Truly the Lord is in this Place

This weekend marked the start of the St Albans International Organ Festival which kicked off with a live broadcast from St Peters for Radio 4 Sunday Worship. It was a wonderful service – the choir were stunning (in the words of the BBC producer) and I particularly appreciated hearing an anthem I’d not heard before, by Peter Hurford who founded the festival – ‘Truly the Lord is in this place’. The words included ‘Truly the Lord is in this place…This is no other than the House of God…This is the gate of Heaven…This is the house of God’.

Over these couple of weeks St Peter’s will be a busy place. Sunday continued with a welcome tea for competitors and their host families and a special evensong remembering Orlando Gibbons. St Peter’s will be hosting competition rounds and concerts. Although it is a competition (and they are here to win), the newly arrived competitors have been reminded to enjoy themselves – making music on amazing organs in beautiful churches.

Meanwhile our usual activities of baby and toddler groups, summer family time, cooking with asylum seekers, bell ringing and the work of running the church will continue at St Peter’s.

Whatever we are in St Peter’s church for - whether for a meeting, making tea and coffee, watching a competition or concert, or doing crafts with children, the words of Peter Hurford’s anthem remind us that the Lord is with us in this place. The church is a gateway - a place where in the midst of our lives we can meet God and be joyful – through music, worship and encounters with others.

Truly the Lord is in this place

This is no other than the house of God

Truly the Lord is in this place

This is the gate of heaven

This is the house of God.

All people that on earth do dwell

Sing to the Lord with cheerful voice

Him serve with fear

His praise forth tell

Come ye before him and rejoice.

~Peter Hurford