[Music] oh [Music] oh [Music] foreign oh [Music] is lord god [Music] good morning and welcome to the january garden at canterbury cathedral on this monday the 11th of october it's thanksgiving day in canada and so we are offering our thanks for canada and joining in with their celebrations in a way here in the dinery garden we are surrounded by all the the uh um fruits and and leaves of canada in terms of the maple leaves and also the various pumpkins and and sweet corns that are very much part of the autumn harvest but of course this is very much england so we try to recreate something of a forest scene though sadly we've got no rivers and mountains to show you this morning which is the the great beauty of canada so to all of you in canada and all of you who are canadians across the world who are saying your prayers with us this morning from the rest of us have a happy thanksgiving and cause us also to be thankful for the various harvests uh we are surrounded also by the the sounds of the birds around we were going to bring darcy into the the garden but he he he wouldn't come without russell and we thought russell might be really a bit too much this morning with everything going on here and darcy himself i think was uh looking at the the sense of rose turk is on the table and certainly he's not for the table but he's suddenly sort of hidden himself somewhere so we're giving thanks for the the life of everything around us this morning as we go on fletcher had actually ordered some wonderful canadian flags and various symbols of canada but they haven't come so i'm afraid everything is a bit homemade this morning but that's probably good on a thanksgiving day as we give thanks for the nation of canada on this day but also bring our own thanksgivings for our own cultures our own nations and our own special feast day as we hold them throughout the year in different parts of the world let's begin our prayers there on on then on this day oh lord open our lips and our mouth shall proclaim your praise may christ the day star dawn in our hearts and triumph over the shades of night blessed are you creator of all to you be praise and glory forever as your dawn renews the face of the earth bringing light and life to all creation may we rejoice in this day you have made does we wake refresh from the depths of sleep open our eyes to behold your presence and strengthen our hands to do your will that the world may rejoice and give you praise blessed be god father son and holy spirit blessed be god forever the night has passed and the day lies open before us let us pray with one heart and mind does we rejoice in the gift of this new day say may the light of your presence oh god set our hearts on fire with love for you now and forever amen the music you heard at the beginning was of course the music of the canadian national anthem but it was sung by our own four choral scholars here in the canterbury cathedral choir helen vincent david walsh harry swanson and joel heritage and the piano played by our director of music david newsham we thank them for that music and that good beginning to the day but also one of them has a special connection with canada so at the end of everything we're doing this morning he will sing a particular song and explain his connection with canada but we look forward to that at the end let's for the moment say our son for this day which is psalm 57 on this 11th morning of the month be merciful to me o god be merciful to me for my soul takes refuge in you in the shadow of your wings will i take refuge until the storm of destruction has passed by i will call upon the most high god the god who fulfills his purpose for me he will send from heaven and save me and rebuke those that would trample upon me god will send forth his love and his faithfulness i lie in the midst of lions people whose teeth are spears and arrows and their tongue a sharp sword be exalted o god above the heavens and your glory over all the earth they have laid a net for my feet my soul is pressed down they have dug a pit before me and will fall into it themselves my heart is ready o god my heart is ready i will sing and give you praise awake my soul awake harp and liar that i may awaken the dawn i will give you thanks o lord among the peoples i will sing praise to you among the nations for your loving kindness is as high as the heavens and your faithfulness reaches to the clouds be exalted oh god above the heavens and your glory over all the earth well there's a good verse for us for thanksgiving in canada i will give you thanks o lord among the peoples i will sing praise to you among the nations and i know many of you who are saying your prayers with us this morning from canada will have also kept a day of thanksgiving yesterday on the sunday before the second monday in october which is thanksgiving day because much worship happens on that day and i'm reminded that one of the hymns that is sung at that harvest thanksgiving for canada is a hymn which was written by my predecessor here dean henry alford come ye thankful people come raise the song of harvey's home all is safely gathered in the winter storms begin well it's prompting us all to give thanks on this particular morning as we begin our lesson from the book of the exodus and we're taking up again from where we left off moses has been confronted in the the wilderness where he is leading his sheep to find pasture and grazing and attempting to live a life of safety away from the conflict between egypt and the slavery that his own people are facing he's run away in fear from the pharaoh because in a passion of anger he killed the egyptian who was beating his people and that has now been found out and here he is having gone to settle somewhere else and thinking let me go and do this it's much safer and it's useful work he's married a wife and had a son gershom and is leading the sheep of his father-in-law uh jethro the priest of midian and it's there as you remember that the bush seeming to burn confronts him once again with the vocation that god has for him and as we saw after he had taken his shoes off because this was holy ground god confronts him with his vocation come i will send you to pharaoh that you may bring my people the children of israel out of egypt and i'm going from verse 13 of chapter three of the exodus then moses said to god if i come to the people of israel and say to them the god of your fathers has sent me to you and they ask me what is his name what shall i say to them god said to moses i am who i am and he said say this to the people of israel i am has sent me to you god also said to moses say this to the people of israel the lord the god of your fathers the god of abraham the god of isaac and the god of jacob has sent me to you this is my name forever and thus i am to be remembered throughout all generations go and gather the elders of israel together and say to them the lord the god of your fathers the god of abraham of isaac and of jacob has appeared to me saying i have observed you and what has been done to you in egypt and i promise that i will bring you up out of the affliction of egypt to the land of the canaanites the hittites the amorites the perizzites the heavites the amara and the jebusites a land flowing with milk and honey and they will listen to your voice and you and the elders of israel shall go to the king of egypt and say to him the lord the god of the hebrews has met with us and now please let us go a three days journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to the lord our god but i know that the king of egypt will not let you go unless compelled by a mighty hand so i will stretch out my hand and strike egypt with all the wonders that i will do in it and after that he will let you go it's quite a command but as we shall see moses is not yet ready he's ready still to argue that he's not the right person for this particular vocation it's a futile argument for god has signaled that he is the one and the conversation between moses and god begins by saying in this lesson we've just read but who shall i say has sent me and then comes that most startling sentence i am who i am you will say to them that i am has sent you simply the verb to be in the first person singular is given as the name of our god the creator the creator of all things the verb to be i am you are signals life signals being and that we derive from our creator in whose image we are created we have said a great deal about god always being in the present tense all times and all seasons past present future are his and to him time means nothing to the creator all time is present tense we saw how jesus used that with his answer to the sadducees yesterday in our sunday morning prayer lesson in the garden and we've seen it again and again with the way in which jesus uses especially in the gospel of saint john those words i am and then to give them color and meaning rather like the harvest of thanksgiving which the nation of canada are keeping today to give it meaning jesus proceeds to use similes and metaphors and symbols of what that i am means in the present tense now i am the good shepherd i am the way the truth and the life i am the resurrection and the life i am the true vine and i am the bread of life all of those things in the present tense using not only the verb to be in the first person singular but also the name that the creator has chosen to reveal to moses and that name so holy that it's treated with intense respect but the same respect should go to the being of ourselves i am and the being of another you are in the singular or in the plural and the rather general sense of they are or we are we can take the verb to be all over the place but always in the present tense if we are referring to the activity of the creator for all times are gathered up and then focused like the burning bush like a magnifying glass bringing to a pinpoint of light which bursts into flame the vocation of moses or our own vocation just for today in some particular situation or something that we know that we've been trying to escape but really is something that we can do we shall in the next day or two see moses arguing almost with god saying i'm not the right one but it's coming from his limitations and physical fear and his absolute knowledge that he's really not very good at speaking in public and he's going to ask he's going to be asked or he has been asked to go and stand in front of the pharaoh and and make a case for his people but first even to convince his people that in some way he is the leader that can free them from their slavery and who has sent him i am there's a huge hymn that we sing from time to time the god of abraham prays to a hebrew melody and it talks about the great i am and it means the name of god in the scriptures i'm reading that sentence i am who i am and then i am has sent you are written in capital letters to try to give it a sense all the way through in capital letters to try to give it a sense of the importance of focusing focusing it there and we remember once again jesus standing in the temple courtyard and saying remember the story of the bush it's in their minds it's in his mind and god saying i am the god of abraham i am the god of isaac i am the god of jacob so on this day when we're asked to give thanks as we always are asked to give thanks whoever offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors me before all else thanksgiving so thank you canada for reminding us today a day of thanksgiving for all of god's bounty as we say our prayers and remember on this day moses arguing with god but at the same time being given the name for which we all give thanks and that name means life and it means life concentrated in the human person of jesus himself who himself uses images of the earth and creativity of life around us to give the creators life to us day by day in thanksgiving one or two things before we before we go on to the reflection of thanksgiving and uh i wanted to say that on this day in 1962 pope john the 23rd who was himself quite an elderly pope when he was uh made pope uh opened the second vatican council and that council led to radical changes across the catholic church across the world really radical changes for some it was a doubtful thing for many it was received with enormous thanksgiving but for all that it was a gargantuan work and it involved many years of of reflection and then decision making and the council themselves having been called for the first time for so many years well as we well know pope francis yesterday announced a consultation across the whole of the catholic church a two-year process to consult every parish it would begin with a period of listening it would then become continental for a year and then after that it would become universal and following that decisions would be made what a venture and so our prayers for grace for pope francis himself and our prayers for grace for the whole of the roman catholic church across the world and the influence that all of that will have on the holy catholic church the church of christ in every denomination for a family across the world which we are the family of christ and uh all the the the church and and and everyone uh watching and listening to that congregation and that consultation and saying prayers with them and for them will be affected by that too so god bless pope francis on this particular day as that consultation begins and bless all those who will take part in it and then i wanted to say and this is really a bit of fun um on the 11th of october 1957 the actress dawn french was born so happy birthday to her but we remember many many uh amusing things and hilarious things which she has done often with jennifer saunders and french and saunders was a a comic program but i think for the church of england she is best remembered and known for her portrayal between 1994 and 2007 in many episodes of the vicar of dibley and she came to the surprise of a little village community as a woman priest as their parish priest and everything that follows you will know it well i'm sure uh everything that follows in humorous terms we recognize so many of the characters they're exaggerated but the situations that she finds herself in was a help to the church in the church of england is always quite like looking at itself and and laughing about its eccentricities well nobody better to help us do that than dawn french and so thanks be to god for dawn french and all that she's achieved with laughter to help us analyze ourselves and and think is that how we look uh and very often the answer came back yes it is i'm afraid it is how we look but to 1994 seems a long time ago and uh now here we are in 2021 and so happy birthday to dawn french on this this day well let's come to our main topic because this is canadian thanksgiving and it's difficult to go all the way back to the history because the history of the thanksgiving wines in and out but you could take it from 1579 when one of elizabeth the first sea dogs as they were called martin frobisher with 15 vessels hunting through the northwest passage there not finding it and being plagued by ice and storms and thinking everything was lost and then apart from one vessel damaged by ice they retreated because they couldn't find their way through but no one was lost in that way and so a service of great thanksgiving was held you could date it back to that 1579 if you wanted to or you could go to 1604 when french settlers coming and this also is the jour del accion de grace thanksgiving day in canada for the the the english-speaking people the the french-speaking people people of many languages and and and different languages right across canada and at that that uh coming together of all the various groups is is very important but you could date this to then uh a service of thanksgiving with those who were the the the the people whose land it was at that time they sat down to to have uh a meal with the indigenous population there and an act of thanksgiving was made and from there that sense of the unity of all those people for which everyone longs and prays for is very much part of things 1604 or you could go right up to 1799 because from then onwards from time to time thanksgiving was kept not always not every year and sometimes it was it at one time of year sometimes at another uh in um the the late 19th century there were occasions as with when the prince of wales at the time edward vii he became was saved from a huge uh hugely dangerous illness and there in 1872 thanksgiving was held for that but it became a general thanksgiving that was held in april and we have in the cathedral precincts here a huge turkey oak which was planted by the prince of wales edward vii as he became on the anniversary in 1897 of augustine coming here that massively important centenary and so the the oak is growing there but today it's very much the maple and here's a a good branch of can uh or i'm perhaps this branch is too dignified a word for this it's a sprig of canadian maple which is over in the garden over there and soon it will turn to beautiful colors and become a burning bush in its own right i'm blending it because we've said about the various different dimensions and cultures which make up canada this is canterbury mulberry and that's the tree of significance because of thomas becket of course for this precinct so let's put them together here and lay them on the harvest canadian maple and canterbury mulberry leaves both at the moment of the green of this time of the year which will begin to turn some of the leaves are turning and nothing better than the maples because they give that sense of of golden glory and and then a deeper red when that begins to happen after the first world war uh there was a time when and there is a most wonderful photograph on online a black and white photograph of canadian soldiers in 1918 worshiping in a thanksgiving day in the ruins of combre cathedral in france which has been devastated by the war but after that for i think about 10 years from 1921 to 31 november the 11th the armistice day was also combined with an act of thanksgiving and thanksgiving went there but i think we're right in saying that from 1957 onwards thanksgiving has been kept on this second monday in october and it was labeled by the governor general at the time general thanksgiving to almighty god for the bountiful harvest with which canada has been blessed to be observed on the second monday in october so here we are and we're observing that on this second monday in october and it's causing us to be thankful too for all things for thanksgiving is the starting point for all prayer whoever offers me the sacrifice of thanksgiving and sometimes it is a sacrifice to give thanks for things which have happened i think of moses at the time saying that what is happening to him with with god's message to him is something he'd rather not be happening but to give thanks for things to embrace things and offer them and then to ask for grace to fulfill them and to fulfill that thanksgiving to encourage others becomes enormously important so thanks be to god for thanksgiving it's an important thing to say and the wonderful meals that are happening in different ways across canada there will be regional dishes and all kinds of things being eaten so we not only say thanks be to god for thanksgiving and for this day but thanks be to god for the nation of canada with its many different cultures and the way in which friendship between let's say first of all canada and this nation but also the role that canada has played in the world has been throughout history because we we value all of that on this particular morning and so for the day of thanksgiving the jour de laxion de grace we we give thanks there's a wonderful little poem which fetter found by john mccrae the canadian poet who wrote in flanders field about the poppies growing in the great war this isn't that poem this is about how we ought not to denigrate any little work that we've managed to do because the harvest of that is in the hands of god not us we simply do what we can where we are here it is this is the whole poem if night should come and find me at my toil when all life's day i had though faintly wrought and shallow furrows cleft in stony soil were all my labor shall i count it naught if only one poor gleaner weak of hand shall pick a scanty sheath where i have sown no for of thee the master does demand thy work the harvest rests with him alone it's a wonderful poet and it says that everything that we can achieve and the work of others trying hard to achieve things sometimes seem not to bring a harvest but the harvest is in the hands of god all we can do is give thanks for the strength the body mind and spirit that we've been given and take that action axion the grass on this particular day for everything works by grace so let's say our prayers on this very special day indeed and we are praying of course for all christian churches in canada and the whole population of canada in all aspects of their life as they give thanks but also on this day for the diocese of georgia in course for the episcopal in the episcopal church of the united states that's our english and communion diocese for the 11th of october and in this diocese for justin our archbishop for rose bishop of dover for tim sorry emma old habits die hard emma bishop at lambeth and uh today for the benefits of kale hill with westwell and that is uh a whole group of parishes saint peters and paul charring holy trinity charring heath st james the great edgerton saint margaret hotfield sin mary little chart saint nicholas pluckley and st mary westwell and we pray for sandra marsh in her ministry there and for the schools at charing edgerton and pluckly in their work and today we pray for our friends chris and martin whom i think we located in the wrong parish the boundaries are about two weeks ago but chris remember is our vet who looks after all these creatures and uh keeps them running around in great energy so let's say our prayers and i'm going first to use the general thanksgiving of our anglican episcopal liturgy uh here it is so this isn't just for canada it's a thanksgiving for all of us and we join in with these words some of you will know this by heart almighty god father of all messes we your unworthy servants give you most humble and hearty thanks for all your goodness and loving-kindness to us and to all we bless you for our creation preservation and all the blessings of this life but above all for your inestimable love in the redemption of the world by our lord jesus christ for the means of grace and for the hope of glory and we beseech you give us that dew sense of all your messes that our hearts may be unfaintedly thankful and that we show forth your praise not only with our lips but in our lives by giving up ourselves to your service and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days through jesus christ our lord to whom with you in the holy spirit be all honor and glory forever and ever amen and the colic for this week which i promise we'd say day by day because it's a good one to learn oh god for as much as without you we are not able to please you mercifully grant that your holy spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts through jesus christ our lord amen so we say each in our own language the prayer our savior taught us our father who art in heaven hallowed be thy name thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil for thine is the kingdom the power and the glory for ever and ever amen moment of silence now for your own prayers on this day of thanksgiving r the peace of god which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of god and of his son jesus christ our lord and the blessing of god almighty the father the son and the holy spirit be upon you upon those whom you love and those whom you would pray for and give thanks for today and always amen hello i'm david walsh and i'm a choral scholar at canterbury cathedral i'm going to be singing a canadian song for you today called song for the myra which strikes a chord for me personally as i was born in uh prince rupert british columbia canada and this song is about a songwriter missing his home in nova scotia [Music] and [Music] begins i wish i was [Music] and the pleasure it [Music] [Applause] [Music] brings me your dreams [Music] i'm [Music] [Applause] i'm born to be with her [Music] you