welcome on this sunday afternoon as we come to say even song in the garden of the deanery at canterbury cathedral we have said our prayers throughout the day and our eucharist which was celebrated at lunchtime will be left on the website through the week but for now we're going to say some evening prayers together here in the garden using the book of common prayer oh lord open thou our lips and our mouths shall show forth thy praise o god make speed to save us o lord make haste to help us glory be to the father and to the son and to the holy ghost as it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be world without end amen this 26th evening of the month for its psalm takes the last portions of psalm 119 the longest psalm of all i'm going to read some verses from that this afternoon beginning at verse 145. i call with my whole heart hear me o lord i will keep thy statutes yea even unto thee do i call help me and i shall keep thy testimonies early in the morning do i cry unto thee for in thy word is my trust mine eyes prevent the night watches that i might be occupied in thy words hear my voice o lord according unto thy loving kindness quicken me according as thou art won't they draw nigh that of malice persecute me and are far from thy law be thou nigh at hand o lord for all thy commandments are true as concerning thy testimonies i have known long since that thou hast grounded them forever glory be to the father and to the son and to the holy ghost as it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be world without end amen for our old testament lesson some verses from the 51st chapter of the prophet isaiah the lord shall comfort zion he comforts all her waste places and makes her wilderness like eden her deserts like the garden of the lord joy and gladness will be found in her thanksgiving and the voice of a song give attention to me my people and give ear to me my nation for a law will go out from me and i will set my justice as a light to the peoples my righteousness draws near my salvation has gone out and my arms will judge the peoples the coastlands hope for me they wait for my arm lift up your eyes to the heavens and look at the earth beneath for the heavens vanish like smoke the earth will wear out like a garment but my salvation will be forever and my righteousness will never be dismayed it ends the first lesson we say the song of the blessed virgin mary the magnificat my soul does magnify the lord and my spirit hath rejoiced in god my savior for he hath regarded the lowliness of his handmaiden for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed for he that is mighty has magnified me and holy is his name and his mercy is on them that fear him throughout all generations he has showed strength with his arm he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts he had put down the mighty from their seat and hath exalted the humble and meek he has filled the hungry with good things and the rich he has sent empty away he remembering his mercy has opened his servant israel as he promised to our forefathers abraham and his seed forever glory be to the father and to the son and to the holy ghost as it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be world without end amen our second lesson is taken from the third chapter of the first letter of sin paul to the corinthians beginning at the fifth verse paul is aware that there have been divisions in the christians at corinth whom he knows and loves well some of them he had been the person who brought to faith and taught others had been brought to the faith by another of the teachers of that time apollos and paul is worried that people are in division saying well i'm paul's or i belong to apollos so he writes this to them in his letter who then is apollos who then is paul servants through whom you believed as the lord assigned to each i planted apollos watered but god gave the growth so neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything but only god who gives the growth the one who plants and the one who waters are one and each will receive their wages according to their labor for we are all god's fellow workers you are god's field you are god's building according to the grace of god given to me like a skilled master builder i laid a foundation and someone else is building upon it let each one take care how he builds upon it for no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid which is jesus christ now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold silver precious stones wood pay straw each one's work will become manifest for the day we'll disclose it because it will be revealed by fire and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done if the work that anyone has built on the foundation survive they will receive a reward if anyone's work is burned up they will suffer loss though they themselves will be saved do not know that you are god's temple god's spirit dwells in you if anyone destroys god's temple god will destroy them for god's temple is holy and you are that temple it's wonderful how again we see paul using the images metaphors of this earth to teach lessons about the quality of the kingdom of heaven he begins with messages of growth of gardeners planting and watering no better time of year here in this hemisphere to think of planting and watering seeds and planting the beauties of gardens or the planting of crops for the nourishment of people all of those things are earthly activities in which we join our creator as as paul said in that lesson fellow workers and nothing is more pleasing than joining in the work of creation for we are made in the image of god and our his partners in all the work the creative work that we attempt so paul begins with the image of gardening and growth but then he suddenly changes he thinks of a better image he's trying to talk about the partnership which apollos and he and other disciples have created as they've taught the faith not just one of them but a joint effort but all fellow workers with god and so he turns to building images i may be the master builder but somebody else is building on the foundations and between us we complete the building and then last of all the image is so strong that in his mind he thinks of holy places like the temple but even as jesus referred to his own body at his trial as the temple destroy this temple and i will rebuild it in three days but he spoke of the temple of his own body and now paul applies that to us do not know that god's temple is holy and each one of you is that temple it causes us to have enormous respect not only for one another but for ourselves in all that we do i suppose it ought to surprise us that if this time of of lockdown when people are not about their ordinary work but are at home they turn to things that they can create at home they bake and so seed and make things because we are never nearer our gods than when we are being created creative in our bodily work creative in our thinking in our reading in all our planning and creative in our prayers as we reach out in our prayers at this time we say the canticle dimitis and then turn to our prayers lord now let us thou thy servant depart in peace according to thy word for mine eyes have seen my salvation which thou has prepared before the face of all people to be a light to lighten the gentiles and to be the glory of thy people israel glory be to the father and to the son and to the holy ghost as it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be world without end amen i believe in god the father almighty maker of heaven and earth and in jesus christ his only son our lord who was conceived by the holy ghost born of the virgin mary suffered under pontius pilate was crucified dead and buried he descended into hell the third day he rose again from the dead he ascended into heaven and sitteth on the right hand of god the father almighty from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead i believe in the holy ghost the holy catholic church the communion of saints the forgiveness of sins the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting amen so let us pray lord have mercy upon us christ have mercy upon us lord have mercy upon 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 amen o lord share thy mercy upon us and grant us thy salvation our lord save the queen and mercifully hear us when we call upon me endure thy ministers with righteousness and make thy chosen people joyful o lord save thy people and bless thine inheritance give peace in our time o lord because there is none other that fighteth for us but only thou o god o god may clean our hearts within us and take not thy holy spirit from us a special prayer or collect for the second sunday after easter almighty god who has given thine only son to be unto us both a sacrifice for sin and also an example of godly life give us grace that we may always most thankfully receive that his inestimable benefit and also daily endeavor ourselves to follow the blessed steps of his most holy life through the same jesus christ our lord amen oh god from whom all holy desires all good counsels and all just works to proceed give unto thy servants that peace which the world cannot give that both our hearts may be set to obey thy commandments and also that by thee we being defended from the fear of our enemies may pass our time in rest and quietness through the merits of jesus christ our savior amen lighten our darkness we beseech thee o lord and by thy great mercy defend us from all perils and dangers of this night for the love of thy only son our savior jesus christ amen so we say our own prayers praying for all whom we know and would seek to pray for this afternoon here in this place we pray for the life of the anglican center in rome pray for the ministry there of archbishop yan and his wife kamla ernest give thanks for that ministry of ecumenism and unity for our whole communion almighty god who has given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplications unto thee and us promise that when two or three are gathered together in thy name thou wilt grant their requests fulfill now o lord the desires and petitions of thy servants as may be most expedient for them granting us in this world knowledge of thy truth and in the world to come life everlasting amen the god of peace who brought again from the dead our lord jesus that great shepherd of the sheep by the blood of the eternal covenant make you perfect in every good work to do his will working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight and the blessing of god almighty the father the son and the holy spirit be among you and remain with you always amen