good evening and welcome to canterbury cathedral as this day sunday the 6th of september draws to a close and i've chosen to come and say compliment with you here in the location where we began the weekend yesterday morning and this has been a weekend in our worship as with the story of jonah this morning where god's care of his creation humanity and his creatures and the plant life with jonah having a lesson about the the shrub that he was sheltering under all of those things have become part of our journey but at the same time it's been a wonderful day for us here in the cathedral because the music of the live choir sounded again for the first time since march the 16th when we last sang coral even song the pandemic had ceased all singing and a few weeks ago we began to have live music from the organ but today the choir returned and there was a wonderful feeling of the lockdown easing more of course that won't be quite complete until we ourselves can sing hymns together but here at the end of the day we also remember that this day is the 400th anniversary of the setting out of the ship mayflower with the pilgrims on board from plymouth in 1620 on a pilgrimage which had great dangers for them but which they also themselves had a great sense of vision about going to start a community according to the way in which they wanted to worship god and be a community dedicated to him in a new world it's one of the visions of the founding of what became the united states of america and we give thanks for that voyage which contained canterbury people on board and the way in which the pilgrims then landed and began to get used to the creatures and crops and plants and also to all those around them who lived there already for in a sense they were guests of another land as well as for them finding a new world for their community we give thanks for all of that and as we think of the native birds of north america perhaps looking around here and there are five young turkeys here we remember that they were part of the the new bird life that they found there and the turkey of course is still a major part of their thanksgiving ceremony for those harvests that they were going to create so on this day let's give thanks for journeying and the way in which journeys come from vision and pilgrimage is something that doesn't just happen with someone walking to holy places not even happen necessarily physically it can be a mental journey of discovery it can certainly be a spiritual journey of discovery and very often it is a physical journey of discovery in so many different ways as we say compliment together think of journeys in your life that you have made journeys that have formed you and give thanks for them in the silences and regular psalms that we shall use this six months during which we've had no choral singing has been a journey for all of us in lockdown and in the easing of that lockdown in new ways of behaving and looking after one another and at the same time the sense of thanksgiving and not any longer taking for granted things that we just saw as an ordinary part of daily life and which we are still missing and much of that speaks about physical being in community one with another so for tonight virtually we can be together and wherever you are in the world we can say our prayers together in the constant theme of this weekend of giving thanks for god's creatures and creation and the beauty of his world and also the joys and sorrows of journeys that we have made and perhaps still intend to make as the days unfold let's begin our compliment the lord almighty grant us a quiet night and the perfect end amen be sober be vigilant because your adversary the devil as a roaring lion walketh about seeking whom he may devour whom resist steadfast in the faith but thou o lord have mercy upon us thanks be to god our help is in the name of the lord who has made heaven and earth in a moment of silence we recall things for which we are sorry and in a moment our words will make an act of confession and receive forgiveness we confess to god almighty the father the son and the holy ghost before the whole company of heaven that we have sinned exceedingly in thought word and deed through our fault our own fault our own grievous fault therefore we pray god to have mercy upon us almighty god have mercy upon us forgive us all our sins and bring us to everlasting life amen turn us oh god our savior and let thine anger cease from us oh 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 see we use tonight verses from psalm 4 and psalm 134 hear me when i call oh god of my righteousness thou has set me at liberty when i was in trouble have mercy upon me and hearken unto my prayer oh you sons of men how long will he blaspheme my honor and have such pleasure in vanity and seek after leasing notice also that the lord has chosen to himself the one that is godly when i call upon the lord he will hear me stand in awe and sin not commune with your own heart and in your chamber and be still offer the sacrifice of righteousness and put your trust in the lord there be many that say who will show us any good lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us thou has put gladness in my heart since the time that their corn and wine and oil increased i will lay me down in peace and take my rest for it is thou lord only that makes me dwell in safety 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 behold now praise the lord all ye servants of the lord ye that by night stand in the house of the lord even in the courts of the house of our god lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the lord the lord that made heaven and earth give the blessing out of zion 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 thou o lord out in the midst of us and we are called by thy name leave us not o lord our god thanks be to god into thy hands o lord i commend my spirit for thou hast redeemed me o lord thou god of truth glory be to the father and to the son and to the holy ghost into thy hands o lord i commend my spirit before the ending of the day creator of the world we pray that with thy wanted favor thou wouldst be our guard and keeper now from all ill dreams defend our eyes from nightly fears and fantasies trade underfoot our ghostly foe that no pollution we may know oh father that we ask be done through jesus christ thine only son who with the holy ghost and thee doth live and reign eternally amen keep me o lord as the apple of an eye hide me under the shadow of thy wings so as the evening draws on we light our evening candle in memory of all those who have formed us and have made us what we are as human beings but also as people of faith and as we give thanks for them we ask god to keep them in life and in death rest eternal grant unto them oh lord and let light perpetual shine upon them may they rest in peace and rise in glory amen lord now let's just start thy servant depart in peace according to thy word for mine eyes have seen thy salvation which thou hast 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 save us our lord while waking and guard us while sleeping that awake we may watch with christ and asleep we may rest in peace 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 for thine is the kingdom the power and the glory forever and ever amen we will lay us down in peace and take our rest blessed art thou o lord god of our forebears and to be praised and glorified forever let us bless the father and the son and the holy ghost let us praise and exalt him above all forever blessed art thou o lord in the firmament of heaven and to be praised and glorified and exalted above all forever the almighty and merciful lord guard us and give us his blessing our men fought safe oh lord to keep us this night without sin o lord have mercy upon us have mercy upon us oh lord let thy mercy lighten upon us as our trust is in thee lord hear our prayer and let our cry come unto thee let us pray visit we beseech thee oh lord our homes and drive far from them all the snares of the enemy let thy holy angels dwell herein to preserve us in peace and may thy blessing be upon us ever more through jesus christ our lord amen oh lord who by triumphing over the power of darkness did prepare our place in the new jerusalem grant us who have this day given thanks for thy resurrection to praise thee in the eternal city whereof thou art the light where with the father and the holy ghost our livest and rhaenist one god world without end amen be present o merciful god and protect us through the silent hours of this night so that we who are wearied by the changes and chances of this fleeting world may repose upon thy eternal changelessness through jesus christ our lord amen for a moment of silence now as we make our own evening prayers remembering those whom we love and those whom we would pray for watch thou dear lord with those who wake or watch or weep tonight and give thine angels charge over those who sleep tend thy sick ones o lord christ rest thy weary ones bless thy dying ones soothe thy suffering ones pity thine afflicted ones and all for thy love's sake amen 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 tonight and always amen [Applause] uh ah a prayer of sir francis drake disturb us lord when we are too well pleased with ourselves when our dreams have come true because we have dreamed too little when we arrived safely because we sailed too close to the shore disturb us lord when with the abundance of things we possess we have lost our thirst for the waters of life having fallen in love with life we have ceased to dream of eternity and in our efforts to build a new world we have allowed our vision of the new heaven to dim disturb us lord to dare more boldly to venture on wider seas where storms will show your mastery where losing sight of land we shall find the stars we ask you to push back the horizons of our hopes and to push into the future in strength courage hope and love amen [Music] uh that's [Music] uh