I love those words.  They were written by the priest/poet George Herbert and those who know their Bibles well will recognise them from a most famous verse in St. John's Gospel where Jesus describes himself as "the Way, the Truth and the Life" (John 14: 6).  Herbert's poems were set to music by Ralph Vaughan-Williams, the fiftieth anniversary of whose death we are remembering this very year.  They come from one of the five mystical songs and this particular verse comes from Herbert's poem - The Call.  Whenever I hear it I feel the very essence of Scripture come across in music and in voice.

The verse of Scripture upon which George Herbert based his lovely poem is often read at Christian Funeral services.  In its entirety the verse reads:-

"Jesus said - 'I am the way, and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me'."

I believe that with all my heart but I would also like to suggest that music being the handmaiden of worship can, in a religious context, also assist us on our pilgrim journey towards our Father in heaven.

Ralph Vaughan-Williams - although an atheist and later, paradoxically describing himself as a "Christian Agnostic", cared passionately about the part which music can play in the lives of ordinary people.

The Church of England owes him an enormous debt of gratitude for employing his vast musical skills in its service.  With his strong sense of music's link with the transcendent - Vaughan-Williams has often been described as a "mystical composer"; in spite of his lack of formal orthodox belief. His Sancta Civitas, for example, puts to music words from the Revelation of St. John the Divine - the very last book of the Holy Bible.  In an essay he wrote in 1920 he said:-

"The object of all art is to obtain a partial revelation of that which is beyond human senses and human faculties - of that in fact which is spiritual . . .  The human, visible, audible and intelligible media which artists (of all kinds) use, are symbols not of other visible and audible things but of what lies beyond sense and knowledge."

On a more Sunday by Sunday level Vaughan-Williams was, at Father Percy Dearmer's request, to become the Musical Director of the English Hymnal - the predecessor of the hymnal that we use at both All Saints' and St. Mary's.

Vaughan-Williams, in company with his good friend Gustav Holst travelled all over East Anglia collecting and recording folk songs - many of which were adapted to become the tunes to accompany some of our most popular hymns, as they found their way into the English Hymnal and, by succession, into the New English Hymnal.  The lovely hymn - "It is a thing most wonderful" is one such example.  The words are set to the tune Herongate - which is, in fact, an old Essex folk song.

In spite of his wonderful double-barrelled Welsh surname, Vaughan-Williams was actually born in Gloucestershire in a village called Down Ampney.  This was, of course, the name that he gave to the tune which accompanies the wonderful hymn which invokes the Holy Spirit of God - "Come down, O Love Divine".  However, my own all time favourite hymn tune from the compositional pen of Ralph Vaughan-Williams is Kingsfold sung to the words "I heard the voice of Jesus say, 'Come unto me and rest'."  Those who know and love the Book of Common Prayer service of Holy Communion will recognise the text from The Comfortable Words.

Any article which seeks to commemorate this particular half-century anniversary must, of course, mention Bishop Walsham Howe's great hymn - "For all the saints who from their labours rest".  If ever a hymn joined together the praises of the Church Militant with that of the Church Triumphant - the Church on earth with the Church in heaven - it is this one, greatly assisted, as it is, by the compositional brilliance of R.V-W. who called the tune - Sine Nomine -which means "Without Name".

This nomenclature reminds me of that altar to "an unknown God" which St. Paul discovered in Athens.  This is the God we serve and love in Jesus Christ - the only true God whom we praise eternally in words and music.  The one who said of Himself - "I am, the Way, the Truth and the Life".  So,

Come, my Way, my Truth, my Life:
Such a Way, as gives us breath:
Such a Truth, as ends all strife:
And such a Life, as killeth death.

Even so, "Come, Lord Jesus".

Every Blessing,

Father David