The word, “worship”, can have many meanings. One is to do with respect and honour. “Worshipful” is a title used to address a mayor and other public officers. Another is adoration towards a person such as a pop star or other famous person. Another is homage or reverence paid to a deity, especially in a formal service.

We have been so grateful to those who have given us high quality worship during “lockdown”, on social media, the BBC, S4C, other channels and Radio. They have been an inspiration, but there is nothing quite like meeting physically for public worship.

We are also grateful to those churches that have opened for private prayer and acts of worship, when we can physically join with others to share in the Sacrament. Humans are made for corporate and social activity.

I believe that St Mary’s Church, Cardigan, is now open for private prayer from 10.00am to 5.00pm from Mondays to Thursdays. Visitors are asked to respect the restrictions.

It has been a delight recently, to enter the now open, Cathedral Church in St Davids and kneel in prayer. I noticed that the other visitors kept looking up as they moved around. They were looking at the beautiful roofs there. Yes, this is what prayer does. It makes us look away from ourselves, look up, to the beauty and grandeur above and to a God who is always ready to listen, love and lead us, in all the circumstances of life.

After the horrendous suffering of the last months, there was a wonderful atmosphere in the Cathedral, in which all could share.

The Cathedral is open from 10.00am to 4.00pm daily and 1.00pm to 4.00pm on Sundays for general visiting. There is a Holy Eucharist on Sundays at 11.15am.

Worship reaches out to the spiritual, to beauty, love, fellowship, to the holy, to God.

No-where can we find a better expression of this than in hymns.

One of my favourites is by J.S.B. Mansell (1811-75)

“O worship the Lord in the beauty of

Holiness!

Bow down before him, his glory proclaim;

With gold of obedience, and incense of lowliness

Kneel and adore him, the Lord is his name!

Low at his feet lay thy burden of carefulness,

High on his heart he will bear it for thee,

Comfort thy sorrows, and answer thy

prayerfulness

Guiding thy steps as may best for thee be”

The Welsh hymn writer and poet, “Nantlais” (1874-1959) wrote:

“Gyda thoriad gwawr y bore,

O mor felys yw

codi’n llef a llafar ganu,

canu mawl i Dduw.

Seinia adar mân y coedydd

glod îth enw mawr;

una’r gwynt a’r môr i’th foli,

Arglwydd nef a llawr.”

Two prayers from St Davids Cathedral to celebrate the Centenary of the Church in Wales, Year of Cathedrals and Year of Pilgrimage.

“Loving God

draw us on the journey

to the places of holiness,

the places of peace, the places of fellowship, the places of encounter, the places of beauty, the places where faith has been lived,

your love made know,

your hope held out

in the past,

for the present,

into the future. Amen

“Dduw cariadlon,

tywys ni ar y daith

tuag at y mannau sanctaidd,

y mannau tangnefeddus,

y mannau lle mae cyfeillach,

y mannau lle bydd cyfarfod annisgwyl,

y mannau prydferth,

y mannau lle bu ffydd yn fyw,

lle cyhoeddwyd dy gariad,

lle cynigiwyd dy obaith

ddyddiau fu,

er mwyn heddiw,

ac i’th ddyfodol dithau. Amen