good morning and welcome on this last day of november welcome to the dinery garden here in canterbury cathedral on this monday morning as we say our morning prayers and it's in andrew's day so happy is sint andrews day and i suppose uh happy day to all who are in scotland today despite the restrictions for saint andrew is a patron saint but sin andrew the apostle of course is a major figure in the christian calendar and this year the very first saint that we celebrate on the first ordinary day of a new christian year yesterday advent sunday began a new christian year this is all also of course national tree week and yesterday i was sitting beside the horn beam on which we concentrated and today an english tree the beech tree a little beech tree that was planted here as part of this long hedgerow that we planted 10 years ago of a native species of trees so we have here the beach and the field maple and the hawthorne and the black thorn and the dog rose and the hazel and in ten years it's thickened out uh more slowly than those in the absolute sunshine because they have a tree canopy above it or the the bay tree and the ash tree and the cherry trees and that means you get lovely layers of biodiversity for the birds right down from the top of the trees to the ground but nevertheless this hedge has now come into its own and the beech tree still has some leaves on it and they're showing color on this autumn morning which is very still and typical of an awesome morning as we sit to say our prayers let me just start with a message of huge congratulation right across the world to canon sam van kulin who was for many years the secretary general of the anglican communion and today just after having celebrated his 90th birthday recently he is celebrating the 65th anniversary of his ordination so we send massive congratulations to sam he's a dear friend here and was actually living here in one of the houses of the precincts when i came here first but now he lives in washington dc and is a in normal times a regular attender at the national cathedral there so we give thanks for his long ministry and all the wisdom and advice that he gives and also we give thanks for uh his he was a a native of of hawaii uh and this is a day as you'll see in a moment when we we celebrate a hawaii event as well but for now the emphasis on sam i don't know what 65 years is it's midway between diamond and platinum and that that is a day when i hope you're having a happy day sam when the sun dawns in washington dc i know the whole communion will want to give thanks for your long ministry and particularly as their secretary general so also this is the birthday in 1874 of winston churchill and we could say so much about that statesman he was born at venom palace on this day and he had to wait 66 years for his hour to come in 1940 when he became prime minister of this nation at a time of enormous tension and stress at the beginning of the second world war 1508 the sculptor uh an architect rather andrea palladio was born i guess he was given that name because it was saint andrew's day and uh he is massively well known for the architectural books he wrote four books of architecture say that he's given his name to the palladian style but if you go to venice you will see a marvelous example of that examples of that in palaces and in churches and i remember we visited and it was a surprise to me because i didn't quite know where we were going a few years ago the church of san giorgio maggiore and there in venice just across the water on that island you see the most stunning examples of long palladian arcades and dimensions so we give thanks for him on this day and we remember that in 1821 archbishop of canterbury later frederick temple was born father of william temple who also became archbishop uh he became archbishop in 1896 having been born in 1821. well you can do the maths and he said to queen victoria when he was appointed um i think i may be too old to begin this job ma'am and she was uh said to have replied nonsense you can do it in two afternoons a week i don't think archbishop dustin welby would quite agree with that but he of course the archbishop of canterbury frederick temple at the beginning of the 20th century enthroned king edward vii mark twain was born on this day in 1835 best known for tom sawyer huckleberry finn but a host of other books and the english composer thomas wilkes whose music we constantly sing here was born in uh sorry died in 1623 those names that we're remembering oscar wilde died in 1900 in poverty in paris we've mentioned him and used his quotes so often but there's a quote of that time when he said to a friend i'm here dying beyond my means which is a sad statement for one whose entertainments we still so much enjoy terence ratigan the playwright died on this day in 1977 as well and he's probably best known for the winslow boy i could i could go on it was on this day in 93 that schindler's list premiered with the enormous lesson there and in 2018 george h.w bush the 41st president of the united states who was also the patron of the friends of canterbury cathedral in the united states died and we remember a wonderful occasion with him and with barbara and with the cathedral choir in houston and their church of saint martin they worshipped him uh almost to the end so we give thanks for him and his statesmanship through the the time of his political service but also his connection here with canterbury cathedral and sitting by the hedge here uh i want to remember jocelyn brooke the the writer of the military orchid and various other books who was born in kent and who loved the build the village of bishops born in the elam valley there and not only did he have really happy childhood memories of kent at that time but he came back to live there in ivy cottage and his books reflect all the beauty and and loveliness of of kent at that time he was a free spirit and twice he had been put here by his father wine merchant who uh in in in our king school here which was a tough regime in those days and he ran away twice but then found happiness it be jails which gave him a much freer regime at that time and so uh that's what we remember so let's begin our prayers with all those dates in mind but i said there was a hawaiian date as well and we remembered the the hawaiians national day a little bit back two or three days ago but in 1849 king kamehameha the fourth had a state visit to england and to france and to europe and was greeted with full honors by the president of france at that time who later became emperor napoleon iii and also by prince albert and the prime minister here with great honours queen victoria was in seclusion ready for the birth of her next child but she later became the godmother by proxy to the king and queen emma of hawaii as a child and their son and so we remember that close connection with the independent kingdom of hawaii at that time so let's say our prayers 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 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 our psalm on this morning of the month the last morning of the month is psalm 145 it's a long psalm so i'm using just some verses from it now i will exalt you oh god my king and bless your name forever and ever every day will i bless you and praise your name forever and ever the lord is loving to everyone and his mercy is over all his creatures all your works praise you o lord and your faithful servants bless you they tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your mighty power to make known to all peoples your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of your kingdom your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom your dominion endures throughout all ages the lord is sure in all his words and faithful in all his deeds the lord upholds all those who fall and lifts up all those who are bowed down the eyes of all wait upon you o lord and you give them their food in due season you open wide your hand and fill all things living with plenty the lord is righteous in all his ways and loving in all his works the lord is near to those who call upon him to all who call upon him faithfully he fulfills the desire of those who fear him he hears their cry and saves them so on this sint andrews day we have a special lesson and we are in the gospel of saint john and towards the end of the ministry of jesus and he is in the temple courtyard really in the last days of his life on earth before betrayal and he is teaching the people that it's chapter 12 and we are starting at verse 20 and the people are standing around jesus teaching in the courtyard of the temple and the disciples are there amongst them and among them too is andrew now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some greeks so these came to philip who was from bethsaida in galilee and asked him sir we wish to see jesus philip went and told andrew andrew and philip went and told jesus and jesus answered them the hour has come for the son of man to be glorified truly truly i say to you unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies it remains alone but if it dies it bears much fruit whoever loves their life loses it and whoever hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life if anyone serves me they must follow me and where i am there will my servant be also if anyone serves me the father will honor them now is my soul troubled and what shall i say father save me from this hour but for this purpose i have come to this hour father glorify your name then a voice came from heaven i have glorified it and i will glorify it again the crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered and others said an angel has spoken to him jesus answered this voice has come for your sake not mine now is the judgment of this world now will the ruler of this world be cast out and i when i am lifted up from the earth will draw all people to myself that is i will explain is an intensely important passage for this cathedral church of christ and it is so because it is on that scene in the outer temple courtyard surrounded not only by people of his own nation but foreigners who had come simply to be in that part of the temple where they were allowed and were listening to him it's on that scene that our mission statement to show people jesus four words that's all and it's on that scene that that mission statement is based so it's poignant to read it on this day but we're reading it because of the role of andrew in all that at the eucharist of course the gospel is of the call of andrew and we remember first and foremost that in john's gospel it's andrew who goes to find his brother simon whom jesus will call peter and it's by the by phillip who goes to find his friend nathaniel but let's stay with andrew for andrew often has this role of noticing those on the outside and first and foremost the invitation to come and see jesus to simon peter who became so crucial in the ministry was given by andrew and on other occasions in the gospel andrew has the same kind of role of noticing things it's andrew in st john's gospel when the feeding of the 5000 takes place and where the disciples are saying where where shall we find bread to feed so many he says well there is a lad here with five barley loaves and two fishes and it's as though he's noticing what's going on in the outskirts and again on this occasion in the temple when uh the the greeks who are rather shy approach first of all on the outskirts of the crowd philip who's got a greek name and uh maybe they'd been talking and they say sir we would like to see jesus and philip himself doesn't take them to jesus it's andrew the fisherman from the sea of galilee whose call with simon his brother and with the two sons of zebedee james and john are recounted first in the three gospels matthew mark and luke it's andrew who goes to tell jesus there are those who want to see him and that they are foreigners if you like who come in just as this place fills up and when we're not in the middle of a lockdown with people from all over the world with many questions and generally it's not the clergy that get those questions it's it's those who are welcomers on the outskirts or people giving a friendly smile who look as though they belong and the encouragement then passes from face to face until the question is being asked gets to the right person who can give the right answer and no question is too small to be noticed for the last thing anyone wants especially in their journey of faith is to be smiled our at for asking a silly question there are no silly questions on the journey of faith questions that seem simple much later in life might seem complicated and vice versa and here is andrew going to jesus and this statement about uh um here some people come to see you prompts an immediate response from jesus the hour has come so many times in in john's gospel you get the statement my hour has not yet come here at this moment the hour has come and it's andrew who prompts it and then jesus gives the the the meat of the story and talks about again always using natural illustrations with the grain of wheat falling on the ground and seeming to die an image of himself an image of many who will follow him but in dying rises to something far far more glorious for those in this life and the next and so looking back on andrew who traditionally was martyred we remember how his life falling to the ground has now blossomed in so many and completely different ways but let's remember him most on this day as an encourager of those who are questing his eyes noticed them and thought well if i can't answer this question let me take them to the source who will be able to it is the most wonderful ministry and once again it gives us jesus using natural illustrations for nearly everything we hear of him is spoken outside in the fresh air and to people that he can notice and give the right illustration for so the gospel is full of stories of that sort but this is the most crucial and when we chose that as our mission statement we meant it for every member of our staff and community and people who own themselves in some way to have connections with canterbury cathedral because each person will show people jesus in a completely different way and very often our creative staff or our musicians or our librarians or those giving good hospitality in our hotel the gardeners if everyone who so often is helping even the people who are uh coming in and and and uh sweeping the precincts from yesterday's litter and everything else we might think of themselves as doing a really worthwhile job and a friendly presence but they are showing people jesus in a wonderful way when they make them feel at home and comfortable in this place comfortable to ask comfortable to be here comfortable with the quest for things not only physical with our creative powers but mental and spiritual too like the tree canopy down down down and the seed falling and every level feeding the other in biodiversity well this is spiritual biodiversity if you like and it's our job to foster it just it's it's our job to foster the natural creativity of this wonderful place which i hope that if you've never been here and you're watching this one day you will but keep exploring our websites and stay with us because we can help each other in this ministry of encouragement andrew is one of the saints who has a hymn that goes with him which is something which is well known to many and it's a hymn which i love it's one of mrs c.f alexander's hymns and she's best known for there is a green hill far away without a city wall or all things bright and beautiful all creatures great and small all things wise and wonderful the lord god made them all well here's her hymn for saint andrew again we should be singing it but i'll read it to you and those of you who know it may have a tune in your head jesus calls us all the tumult of our life's wild restless sea day by day his sweet voice sounded saying christian follow me as of old saint andrew heard it by the galilean lake turned from home and toil and kindred leaving all for his dear sake jesus calls us from the worship of the vain world's golden store from each idol that would keep us saying christian love me more in our joys and in our stories days of toil and hours of ease still he calls in cares and pleasures christian love me more than these jesus calls us by thy mercies savior may we hear thy call give our hearts to thy obedience serve and love thee best of all so let's say our prayers on this morning of the month the last morning and in the anglican communion we're praying for the diocese of cicondi in the province of west africa and bishop alexander asthma there and the diocese of eastern michigan in the episcopal church of the united states and todd oozley the bishop bear and his people and here in our own diocese we are beginning to see winter on the way so we're playing on this last day of november for all those who are setting up winter shelters and those places where the homeless and people outside at present can feel warm and secure and helped with encouragement at this time so to all those um we give our prayers and thoughts this morning it's also um a day when this morning we've had of the death of the father of our next-door neighbor and uh archie and stephen who lives next door here over the garden wall shall we say and his wife julie went north because stephen's father in his dream old age was was sick and sadly during the night he's died so we pray for the repose of the souls of with the soul of ron stephen's father and also for joyce his widow now and we give thanks for ron's life and pray for stephen and julianism as they measure all the way back down through england through here following um being thankfully with them during this time [Music] so let's uh pray first the prayer of sin andrew's day and then the advent prayer and bring your own prayers where ever you are in the world and your concerns at this time almighty god who gave such grace to your apostles and andrew that he readily obeyed the call of your son jesus christ and brought his brother with him call us by your holy word and give us grace to follow you without delay and to tell the good news of your kingdom through jesus christ our lord amen and the advent caller colleagues almighty god give us grace to 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 on the last day when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge the living and the dead we may rise to the life immortal through him who gave his life for us all but now is alive and reigns with you in the unity of the holy spirit one god now and forever are men so as russell arrives with his wives and we will say the prayer our savior taught us in our own languages 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 our own prayers on this cint andrews day christ the son of righteousness shine upon you scatter the darkness from before your path and make you ready to meet him when he comes in glory 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 amen well rustled here you are you've arrived how are you russell seems always to come when saint peter is mentioned and his crow this morning was very apt and well timed thank you right