Reflection in words & music – Sunday 23rd November 2025

Join The Revd Dr Jeff Lake, Associate Priest of St Bride's, and St Bride's Choir for this week's reflection in words and music. Today is the feast of Christ the King which brings to an end the church's year as we proclaim Christ enthroned in heaven as sovereign king over all creation. The cycle then begins anew with Advent – that season of expectation and preparation for Christmas and the birth of Christ as a helpless baby, born to save us all. St Bride's Choir opens this reflection with Monteverdi's moving devotional motet "Christus, adoramus te" – "Christ, we worship and bless thee, because by thy holy Cross thou hast redeemed the world." After the Gospel reading from Luke, our associate priest Jeff considers the growing relevance the feast of Christ the King has had for him over time especially in an age when national power is increasingly elevated above moral responsibility. We end with one of our most popular hymns "Glorious things of thee are spoken" to the rousing tune, Abbot's Leigh. The text is by John Newton whose notorious early years included being captain of a slave ship; after his conversion he became an ardent abolitionist in association with William Wilberforce. Information about our weekly Sunday services in St Bride's of Choral Eucharist at 11am (https://www.stbrides.com/worship-music/worship/regular-services/choral-eucharist/) and Choral Evensong at 5:30pm (https://www.stbrides.com/worship-music/worship/regular-services/choral-evensong/) can be found on the website. Find out what's happening at St Bride's at https://www.stbrides.com/whats-on If you enjoy listening, please leave a comment below or subscribe to our channel. It is great to get your feedback. SUPPORT ST BRIDE'S ================== We are hugely grateful for people's generosity which we wholly rely on to continue our work, maintain our wonderful architectural heritage and support world-class music-making. People are often surprised to learn that St Bride's receives no external funding. If you would like to make a donation, you can do so at https://www.justgiving.com/stbrideschurchfleetstreet