good morning and welcome to the dinery garden at canterbury cathedral on this friday the 22nd of april the friday in easter week today is earth day when we as humankind right across the planet are asked to be conscious of our stewardship of this beautiful home this planet which the creator has given to us and that uh earth day uh was begun that sense of earth day was begun in 1970 when things were probably easier for the earth climate change wasn't such an enormous problem but we ourselves as a garden congregation um back uh a few months ago were following through the climate change conference and this morning we are registering the fact that this is a day when we are asked to realize our responsibility for the earth and for the welfare of each other and both of those of course are inextricably linked so that the kind of themes that come through from this day the material for this day earth day act boldly innovate broadly implement equitably and then businesses governments citizens everyone accounted for everyone accountable this is part of the environmental movement which is attempting to uh deal with the climatic changes which our own behavior has caused and so we celebrate earth day and the gifts of creation as we always do as a garden congregation and at the same time remind ourselves and remind others of responsibility for the planet and for its future so we begin with that theme and of course we have also the theme of ukraine and the war that is devastating that land as we've said the wheat harvests have not been planted and ordinary things have more or less ceased in that way because the citizens are either taking care of one another and many of them leaving ukraine to find hospitality and shelter elsewhere or leaving members of their family behind and the battle grows and grows and we pray not only for the citizens there but also for world leaders and whatever pressure they can bring to bear to restore peace to that land that fruitful land ukraine we are going to begin our prayers on this friday morning it's a cloudy morning here in canterbury and there's a a strong breeze but we're returning to a scene which we had a sign of on monday thursday evening and that sign on maundy thursday was partly done in dark partly done in light we've returned to the brazia but this time it's on the beach and we shall come to that story and see john's gospel when we come to our reading for the moment let's begin our prayers on this friday morning oh lord open our lips and our mouth shall proclaim your praise in your resurrection o christ let heaven and earth rejoice alleluia blessed are you lord god of our salvation to you be praise and glory forever as once you ransomed your people from egypt and led them to freedom in the promised land so now you have delivered us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of your risen son may we the first fruits of your new creation rejoice in this new day you have made and praise you for your mighty acts 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 hello tiger good morning so we come to our psalm which is psalm 107 on this day a long psalm we'll read most of it but it's probably too long to read it all oh give thanks to the lord for he is gracious for his steadfast love endures forever let the redeemed of the lord say this those he redeemed from the hand of the enemy and gathered out of the lands from the east and from the west from the north and from the south some went astray in desert wastes and found no path to a city to dwell in hungry and thirsty their soul was fainting within them so they cried to the lord in their trouble and he delivered them from their distress he set their feet on the right way till they came to a city to dwell in let them give thanks to the lord for his goodness and the wonders he does for his children for he satisfies the longing soul and fills the hungry soul with good those who go down to the sea in ships and ply their trade in great waters these have seen the works of the lord and his wonders in the deep for at his word the stormy wind arose and lifted up the waves of the sea they were carried up to the heavens and down again to the earth down again to the deep their soul melted away in their pedal they reeled and staggered like a drunkard and were at their wit's end then they cried to the lord in their trouble and he brought them out of their distress he made the storm be still and the waves of the sea were calmed then were they glad because they were at rest and he brought them to the haven they desired let them give thanks to the lord for his goodness and the wonders he does for his children let them exalt him in the congregation of the people and praise him in the counsel of the elders the lord turns rivers into wilderness and water springs into thirsty grounds a fruitful land he makes a salty waste because of the wickedness of those who dwell there he makes the wilderness a pool of water and water springs out of a thirsty land there he settles the hungry and they build a city to dwell in they sow fields and plant vineyards and bring in a fruitful harvest he blesses them so that they multiply greatly he does not let their herds of cattle decrease he pours contempt on princes and makes them wander in trackless wastes they are diminished and brought low through stress of misfortune and sorrow but he raises the poor from their misery and multiplies their families like flocks of sheep the upright will see this and rejoice but all wickedness will shut its mouth whoever is wise will ponder these things and consider the loving kindness of the lord well psalm 107 is that the psalm for the 22nd morning of the month but it couldn't be more apt in two ways for what we are doing this morning first of all in terms of those who go down to the sea and ships and ply their trading great waters that's where we shall find the disciples at the beginning of our uh reading this morning and we shall be reflecting back at a to a time when the lake was not so still for them but was stormy and frightened them with the waves of the sea around them and the storm arising and crying to the lord in their trouble but then also the last section and this for earth day really the lord turns rivers into wilderness and water springs into thirsty ground a fruitful land he makes a salty waste because of the wickedness of those who dwell there you could say the greed of those who dwell there that the wonderful lakes huge lakes have been wasted and turned into a salty wilderness and rivers that were flowing freely have dried up simply because too much water has been taken or the land misused all of those things are here but also the sense of being able to make things better turn turn the whole situation around he makes the wilderness a pool of water and water springs out of a thirsty land and there he settles the hungary and builds a city to dwell in they sow fields and plant vineyards and bring in a fruitful harvest a wonderful psalm for this earth day and also this day of resurrection narrative which we will now read from the gospel of saint john it's chapter 21 and as we said uh when we were reading the end of chapter 20 the day before yesterday chapter 20 was intended to be the close of this gospel but much later a new chapter was added and this is it from the same johannine community because there were certain signs that they wanted to emphasize as the life of the church developed and grew and we read this story now chapter 21 i'm going to read the half which goes up to verse 14 today and then the end of it from verse 15 to 25 tomorrow after this jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the sea of tiberias and he revealed himself in this way simon peter thomas called the twin nathaniel of cana in galilee the sons of zebedee and two others of his disciples were together simon peter said to them i am going fishing they said to him we will go with you they went out and got into the boat but that night they caught nothing just as day was breaking jesus stood on the shore yet the disciples did not know that it was jesus jesus said to them children do have any fish they answered him no he said to them cast the net on the right side of the boat and you will find some so they cast it and now they were not able to haul it in because of the quantity of fish that disciple whom jesus loved therefore said to peter it is the lord when simon peter heard that it was the lord he put on his outer garment for he was stripped for work and threw himself into the sea the other disciples came in the boat dragging the net full of fish for they were not far from the land about a hundred yards off when they got out on land they saw a charcoal fire in place with fish laid out on it and bread jesus said to them bring some of the fish that you have just caught so simon peter went aboard and hulled the net ashore full of large fish 153 of them and although there were so many the net was not torn jesus said to them come and have breakfast now none of the disciples dad asked him who are you they knew it was the lord jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them and so with the fish this was now the third time that jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead that story will continue tomorrow but let's remember how in the former conclusion at the end of chapter 20 when the great confession of faith by thomas my lord and my god is given and also jesus's words to thomas saying have you believed because you've seen me blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed that's followed by the sentence jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples which are not written in this book but these are written so that you may believe that jesus is the christ the son of god and that by believing you may have life in his name there's the original conclusion but now more signs are added and there are quite a number of signs in this chapter which has been added from the tradition of the johannine community which based itself on john the son of zebedee and it's a recollection it's a story that has been handed on and now it's written down at the end of this gospel as a true conclusion reaching out into the future and it starts just where the young man yesterday at the tomb in mark's gospel the earliest of the gospels says remember how he said to you after i am risen i will go before you to galilee and there you will see me and here we are in galilee on the lakeside the sea of tiberias is called here which was named after the emperor but to to them it's the sea of galilee it always has been the sea of galilee and so here um are the disciples and they're sitting on the beach thinking what now and peter says i'm going fishing in a way it's the one thing that they know how to do it's these are galileans and it's quite a mixture of people named i'm tempted to think that certainly one of the the unnamed disciples two disciples not named two other of his disciples i'm tempted to think one of those is andrew and uh if it's andrew then the other one's probably phillip but no one would ever know because we're just told by the evangelists to others of his disciples but here they all are and it suggests that thomas too comes from galilee in this way so justice day was breaking after the they get into the boat they go fishing they go to see to do what they always knew how to do and the work is a complete failure they catch absolutely nothing all night long and then the dawn is beginning to break and jesus stood on the shore but the disciples once again there's this lack of recognition something has to happen in order that they will recognize him and it's the first of all the question children have you any fish and they simply answer no and then the instruction cast the net onto the right side of the boat and you will find some and they then do that and the net is so filled with fish that they can and they have to have to signal to their partners in the other boat to come and help them with it and it's the beloved disciple who says to simon peter it is the lord and simon peter is filled with recognition and leaps into the sea and splashes he can't wait for the boat to come it will be too slow to get there splashes to the shore to greet the lord and the others came pulling the net full of large fish it's it's amazing how suddenly something particular is told you 153 of the fish was that something in the memory of of the wonderful catch of the disciples but jesus says bring some of those and then after that they're added to the brazier and the charcoal fire and we remember that the last time peter saw a charcoal fire was at the time of his awful denial nothing is said about this simply the lord's invitation to come and have breakfast and the signs are plentiful the invitation is followed by the disciples not daring to ask who are you because they know it's jesus and now a certain amount of embarrassments steps in because the last time that they saw him um he had been in the upper room with them and had said to them um peace be with you and given them the gift of the holy spirit but still nothing had been said about the desperate denial of saint peter or their failure and now here we're going to have full forgiveness but for the moment it's an invitation to breakfast which is a nice invitation breakfast is my favorite meal of the day and uh so he's first of all takes the bread here's the loaf again which we were thinking about the other day at emmaus and in uh breaking that bread and giving it to them he is doing something which recognition is sealed by and he does the same with the fish and we are taken back instantly then to the feeding of the five thousand and the resources given to the disciples after in the twelve baskets of fragments but remember that that took place and jesus broke the bread and gave thanks broke it and gave it to the disciples and the instructions of that that feeding of the 5 000 in john earlier let's find the passage because the instructions are rather good in terms of how we see jesus doing this so having asked for food to feed them you remember philip is uh the one who says we haven't got enough money to feed all these and andrew is the one who says there's a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish then jesus says make the people sit down and again there's detail there's much grass there so they sit down and jesus takes the loaves and when he has given thanks he distributed to those who were seated so also with the fish that almost eucharistic action but remember immediately afterwards when evening came the disciples were sent back to capernaum in the boat and the lake became rather like the psalmist so frighteningly stormy that they were rowing and making no headway in the boat and then they're nearer the shore than they think because the boat gets there immediately at the end but they suddenly see jesus there walking towards them we're meant to put all those signs together because those that story of welcoming jesus into the boat and being immediately at land and safety and then the next day is the time when jesus is going to say i am the bread of life and now here on the lakeside he's offering them bread again and there's total recognition so that they they know it's the lord this scene on the lakeside which is a conclusion but a different kind of conclusion from the conclusion we had at the end of chapter 20. and yet there's still some unfinished business now this sign for all of them is as the evangelist says the third time that this gospel has shown jesus with them after the resurrection the first the upper room uh and jesus again there in the upper room and now this one and all of those signs with the disciples it was mary magdalene who saw him at the tomb in this gospel but in the upper room they do see him and then he comes again to them and it's then that thomas gives his his statement of faith which was the original conclusion now we're coming to a different ending and it's at the after a distance of some years that this was added so we should conclude that tomorrow but what we're told is that now this was the third time that jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead they've come to galilee as the young man said there you will find him well let's look at a particular date today which is an important one because on this day in uh 1916 april the 22nd 1916 the world famous violinist as he became yehudi menuin was born and he was born in new york city to a lithuanian jewish family now he tells the story in his autobiography of his parents trying to find a place in new york uh and going to a nice block of of apartments uh and were shown round uh and were told at the end they said this is really nice she said yes the the person showing them around who owned the apartment said yes uh it is nice and yeah um you'll be happy to know we don't accept jews and they they then actually had to say well i'm they're very sorry uh we are jews and we cannot come here and i don't know what the woman said but at the time uh yehudi menu and said his mother was so cross that she was determined that her son when born would be called simply by the name jew which is what yehudi means and so he was established as being part of god's ancient people by his name from the very beginning and he was also from the very beginning a musician of enormous quality he at the age of 12 can you believe it was playing the um bark violin concerto in e major number two the beethoven violin concerto and the brahms violin concerto in concert halls in berlin and also in new york to ecstatic audiences and uh there is a a news review about it uh which says and the in those days he was quite a fat little boy and had a a a walk very slowly one foot with the other and the the um the reviewer says onto the stage comes a plum fairhead boy who has a walk something like a penguin but the moment he puts his violin to his chin and puts the bow to it the audience are not laughing and now they are astonished and captivated by the music this boy produces he became a very elegant figure in the end but at that time at the age of 12 um he was someone who could bring music out of the violin and he always respected the instrument and the maker of the instrument so that he says later on in his autobiography which is called unfinished journey and then he says a great violin is alive its very shape embodies its maker's intentions and its wood stores the history or the soul of its successive owners i never play without feeling that i have released or alas sometimes violated spirits of the past which are there in the violin huge respect and so many of the uh pictures of him the black and white portraits that he would give to to people are that with the violin always showing the violin sometimes held not to play but sort of affectionately so that the the violin is is touching his face but this became almost part of him and he went on from strength to strength uh he desperately wanted other people to share in that creativity so having been born in 1916 by 1932 he was recording the elgar violin concerto with sir edward elgar conducting and they were recording it for hmv in london so that that recording still exists [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] so [Music] [Applause] [Music] uh [Music] me [Music] so [Music] so [Music] [Applause] hmm [Music] foreign [Music] hey [Music] um [Music] hmm [Music] hmm [Music] [Applause] [Music] so [Applause] [Music] and so hey mm-hmm [Music] hmm [Music] me [Music] so [Music] me [Music] um [Music] um [Music] do [Music] foreign [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] than yeah [Applause] but at all times he was wanting to reach out to join his music with different styles of music so we think of him uh commissioning a piece that ravi shankar on his sitar and yehudi menuin with his violin could play together so that the music would blend in from completely different styles across the world and that was constantly his intention that music could flower in a multitude of different situations and at the same time uh people like stefan graffeli the the great jazz pianist and and they recorded all kinds of music from broadway shows and it was something he loved to do anything that would attract people to music and at the same time release creativity within themselves and especially for musicians release and train them for music and he started in 1957 in switzerland and in 1962 the yehudi menu in school at stoke dabano in surrey attempting all the time to get young people and gaining scholarships and funds for them to come if he saw any kind of potential he wanted that potential to be released it was all in there already and the performances that he gave himself were really inspirational for folk [Music] hmm [Music] um uh [Music] so [Music] [Music] so [Music] so [Music] he himself was passionate about the earth and the gifts of creation and he himself also uh commissioned uh for wildlife celebration a a piece called wildlife celebration from the composer priyo rainier a violin concerto which would be then performed and all the proceeds will go to gerald gerald durrell's wildlife conservation trust so uh we have a special connection with gerald darrell which i'll remind you of in a moment but if you if you think about my family and other animals and all of those things menuhin was deep into wildlife conservation but at the same time he'd started an international competition for young violinists and in all sorts of ways he was to the fore in taking music around the world he was the first conductor of the asian youth orchestra and toured japan taiwan singapore hong kong at the end of the second world war he was back into germany and and playing his violin to bring healing to those who had suffered so much in concentration camps and had been released but at the same time to the german people themselves for he was always one who was wanting to turn a corner and and and bring people together again and let them feel the forgiveness of the creator in all of these things and sometimes people said of him even in younger days when he was getting ready to play and this he writes down also in his unfinished journey actually i was gazing in my usual state of being half absent in my own world and half in the present i've usually been able to retire in this way i was also thinking that my life was tied up with the instrument i was holding and would i do it justice [Music] so [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] he's played on most of the fine violins of the world the historic violins and always treasured the occasion when he played in that way so that if we think of of all the things that he accomplished people ran out of awards to give him so many doctorates at universities so many honors from different nations so many honors from he became a citizen of the united kingdom he was he was knighted uh he was he was also given a peerage at the end and became lord men lord menuin um and and took the name of stoke dabenham so he would wear his school for young people training up as musicians should be there so he became lord manueline of stoke davanan but the honors and awards were nothing compared with the pleasure he found in seeing young people develop in a particular way and also being able to use music to put forward a cause for the earth or for the welfare of people that he particularly wanted to to um celebrate i was privileged to see him on two different occasions playing a beautiful violin and on these occasions i saw him in performance many times but on these two occasions there were special occasions and the first occasion was in the new coventry cathedral uh standing near the ruins of the old coventry cathedral which was completely destroyed by the the awful blitz in coventry and the new coventry cathedral was the site of the first degree ceremony of the new university of warwick and to celebrate that and the learning of young people in a new academic institution yehudi menuhin came to play a wonderful violin piece to inspire in music everything creative that was being celebrated in the cathedral on that day and at the same time i remember that was in 1968 in i remember in 1980 and now we're in salisbury cathedral and the dean at that time uh sydney evans had commissioned a beautiful new stained glass window by the french stained glass artist gabrielle lua and that window was a window highlighting prisoners of conscience and we it was it was cloaked first of all in curtains and we were there gathered in the cathedral and the east end was there and that the morning light was outside and yehudi menuhin who wanted to actually make people aware of what it was to be a prisoner of conscience and he himself was was ardent even when he received an uh an award from the knesset the uh parliament of his own people he was arden in saying to them you you are treating the the people on the the west bank in a wrong way by and and you of all people should know that that this kind of of uh of of not seeking the welfare of a particular uh people is is is not good he was brave in saying things even though he felt identity with that with the people and they were honoring him but at the same time on this day it was prisoners of conscience he was wanting to do and as he played so the curtains came back on that wonderful east window which is still there of course it's salisbury cathedral and is something that people go to see in the uh ladies chapel at the end the east end of the of the cathedral and in 1968 sorry 1980 as the violin played so the curtains came back and we saw for the first time the completed work of of gabriella and his window prisoners of conscience actually i'm wrong in calling that the daily chapel because the whole of salisbury cathedral is seen as a lady chapel and so that eastern chapel is not called that so we give thanks on this day for yehudi menuhin and the way in which he taught us to care not only for music and creativity but for things of the earth um i mentioned gerald darryl and we ought to introduce you to two creatures who were bred from the tortoises of gerald daryl here they are bring them out on this morning to remind us of my family and other animals where tortoises are very much part of things so here they both are here's athene and here's achilles and they are bred from the tortoises of gerald durrell and so that's a nice connection with menuen having uh commissioned a piece a violin concerto that he could play the proceeds could go to wild things and the gerald darrell trust as well so you too sorry i've taken you from your home just to remind the people that we have this lovely connection with the daryl's and here you base are looking perfectly placid and it's not too cold a morning for you but i'll put you back now in your basket amongst the straw so you can be comfortable again so here among the nets and amongst the the things of the lakeside reminding us of the lord's invitation come and have breakfast and the recognition that's there but there's more to come because tomorrow that invitation and that recognition of the lord carries with it then a commission and that we shall see still by the lakeside and at the same time we shall be remembering his always his present tense amongst us i am and the first time of course that those words become important uh moses when he sees the bush burning i'm sitting next actually to this cottiness which is generally known as a burning bush it's just beginning to to leaf and fire and it becomes very evident eventually why it's called a burning bush but it was near that burning bush just as near the brazia that the presence the divine presence god himself speaking to moses i am who i am and here beside the brazia jesus in the present tense being recognized as the i am he they don't he doesn't need to say it the disciples know that and with that comes a commission to take that gift forward but that's for tomorrow let's then say our prayers for today and we are praying for today uh the in the anglican communion the diocese of lafayette in the church of nigeria the abuja province and in our own diocese for justin our archbishop for rose bishop of dover for emma bishop at lambeth and today for the favisham benefits of churches the church isn't mary of charity saint mary magdalene is in lawrence saint peter and st paul and sin catherine all the favisham churches and the clergy there simon rollins and daniel corcoran and we're praying to for auspringe church of england primary school and mary of charity church of england primary school this morning so let's bring our own prayers from across the world and use the easter college on this morning this friday morning of easter lord of all life and power who through the mighty resurrection of your son overcame the old order of sin and death to make all things new in him grant that we being dead to sin and alive to you in jesus christ may reign with him in glory to whom with you in the holy spirit be praise and honor glory and might now and in all eternity amen so 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 forever and ever are men the moment i think of the words uh stranger on the shore i'm taken back many years now to a clarinetist called akkabilk who played in jazz music in bristol and he wrote a a clarinet solo called stranger on the shore i think it was written probably for a television series which told a story of of someone here coming here from france and then getting lost but the tune was called stranger on the shore so when one thinks of jesus on the shore i always think of that clarinet tune of of of akabilk uh long ago now but it reached oh high high chart numbers in fact i think it may become may become number one it was a very popular tune but um we ourselves now are going to have time for reflection on this particular day huh [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] hmm [Music] oh [Music] hmm [Music] [Applause] [Music] mm-hmm [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] hmm [Music] [Music] me [Music] 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 upon you upon those whom you love and those whom you would pray for today and always are men well you've been a very patient boy this morning haven't you even when the tortoises were here you get on with very well so let me say to you tiger come and have breakfast and we'll do that we'll take achilles and athenia back got to do the riddle i'm being reminded i'd forgotten so yesterday uh we i do lots of work but only when there is something in my eye i've not looked at the the uh answer to that and at the moment i don't know what the answer is ah i don't think fletcher has it either it's a needle which is quite clever really and then i fly away as soon as you set me loose people around you may slowly move away once they sense my presence what am i well i think that um you can probably recognize that uh it's not a very seemly thing to say at breakfast time so that that uh sound of passing wind from you uh is exactly what uh we are saying and so that uh is not the the most tasteful answer i'm sorry about that okay let's uh let's um oh two more let's say yep i sleep when you are awake i am awake when you fall asleep i can fly but have no feathers to aid my flight what am i and i am all around you but you cannot see me i have no throat but can roar i am welcome during the summer but despised in the winter what am i so we try that for tomorrow now we've got no book this morning because of course we finished yesterday with the wren but we'll try and find another so that we get a nice sense of on this earth day something that we can enjoy reading together but for the moment have a good day yourselves thank you