[Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] so [Music] so good morning and welcome on this sunday the 6th of december to the dinery garden at canterbury cathedral as we come to say our morning prayers this is the second sunday of advent and be welcome right across the world wherever you are bring your own concerns and intentions as we say our prayers on this sunday morning it's also december the 6th is the feast of saint nicholas and we shall say a lot about that later but uh it would normally be this weekend would normally be a great festival of saint nicholas with saint nicholas arriving with processions but of course all these things have been paused during this pandemic so we can remember that and remember our old friend jim rosenthal who's saint nicholas's ambassador in england and was the foundation and inspiration for the great saint nicholas festival here and so we hope by next year that we shall be up and uh in procession again with drums and music through the city as saint nicholas is welcomed at this weekend uh at the same time there are other things we need to think of in our calendar of trees today we are thinking of the willow tree in all its forms now some of them are indigenous to england like this goat willow or willow the one with the golden leaves here on my left your right not the walnut which is in front of it but still some leaves on that but probably the most famous so not an indigenous willow but has been here for centuries and centuries is the weeping willow the huge weeping willow behind me and we think of that that celix babylonica it's called in its latin really because of that phrase from the psalm 137 by the waters of babylon we sat down and wept when we remembered you o zion as for our harps we hung them on the trees and not only were those trees thought to be willows because it was known that willow weeping willow came from the east in fact they came from china but babylon was well into the east but at the same time the harp was the box of the heart was made from willow wood and so all of that gave it its name now the weeping willow behind me is about the last tree to lose its leaf and the first to gain it it's the most versatile tree in the garden and we're used to it in so many ways we'll think about that later if we look back on some of the dates and times on this december the 6th we find interestingly that in 1768 the first edition of encyclopedia britannica was published in edinburgh it reminds us of how many books we used to need to look up simple facts and then get lost in them trying to to follow it up and now the small machine in our pocket gives us most of the facts straight away in 1790 the u.s congress moved from new york city to philadelphia and on this same date in 1884 december the 6th the washington monument in dc was completed so both symbols of government and then in 1989 a sad event the ecole polytechnique in montreal an anti-feminist murdered 14 young women studying there and it's become a national day of remembrance and action on violence against women in canada and part also of our 16 days of gender ben based violence against women which we are going through now in our prayers and thoughts 1991 the city of beautiful city of dubrovnik in croatia which had seen the most peaceful and historic holiday resort had enjoyed a seven-month siege in that terrible war by the yugoslav people's army and on this day it was bombarded happily that city is restored and rebuilt and peaceful and then also on this day in 2010 a record price for any printed book seven million three hundred and twenty one thousand two hundred and fifty pounds was paid at sotheby's for a first edition and it was a first edition of john james odubon's birds of america wonderful thing to think of in a beautifully illustrated book still sold in in copies all the time we were awakened uh not by lots of noise but by a a quiet sound of busyness outside the the eastern windows of the deanery from our very good neighbors next door the boys of lineker house because they are all up and about already because they're on a sponsored row from 6am to 6pm all in their year group bubbles so that our friends matt and tara lister mounts the housemaster there were up and about organizing them for this very exciting day which is an aid of diversity house and we put a link on for that charity it's a wonderful charity based at sitting born near here and it's all about community building and cohesion in a multitude of different ways and so have a look at that but we we uh wish well for all the boys of lineker as they do that sponsored row today and this is of course the last weekend of the term so we shall be saying goodbye to all our pupils from the school around us uh this week and you may hear some of them going to breakfast because i'm sitting very near the wall here where the the goat willow is is situated so let's begin our prayers on this particular morning 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 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 one advent candle is already burning and now on this second sunday of the four i light the second our psalm this morning on this sixth day of the month is psalm 30 i will exalt you o lord because you have raised me up and have not let my foes triumph over me o lord my god i cried out to you and you have healed me you brought me up o lord from the dead you restored me to life from among those that go down to the pit sing to the lord you servants of his give thanks to his holy name for his roast endures but the twinkling of an eye his favor for a lifetime heaviness may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning in my prosperity i said i shall never be moved you lord of your goodness have made my hill so strong and then you hid your face from me and i was utterly to you o lord i cried to the lord i made my supplication what prophet is there in my blood if i go down to the pit will the dust praise you or declare your faithfulness hear o lord and have mercy upon me o lord be my helper you have turned my morning into dancing you have put off my sackcloth and girded me with gladness therefore my heart sings to you without ceasing o lord my god i will give you thanks forever so this morning this second sunday of advent of course gives us a special lesson and we're back right at the beginning of the gospel of saint luke which we studied day by day for over a month back in the late spring and we're starting in chapter one and with verse five in the days of herod king of judea there was a priest named zechariah of the division of abijah and he had a wife from the daughters of aaron and her name was elizabeth and they were both righteous before god walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the lord but they had no child because elizabeth was barren and both were advanced in years now while zechariah was serving as priest before god when his division was on duty according to the custom of the priesthood he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the lord and burn incense and the whole multitude of the people were praying outside the hour of incense and there appeared to him an angel of the lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense zechariah was troubled when he saw him and fear fell upon him but the angel said to him do not be afraid zechariah for your prayer has been heard and your wife elizabeth will bear you a son and you shall call his name john and you will have joy and gladness and many will rejoice at his birth for he will be great before the lord and he must not drink wine or strong drink and he will be filled with the holy spirit even from his mother's womb and he will turn many of the children of israel to the lord their god and he will go before him in the spirit and power of elijah to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just to make ready for the lord a people prepared zechariah said to the angel how shall i know this for i am an old man and my wife is advanced in years and the angel answered him i am gabriel i stand in the presence of god and i was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news and behold you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their time it's a powerful lesson and of course we could go on with the story for that lesson is the preface to the story of the whole birth of christ our feast of the nativity which these four advent candles us up towards but let's just think of that scene before ever we consider the importance of the birth of john the baptist here is zechariah in old age and as far as he is concerned he is fulfilling his duty in course as a priest according to the customs of his division of the priesthood luke has it all right and he of the division of abijah he and his wife both of the priestly line and elizabeth well beyond the age of child bearing and zechariah absolutely at his post in the old dispensation where he should be coming towards the end of things as far as he is concerned and having with his wife kept the faith and they're given that wonderful attestation of both being faithful and righteous people outside again in course as it happened day by day all the people were waiting for the smoke to rise from the altar of incense and then they would receive the blessing from zechariah it was a happy day for him but in the middle of this fulfillment of everything that was righteous and faithful in the old dispensation in which our lord would be born and in which also he would live out his own life as he himself became god for us in our humanity zechariah is visited by the angel gabriel and the angel gives him a message of good news which he in old age and thinking of his wife in old age cannot receive so a sign is also given he is unable to speak until the moment of faithfulness comes when the name which the angel has told him will be given to his newborn son is marked out by him on a tablet because he's unable to speak and the boy has been born and the neighbors are saying well you can't call him john because everyone in your family is is called by different names his father is called zechariah and that's where we go but instead of course zechariah writes out in faithfulness and obedience his name is john and the sign ends and zechariah is able to speak but the most important thing is that this morning we see how even when in old age zechariah and he's speaking on behalf of his wife and knowing what she would say too i think well no our time is done and instead god chooses them unexpectedly to be the starting point in this moment of faithfulness in the temple if you like the writing of obedience on the wax tablet by uh zechariah is actually a moment of fruitful faithfulness and from that all things can can grow in ways which are completely miraculous well this is saint nicholas day as well and uh no doubt in those lands particularly in holland in germany when sinterklaas in holland is is welcomed by all the children bringing gifts as well as good news this is a very exciting day and here too it ought to be an exciting day of preparation in fact at our eucharist later on this haydn's nicholas mass is being sung as a sign of honoring this day but i remember in the past at past nicholas festival so 18 years ago or so we had benjamin britton's nicholas performed and that cantata involves the people in the church as well as the um folk who are actually singing and playing in the orchestra and singing in the choir it becomes a cantata of um easy performance within a church and that's how it was meant it was first performed in 1948 in alba parish church and it's a a cantata of massive excitement with a wonderful script by eric crozier but it's actually calling the people to respond to the story of saint nicholas and the the episodes which crozier draws for us are of the legends of the saints life of course nicholas was in historic character he was the bishop of myra a greek saint and he lived from 270 to 343 a.d and on this day december the 6th in 343 he died but at that time legends grew up about him of the way in which he had benefited people so much so that he became the patron saint of of children particularly children in need of sailors in at sea in danger of prisoners in prison and his signs became legends and in in britain's cantata crozier gives them the words let the legends that we tell praise him with our praise as well we keep his memory alive in legends that our children and their children's children tell so much so of course that this week um father christmas was a a worry for so many children during the pandemic and so the very first thing that that the the advisor on on health and vaccinations had to say was that the very first person to be vaccinated tomorrow morning when the vaccinations begin to roll out here in england would be father christmas or saint nicholas and those legends tell wonderful things so that's cantata then calls people in to worship in two ways the singing of the hymn all people that on earth do dwell when saint nicholas is made bishop of myra and perhaps more powerfully right at the end of the story after that line in legends that our children and their children's children tell the hymn and it's a wonderful hymn which most of you will know god moves in a mysterious way his wonders to perform he plants his footsteps on the sea and rides upon the storm deep in unfathomable minds of never failing skill he treasures up his bright designs and works his sovereign will ye fearful saints fresh courage take the clouds you so much dread are big with mercy and shall break in blessings on your head well that's a a wonderful hymn in terms of seeing god's purposes in all creation but unexpectedly at the time we least expect them as zechariah and elizabeth found as they were called on to begin the way in which our lord jesus christ would start his story and said luke paints that picture so well that as we read it we are drawn into it and hopefully given the same response of faith we've talked about benjamin britain across this weekend and also we've talked about christina rossetti yesterday and as i sit here surrounded by the willows remembering that the willow is very often called an english palm and used to be used here where no palm trees grow on palm sunday with people waving the willows there's a nice poem by christina rosetti which is called in the willow shade it's a long one so i'll just begin it and the rest you may find i sat beneath a willow tree where water falls and calls while fences upon fancies solaced me some true and some were false who set their heart upon a hope that never comes to pass droop in the end like fading heliotrope the sun's one looking glass who set their hope upon a whim clung to through good and ill are wrecked to like whether they sink or swim or hit or miss their will all things are vain that wax or wane for which we waste our breath love only does not wane and is not vain love only outlives death it's very like her little verse love came down at christmas love all lovely love divine love was born at christmas star and angels gave the sign and here is zechariah beginning that christmas story for us just one last thing before we begin our prayers on this day in 1273 thomas aquinas who had written so many many many many books on uh theology and was working at his greatest work the summary of theology the summer theologiae was celebrating mass in naples in his dominican monastery and he experienced a moment of ecstasy which he the angelic doctor of all those words could not describe because right at the end of his life it was a zechariah moment and afterwards when his emanuensis who was about to start writing with the dictation of the completion of the summer took up the quill to write thomas said no i'm not writing anymore after the experience i've had all my work seems like straw and we're told also that in another vision the lord came to him and said thomas you have written well about me what do you want is your reward and thomas responded only you lord that at the end of so many words and only silence like zechariah could express the vision that he had had takes us straight to 2 corinthians 12 with saint paul's own vision of being lifted into heaven and words can't even begin to describe it so he doesn't he just says that he'd have that experience all of us must be ready for the mysterious ways in which god works through situations oh so unexpected at any time of life so on this as we sit under the shade of the willow tree it's a healing tree from which aspirin has been developed these things which are found in our trees which heal and and take pain away we are praying this morning for the reformed episcopal church of spain in the extra provincial care of the archbishop of canterbury and carlos lopez lozano the bishop of the spanish reformed episcopal church and uh so we remember all of our folk in um in in spain and pray for them and we remember also that our friend nancy mead in the states is one of the cannons of that church because she is an inveterate pilgrim along the camino and they are at the moment um finding a place of hospitality for pilgrims going there to santiago along the camino and then also um we pray of course for this diocese of canterbury for justin our archbishop for rose bishop of dover who is preaching here this morning at the cathedral eucharist and tim bishop at lambeth and today we're praying for the work of the rural business chaplain in the diocese chris hodgkins who was at one stage one of our virgins here looking after us in canterbury cathedral so bring your own prayers as we pray together here under the willow on this particular morning the second sunday of advent and the feast of saint nicholas i'm going to use his collect first and then the collect of advent itself almighty father lover of souls who chose your servant nicholas to be a bishop in the church that he might give freely out of the treasures of your grace make us mindful of the needs of others and as we have received so teach us also to give through jesus christ our lord amen the advent collect 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 in the last day when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living 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 one god now and forever are men so in each of our languages across the world and however we like to say it 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 moment of silence now is the thrush things for our own prayers 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 oh knocked the table and frightened you now sorry leo and you've been so faithful as a worshiper this morning as well i think you slightly cross