welcome to canterbury cathedral as good friday begins to draw to a close we're going to say some short evening prayers to complete our day though the reflections and services that we've used throughout the day will be left there on the website throughout today and tomorrow for you to use as you will this is the beginning of the evening prayer from the book of common prayer we shall start that and then use a psalm and then i shall read a passage from the gospel of saint john and then in our prayers we shall continue to think as we have done throughout today of all the suffering throughout the world at this time of coronavirus and of all those especially in frontline care in medicine and caring homes and hospices and intensive care units in every nation and the risk that people run in doing that the danger that they place themselves in oh lord open thou our lips and our mouth shall show forth thy praise oh god make speed to save us oh lord make haste to help us the traditional psalm for this day is psalm 22 the opening sentences are the words which jesus used as a cry almost of desolation on the cross my god my god look upon me why has sal forsaken me and are so far from my health and from the words of my complaint oh my god i cry in the daytime but thou hearest not and in the night season also i take no rest and thou continuous holy o thy worship of israel our fathers hoped in me they trusted in thee and now just deliver them they called upon me and were open they put their trust in me and were not confounded but as for me i am a worm and no man a very scorn of men and the outcast of the people all they that see me laugh me to scorn they shoot out their lips and shake their heads saying he trusted in god that he would deliver him let him deliver him if he will have him but thou art he that took me out of my mother's womb thou wast my hope when i hang yet upon my mother's breasts i have been left unto thee ever since i was born thou art my god even from my mother's womb oh go not far from me for trouble is hard at hand and there is none to help me i am poured out like water and all my bones are out of joint my heart also in the midst of my body is even like melting wax my strength is dried up like a pot shard and my tongue cleaveth to my gums and thou shalt bring me to the dust of death before many dogs are come about to me and the council of the wicked layeth siege against me they pierced my hands and my feet i may tell all my bones they stand staring and looking upon me they part my garments among them and cast lots upon my vesture but be not thou far from me o lord thou art my sucker haste thee to help me i'm going to read some verses from the gospel of john which carry on from the verses i read in the last reflection earlier in the day chapter 19 verse 31 since it was the day of preparation in order to prevent the bodies from remaining on the cross on the sabbath for that sabbath was a high day the jews asked pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away so the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who had been crucified with jesus but when they came to jesus himself and saw that he was already dead they did not break his legs but one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear and at once there came out blonde and water he who saw it has borne witness his testimony is true and he knows that he tells the truth that you also may believe for these things took place that the scripture might be fulfilled not a bone of him shall be broken and again another scripture says they shall look on him whom they have pierced after this joseph of arimathea who was a disciple of jesus but secretly for fear of the jews asked pilate that he might take away the body of jesus and pilate gave him leave so joseph came and took away his body nicodemus also who had at first come to jesus by night came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes about a hundred pounds weight they took the body of jesus bound it in linen cloths with the spices as is the burial custom of the jews now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden and in the garden a new tomb where no one had ever been laid so because of the jewish day of preparation as the tomb was close at hand they laid jesus there two disciples powerful men members of the council who at the death of jesus suddenly get courage to come and do the one that they respected had trusted had believed in secretly because of their fear of the others they gain the courage to come and ask the roman governor whether they might take away the body of jesus they do all this reverently and spending a great amount on the spices and scents that they are going to place with the body in the tomb this looks like a temporary arrangement while the day of preparation takes place but when they have done so then the tomb is closed and in a way our day our observance closes and we come to a pause a silence as the three days which jesus had prophesied take place tomorrow would be the sabbath and then would come the first day of the week at this time of coronavirus even today on this good friday separated from each other as we are we are looking at intensely painful pictures of many many burials hastily done in the city of new york people for whom there is no family people who are unclaimed by others uncared for by others and buried so that there may be space for others it's an unheard of thing in our time but we live in very dangerous and special times when we have to take care of each other most carefully even though they cannot be buried with the kind of dignity and space that is normally given to the observance of grief nevertheless we can pray for them because every one of them is known to god made in his image there is no unknown soul being buried who is not recognized as unique and special and so in our prayers we remember them but also remember all those whom we know and would want to pray for tonight and in all this jesus of nazareth the one whom we remember shared our human condition even to death and to the tomb being sealed in an act of finality lord now let us start thy servant depart in peace according to thy word for mine eyes have seen thy salvation which thou has prepared before the face of all people to be a light to lighten the gentiles and to be the glory of thy people israel collect the special prayer for good friday almighty god we beseech thee graciously to behold us thy family for which our lord jesus christ was contented to be betrayed and given up into the hands of wicked men and to suffer death upon the cross who now liveth and reigneth with thee and the holy ghost ever one god world without end amen so we say as good friday comes to a close the prayer which our savior taught us to say in whatever language and in whatever way we would like to say it our father who art in heaven hallowed be thy name thy kingdom come i 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 power the glory forever and ever are men so we keep silence for a moment to say our prayers for those whom we know those whom we love those who are in situations for which we are fearful for their safety and in our prayers we close the distance between us all in the communion of prayer to god so the grace of our lord jesus christ the love of god the fellowship of the holy spirit be with us all this night and evermore amen