It would be easy, as an evangelical website and newspaper, to write a review praising an evangelical church service on Radio 4 out of some sort of tribal, party loyalty.
But when I tell you that Highfields Church, Cardiff's Sunday Worship broadcast at 8.10am on 1 March really was excellent, it is not out of some sort of automated sense of duty to fellow evangelicals.
It was excellent for all the sorts of reasons that one might hope. And here, precisely, is what some of them were.
Firstly, the service was thoroughly Biblical. It began with Scripture and continued with Scripture. The Word of God was absolutely central to the service. Dave Gobbett, the pastor, gave a fine mini-exposition of Psalm 66 ("Rejoice in the God who both rescues and refines...") and also a simple gospel appeal.
Secondly, it was God-orientated (rather than congregation-centred). I've been to too many "sound" services (or Sunday "meetings") where we can be a good 10-15 minutes in before the Lord Himself is addressed, if indeed much at all (see also Matthew Roberts' excellent article here). Such was not the case here. It was plain Who was central - and it wasn't those speaking or leading, nor was it the church: it was the Lord. Hallelujah!
Thirdly, it was topical. By the grace of God, and in the providence of God, it seems it had already been arranged, before the events of very recent days, that an Iranian Christian would be interviewed in the service. So there was a great sense of connection to what was happening outside the church building.
This was underlined by a great interview with Dai Hankey, who has planted a church in a deprived part of Cardiff. It was clear, even in a short period, how the gospel being proclaimed is no "pie in the sky when you die" but something that impacts every area of life right here, right now.
Fourthly, there was structure to the service. There was intercessory prayer (which too many churches seem to be abandoning) and also a beautiful sung version of the Nicene Creed (which was new to me). It's always good to have the Lord's Prayer.
Fifthly, it was culturally relevant. This was a service from Wales with people speaking (mostly) in Welsh accents with some bits of Welsh language as well. There was even a passing reference to the fact that the date of the broadcast was the anniversary of Martyn Lloyd-Jones' death (gold star for that!).
Finally, the music was wonderful. The orchestra was terrific: there was a real balance of instruments to produce a beautifully mellow, rich sound. Am I allowed to say I thought the version of Christus Victor at the end was better than the original? (Oh yes, I'm the editor, I can say what I like...) In fact that hymn was so beautiful, I found myself moved to tears - it was a real glimpse of heavenly worship. The selection of hymns - old and new, all singable and appropriately pitched - was excellent.
Special shout out to the inspiring brass section and also, as a pianist, to whoever was playing the piano so brilliantly (and, yes, I noticed and enjoyed the solitary low final note of "Here is love" - we fellow pianists hear and appreciate these things!). But the whole thing was great - well paced and with good musical arrangements. Thank you to Nick Rhyddach who I have been told was the musical director - he did a fantastic job.
So, do yourself a favour and be encouraged: go listen to the service - and then share it with someone else who might appreciate it. And well done, Highfields - don't get proud, but praise God!
