good morning and welcome on this morning of trinity sunday the feast of the holy trinity which was always seen as the climax of this sequence in the christian year before we enter all the green period of summer which is to come but today we worship god in our perception as father son and holy spirit the creator the redeemer and the giver of life and those things we shall be thinking about throughout this day a lovely day when everything seems to be showing the works of the creator's hand and also our lord is showing is shown in our reading from st john's gospel this morning saying a prayer to the father asking for the unity of all things we remembered uh just a few days ago the dunkirk episode on that 80th anniversary but we remember also these days following june the 6th yesterday during the 7th today the landings that were made in the other direction as the soldiers went back to defeat what they see saw as an enormous evil at that time and and liberated the the whole of europe my own uncle was killed on this day in the normandy landings and some of you will be remembering back at that time so we begin our morning prayers oh lord open our lips and our mouth shall proclaim your praise visit us with your salvation and sustain us with your gracious spirit blessed are you sovereign god creator of all to you be glory and praise forever you founded the earth in the beginning and the heavens are the work of your hands in the fullness of time you made us in your image and in these last days you have spoken to us in your son jesus christ the word made flesh as we rejoice in the gift of your presence among us let the light of your love always shine in our hearts your spirit ever renew our lives and your praises ever be on our lips 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 so may the light of your presence o god set our hearts on fire with love for you now and forever are men our psalm on this morning of the month is psalm 36 sin whispers to the wicked in the depths of their heart there is no fear of god before their eyes they flatter themselves in their own eyes that their abominable sin will not be found out the words of their mouth are unrighteous and full of deceit they have ceased to act wisely and to do good they think out mischief upon their beds and have set themselves in no good way nor do they abhor that which is evil but your love o lord reaches to the heavens and your faithfulness to the clouds your righteousness stands like the strong mountains your justice like the great deep you lord shall save both man and beast how precious is your loving mercy o god all mortal flesh shall take refuge under the shadow of your wings they shall be satisfied with the abundance of your house they shall drink from the river of your delights for with you is the well of life and in your light shall we see light oh continue your loving kindness to those who know you and your righteousness to those who are true of heart let not the foot of pride come against me nor the hand of the ungodly thrust me away there are they fallen all who work wickedness they are cast down and shall not be able to stand so today a different gospel on this sunday morning we interrupt our reading of the gospel of saint luke to take us into the gospel of saint john and once said that john's gospel with its comparison always by jesus himself of things above and things below the infinite depths of heaven and the finite spaces of earth and john's gospel is shallow enough for a child to paddle in and deep enough for an elephant to swim in well that's an image we might keep in mind but we'll come back to it we are actually in chapter 17 of st john's gospel today beginning at the first verse when jesus had spoken these words he lifted up his eyes to heaven and said father the hour has come glorify your son that the son may glorify you since you have given him authority over all flesh to give eternal life to all whom you have given him and this is eternal life that they know you the only true god and jesus christ whom you have sent i glorified you on earth having accomplished the work that you gave me to do and now father glorify me in your own presence with the glory that i had with you before the world existed i have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world yours they were and you gave them to me and they have kept your word now they know that everything that you have given me is from you for i have given them the words that you gave me and they have received them and have come to know in truth that i came from you and they have believed that you sent me i am praying for them i am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me for they are yours all mine are yours and yours are mine and i am glorified in them and i am no longer in the world but they are in the world and i am coming to you holy father keep them in your name which you have given me that they may be one even as we are one it's been wonderful both yesterday and today yesterday in luke's gospel on the way to jerusalem at the coming back of the 72 who went out to proclaim the good news in the villages and jesus receiving them back and then stepping aside almost for private prayer a prayer of rejoicing in the holy spirit to the father that all all things are being accomplished on his way to jerusalem and jesus now here in st john's gospel in the same way praying to the father and as he prays we are privileged to overhear i think that the way in which st john sets this down is an overhearing of jesus's prayer often and it reminds us of the importance of stepping aside to give ourselves time to think to reflect and to pray no more important task at this time when locked down has almost paused things and we have to reflect on how we go on st patrick used to use the shamrock as a sign of the holy trinity the unity of creator and redeemer and sanctifier father son and holy spirit in one leaf we in england i imagine might pick a clover leaf and do the same but that simplicity is something which only tells a tiny tiny tiny part of the truth and the prayer of jesus in luke and john shows us how deep the mystery how deep the waters and how wonderful the sense of all this as being one in humanity being created in the image of god it is jesus that glorifies that image in his humanity glorify is a strange word and difficult to define but it actually is helped for me by the strange latin word which is used for it the verb clarificary to make absolutely clear with no impurity that is how jesus glorifies our humanity and lifts it back to the creator even here and now it's why we feel so good when we are being creative with the unique gifts that the creator has given us and the clarity which jesus's humanity shows us is possible through the life of the spirit draws all that into one too big a concept for us perhaps to embrace but the rejoicing in our creativity and then what jesus shows us is possible even with the gifts of the kingdom of heaven here and now begins to bind together into one all aspects of that which we believe about the creator and about our redeemer jesus himself we give thanks for this on this day we give thanks that we are able through the holy spirit to share in the life of what we call the holy trinity we're invited into that by the gift of the holy spirit we're invited to share in it by using the unique gifts of body mind and spirit which have been given to us as individuals but those gifts only come alive when they're shared and it needn't surprise us that the last phrase of that prayer in saint john's gospel that we read this morning the prayer will continue but our last sentence was that all may be one a wonderful prayer for our world at this time that communities may be one in the welfare they express for one another that families may be one that nations may be one in the welfare that they intend for each other that creation may be won in the care that we take of all that we have been given in physical form of the creator's power jesus sitting by the well with the woman of samaria in john's gospel when she's talking about the divisions caused by holy places we worship here we samaritans you you from judea from galilee you think it's jesus says woman believe me the time will come when none of that will matter god is spirit and those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth a wonderful thought for trinity sunday morning as we reflect on the mystery of the holy trinity at this climax of our christian year well let's say our prayers and let's first think of the worldwide anglican communion and pray on this particular day for la iglesia anglicana de mexico and pray for that province and the prime minister the presiding bishop of that church francisco moreno who is also bishop of northern mexico we pray for him and for all his people on this day and here in this diocese as we pray for justin our archbishop for rose bishop of dover tim bishop at lambeth we continue to pray for the parishes of the ausprind deanery and for their mission to the communities of that area deanery here in kent so we say the prayer for this day almighty and everlasting god you have given us your servants grace by the confession of a true faith to acknowledge the glory of the eternal trinity and in the power of the divine majesty to worship the unity keep us steadfast in this faith that we may ever more be defended from all adversities through jesus christ our lord amen and the psalm collect this morning which reflects on that sentence in psalm 36 for with you is the well of life think of the well of samaria where jesus said god is spirit and those who worship must worship in spirit and in truth jacob's well there for those words for with you is the well of life and in your light shall we see light our prayer as we pray for our whole world for those in any kind of distress those known to us and those whom we love oh god the well of life make us bright with wisdom that we may be lightened with the knowledge of your glory in the face of jesus christ our lord and that and proclaim that glory in word indeed throughout our lives through jesus christ our lord amen let's say the prayer our lord taught us to say when we meet together in whatever language and in whichever way you like to use 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 forever and ever amen moment of silence on this trinity sunday morning for our own reflections and prayers 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 and upon those whom you love and pray for today and always amen