blake George, Jon Siah, Sam Mitschke, and
Hannah Beacham, from the Magna Carta
School, Egham Hythe.
First reading: Nelson Mandela, open letter, 1985.
Second reading Aung San Suu Kyi, extract from "Freedom from
Fear," c. 1991.
Third reading: Extracts from a translation of Magna
Carta.
Councillor John Ashmore, Mayor of the Borough of Runnymede
Address
Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers
The Call to Change
Fourth reading: Quotation from The Rev. Martin Niemoller, c. 1950
Reflection on our own responsibilities
Confession
The Rev. David Peck, Chaplain to the Bishop of Guildford:
God our Father, we are sorry for the times when we had used your
gifts carelessly, and acted ungratefully.
Here are prayer, and in your mercy,
All: Forgive us and help us.
We belong to a people who are full and satisfied,
but ignore the cry of the hungry.
Father in your mercy,
All: Forgive us and help us
We store up goods for ourselves alone,
as if there was no God in heaven.
Here are prayer, in your mercy,
All: Forgive us and help us.
The Bishop of Guildford:
May the father of all mercies
cleanse us from our sins,
renew his image in us
and restore us to this service
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
(Please stand)
Hymn:
Immortal, invisible, Gold only wise,
In light inaccessible hid from our eyes,
Most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,
Almighty, victorious, thy great name we praise.
Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light,
Nor wanting, nor wasting, thou rulest in might;
Thy justice like mountains high soaring above
Thy clouds which are fountains of goodness and love.
To all life thou givest, to both great and small;
In all life thou livest, the true life of all;
We blossom and flourish, as leaves on the tree,
And wither and perish; but naught changeth thee.
Great Father of glory, pure Father of light,
Thine angels adore thee, all veiling their sight;
All laud we would render: O help us to see
‘Tis only the splendor of light hideth thee.
(Please sit)
Rededication
Reading from St Paul’s Letter to the Galatians, Chapter 3
Councillor John Ashmore, Mayor of the Borough of Runnymede
This is the word of the Lord.
All: Thanks be to God.
Address
The Right Reverend John Gladwin, Lord Bishop of Guildford
(After the address please stand)
A call to rededication
Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers will say the following:
By the granting of Magna Carta, the King accepted clear limits on
the
arbitrary power of the state over the rights and liberties of indi-
viduals. He
knew that should be resile from it, his reign would be
untenable, as he would be
opposed by both his Barons and the
Church - those upon whom he depended to
enforce his rule and
uphold his authority.
The safeguards of Magna Carta are precious. The people of this
country and
others have enlarged and refined their first, immature
framing in this Meadow
seven hundred and eighty six years ago. At
many times progress has been painful.
In many places in this very
uncertain world - including this country over the
centuries - the safe-
guard has been damaged or forsaken, as we cannot have
failed to
appreciate from the readings we have heard.
Liberty and the rule of law come at a price. From the very beginning
their
existence has depended upon those who value them and are
prepared to defend
them. Let us pledge ourselves to do so.
Prayer of rededication
The Bishop of Guildford:
O Lord God of justice, we give you thanks for the freedom in which
we live.
We give you thanks for the constitutional liberties of this
land and for the
granting of Magna Carta in this place, centuries ago,
which laid the foundation
for so many of them. We give you thanks
above all that your children are able in
Christ to live in the spiritual
freedom of your own righteousness.
We commit ourselves before you to value these freedoms. We commit
ourselves
before you to defend these freedoms. We commit ourselves
before you to speak out
for those who are denied these freedoms.
For your help in this task, O Lord, we
pray, through Jesus Christ
our Lord.
All: Amen.
The Bishop will continue to lead the following prayers:
Almighty God, the fountain of all goodness,
bless our Sovereign Lady, Queen Elizabeth,
and all who are in authority under her;
that they may order all things
in wisdom and equity, righteousness and peace,
to the honour of your name,
and the good of your Church and people;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
All: Amen
O God, mighty and merciful,
the judge of all people;
we pray for Her Majesty’s Privy Council and Parliament,
her judges, magistrates, and all who assist them
in the administration of justice in our land.
Grant to them a spirit of wisdom, discernment; and compassion;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.
The Blessing
God grant to the living grace;
to the departed rest;
to the Church, the Commonwealth
and all humankind, peace;
and the blessing of God almighty,
the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit
be upon you now and forever.
All: Amen
The National Anthem
God save our gracious Queen,
Long live our noble Queen,
God save the Queen!
Send her victorious,
Happy and glorious,
Long to reign over us,
God save the Queen!
Thy choicest gifts in store
On her be pleased to pour,
Long may she reign:
May she defend our laws,
And ever give us cause
To sing with heart and voice
God save the Queen!‘
The service leaders will withdraw as the congregation
remains standing.