good morning and welcome to the dinery garden at canterbury cathedral wherever you are in the world as we gather for our morning prayers on this sunday the 29th of november it's advent sunday the first day of a new christian year and the christian year begins with four sundays of preparation for the great festival of the nativity the birth of our lord jesus christ in bethlehem it's been traditionally a season of preparation and reflection preparation for the keeping of the feast and the traditional accompaniment was of green leaves and and white candles four of them recognizing those four sundays as stepping stones towards christmas when the decorations become much much more colorful but this year of course is rather different because our preparations for chris christmas have to take place as and when they can in different phases of lockdown but we can light the first candle to show this first day of a christian new year on advent sunday let me light this one nearest to me we'll come back to that sign of light when we read our lesson this morning but for the moment let's just look back on one or two of the things which have happened on this particular day we remembered on the day of his his death uh c.s lewis that's only a short while ago and today is the anniversary of his birth in 1898 so we will remember him in our reflection a little more we remember also other events which have taken place at this time just at random we have the birth in uh 1832 of louisa may olcott whom we remember the other night as we were reading her old-fashioned thanksgiving story as a separate reading but we remember her mostly for her novel uh little women in 1843 gertrude jikel the horticulturalist who still has great influence over gardeners she was born and died in 1932 and she is an icon of gardening for our new head gardener for the precinct steve edney and so we give thanks for her we remember on this day in 1803 that the united states in the louisiana purchase bought from france enormous areas not just louisiana but states all around it and they became the foundation stones of the united states as well as the the states that were already there in that very early time of the united states following its independence in uh 1907 i'm going at random florence nightingale was awarded the order of merit uh and and presented uh it with the by king edward vii with that that very special order in her old age for her services to nursing and that causes us to give thanks for all those nursing throughout the world today at great cost to themselves 1934 this is special for us the first live radio broadcast of a royal wedding was of the present duke of kent's mother and father getting married in westminster abbey duke of kent at the time and princess marina that duke of kent visited here shortly before his death following the great blitz of canterbury the bideca raid and came to encourage the citizens after so much damage and on this day also in 1947 the united nations approved the partition of palestine and now is declared that this day is a day of solidarity with palestinian people so we remember that in 1965 mary whitehouse began her clean up television campaign to tackle bad taste and irresponsibility and in 1986 cary grant died who had been named by the american film institute the second greatest star of all time after humphrey bogart in 2001 the beatle george harrison died we remember that and we remember also that on this day in 2019 pope francis returned from the basilica of maria maggiore mary major in rome a fragment said to be from the manger in which jesus was born it was returned to bethlehem and that was a a sign of of um the beginning of this coming up to to to christmas and the memory of that birth well we could think of many many other things but we need to stay up begin to say our prayers so those were some at random and here we think within the scope of world history of a new christian year beginning oh lord open our lips and our mouth shall proclaim your praise reveal among us the light of your presence that we may behold your power and glory blessed are you sovereign god of all to you be praise and glory forever in your tender compassion the dawn from on high is breaking upon us to dispel the lingering shadows of night as we look for your coming among us this day 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 and as 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 amen so our son this morning is psalm 139 and i'll say some of that it's a long song oh lord you have searched me out and known me you know my sitting down and my rising up you discern my thoughts from afar you mark out my journeys and my resting place and are acquainted with all my ways for there is not a word on my tongue but you o lord know it altogether you encompass me behind and before and lay your hand upon me such knowledge is too wonderful for me so high that i cannot attain it where can i go then from your spirit or where can i flee from your presence if i climb up to heaven you are there if i go down into the grave you are there also if i take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea even there your right hand shall lead me your right hand hold me fast if i say surely the darkness will cover me and the light around me turn to night even darkness is no darkness with you the night is as clear as the day darkness and light to you are both a light for you yourself created my inmost parts you knit me together in my mother's womb i thank you for i am fearfully and wonderfully made marvellous are your works my soul knows well my frame was not hidden from you when i was made in secret and woven in the depths of the earth your eyes beheld my form as yet unfinished already in your book were all my members written as day by day they were fashioned when as yet there was none of them how deep are your counsels to me o god how great is the sum of them if i count them they are more in number than the sand and at the end i am still in your presence a special lesson for this day a sunday morning and it's an advent lesson from saint luke we spent so much time with saint luke earlier this year and uh here's our old friend luke again writing to us on this first day of a christian year i'm in chapter 12 and beginning at verse 35. jesus said be dressed for action and have your lamps lit be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks blessed are those servants whom the master finds alert when he comes truly i tell you he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat and he will come and serve them if he comes during the middle of the night or near dawn and finds them so blessed are those servants but know this if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming he would not have let the house be broken into you also must be ready for the son of man is coming at an unexpected hour peter said lord are you telling this parable for us or for everyone and the lord said who then is the faithful and prudent steward whom the master will put in charge of the servants to give them their allowance of food at the proper time blessed is that servant whom the master will find at work when he arrives truly i tell you he will put that servant in charge of all his possessions but if that servant says my master is delayed in coming and if that servant begins to beat the other servants men and women and to eat and drink and get drunk the master of that servant will come on a day when the servant does not expect him and at an hour that the servant does not know and will cut that servant in pieces and place the servant with the unfaithful that servant who knew what the master wanted but did not prepare or do what was wanted will receive a severe beating but the one who did not know and did what deserved a beating will receive a light beating from everyone to whom much has been given much will be required and from the one to whom much has been entrusted even more will be demanded it's an interesting lesson to read on this advent sunday morning it's a lesson of watchfulness and preparation of keeping lamps lit and for me it falls into sections because the first section beginning be dressed for action and with lamps lit and then the wonderful picture of the master returning unexpectedly finding his servants ready causes them to sit down and begins to serve them as an example that is the lesson which is always used the gospel used at the ordination of a deacon a servant and therefore it is burned into our hearts for the first order of ministry we receive and which stays with us always is the order of the diaconate the deacon the order of service so that that lesson for all of us is an important one as we light the advent candle as dawn breaks but also in a world where darkness is not just a physical darkness but of all kinds of dangers and temptations for all advent is about that preparation it's about watchfulness it's also about the fact that this lesson is for all peter asks see that the lord is this is this a lesson for us looking around at the twelve and the maybe even the whiter band of disciples but what is it for all and then jesus talks about the way in which we can never know the time the hour the seasons for this is also the lesson of advent it's our reflection we can never know if we look back to advent sunday last year when everything was as we say the old normal and all the worship was the old normal getting ready for christmas the children coming to light the advent candles and now here we are in this state of lockdown after a year which was most unexpected but for every day we have to be ready and watchful and almost the word lockdown means stand and think stop and think what you're doing for the welfare of others where we're now beginning to get used to that and live one day at a time as to what may happen next in every section of our land and in every community in the world as we pray for one another encourage one another it's what the candle means with whatever gifts you have be ready with them and keep your lamps lit and the lesson is for all and we remember that is advent begins i'm sitting here because it's national tree week and we're giving thanks for our creation in which we we we move and and and live and we give thanks for the creation but this week for the role of the trees throughout the world in the ecology of the planet in our own welfare and we've decided to just have one tree each day and today i've come to sit beside the horn beam and to give thanks for that particular tree it's a tree which although deciduous keeps its leaves like the battery hanging on it is almost as a protection but each tree has a different character and nature and the green leaves at the base of the horn tree with the candle there is a sign of the totality of the the life of this wonderful planet and of our humanity in the midst of that which by our efforts of watchfulness and by the heroic efforts of those in nursing and resourcing and and finding vaccinations and all those things are attempting to protect the welfare of others i said that this morning was the morning of the birth of c.s lewis and i mentioned his narnia chronicles and there of course the the waiting for the coming of aslan that the lion who represents lord jesus christ in the narnia chronicles that of course is a massively strong image as is the image in his scrutiny letters of the way that evils and temptations can become insidious and we watch for them in our own lives but critical judgment in all that we do is part of the adjuvant lesson and i wanted to remember that c.s lewis was a member of a little group called the inklings uh in the english language we sort of say i haven't an inkling i mean i have no idea what's what's going on it's about having ideas i have an inkling about this and they were called the inklings but it also had the concept of ink and pens writing and the friends who were in the inklings and they were a varying group in the 1930s and right to the end of the 1940s would meet and for most of that time they would meet for lunch on i think thursdays in the um eagle and child the pub in oxford which is normally known as the burden baby and they would they would eat have lunch together and talk about their ideas but also on tuesday evenings they would meet in lewis's rooms at modern college oxford and someone would read what they had been writing outside out and and bits of what they'd been writing and the ideas they had or expressed them and the others would criticize an important gift because the person knew they were among critical friends and that is so important it didn't damage their vision but they had to to justify it and say this is my vision because and this is how i'm going and obviously the writing of allegorical and fantastic stories to teach was promoted because lewis is narnia chronicles but also j.r.r tolkien's lord of the rings and hobbit stories were all part of that and that kind of critical friendship within communities not just for writing but for life as we live it becomes very important we've had to keep those channels open virtually but it's important to keep them open and they also give morale because not only criticism but enormous pleasure and encouragement can be given and the two are hand in hand as we go forward well may this christian year be a good one for you and may the advent lesson of keeping your lamp lit so that people can not only see your gifts but also benefit from them let's say our prayers on this morning beneath the hornbeam we are actually praying for the lusitanian church which is extra provincial to the archbishop of canterbury and the bishop pina cabral the bishop of the lusitanian church and within the diocese as we pray for archbishop justin and bishop rose and bishop tim at lambeth we pray for the whole of our diocese today as the year turns and we look after one another so bring your bring your prayers now to the advent college blessed lord you have caused sorry on the wrong page almighty god give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness and put upon us the armor of light now in the time of this mortal life in which your son jesus christ came to visit us in great humility that in the last day when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the quick and the dead we may rise to the life immortal through him who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the holy spirit now and forever amen so we say the prayer our lord taught us to say in whichever language you like to use and we join our hearts and minds in that thinking of each other in encouragement across the world 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 now for your own prayers on this advent sunday morning 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 today and always are men now i have a little advent poem for you and it's written by archbishop rowan williams who was archbishop of canterbury for 10 years here and we remember him with love and thanksgiving this poem is called advent calendar he will come like last leaf's fall one night when the november wind has flayed the trees to the bone and earth wakes choking on the mold the soft shroud's folding he will come like frost one morning when the shrinking earth opens on mist to find itself arrested in the net of alien sword set beauty he will come like dark one evening when the bursting red december sun draws up the sheet and penny masks its eye to yield the star-snowed fields of sky he will come will come will come like crying in the night like blood like breaking as the earth rise to toss him free he will come like child