good morning and welcome on this friday morning the seventh morning of the month as we gather for our morning prayers in the dinery garden at canterbury cathedral we welcome you from wherever you are in the world on this lovely morning and we remember on this day in our prayers very much the stricken city of beirut and the government government of the lebanon we keep that theme in our prayers as we go through this morning the same time this is a day when the church gives thanks for the life of the hymn writer and translator john mason neal he died on this day in 1866 neil is a person to whom the tradition of singing hymns is a great debt because each of the little latin offices which were said in the benedictine communities and and throughout uh contain a hymn and they change for the seasons in their rhythms and and their their meanings and neil set about translating so many of them and adding them in english to our hymn books so that we give thanks for such hymns as lights abode celestial salem vision whence true peace does spring brighter than the heart can fancy mansion of the highest king oh how glorious are the praises which of the the prophets seeing so many others at the moment we can't sing hymns in our churches for singing is not allowed but one day we shall sing again and we remember the inspiration given to us by john mason neal on this day to let us our prayers may christ the day star dawn in our hearts and triumph over the shades of night blessed are you creator of all to you be praise and glory forever as your dawn renews the face of the earth bringing light and life to all creation may we rejoice in this day you have made as we wake refreshed from the depths of sleep 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 is past 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 seventh morning of the month is psalm 36 sin whispers to the wicked in the depths of their heart there is no fear of god before their eyes they flatter themselves in their own eyes that their abominable sin will not be found out the words of their mouth are unrighteous and full of deceit they have ceased to act wisely and to do good they think out mischief upon their beds and have set themselves in no good way nor do they abhor that which is evil your love o lord reaches to the heavens and your faithfulness to the clouds your righteousness stands like the strong mountains your justice like the great deep you lord shall save both man and beast how precious is your loving mercy o god all mortal flesh shall take refuge under the shadow of your wings they shall be satisfied with the abundance of your house they shall drink from the river of your delights for with you is the well of life and in your light shall we see light oh continue your loving kindness to those who know you and your righteousness to those who are true of heart let not the foot of pride come against me nor the hand of the ungodly thrust me away there are they fallen all who work wickedness they are cast down and shall not be able to stand so we come to the gospel of saint luke and we take up the story of that first easter day from where we left it yesterday we're starting at verse 13. that very day two of them were going to a village named emmaus about seven miles from jerusalem and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened while they were talking and discussing together jesus himself drew near and went with them but their eyes were kept from recognizing him and he said to them what is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk and they stood still looking sad then one of them named cleopath answered him are you the only visitor to jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days and he said to them what things and they said to him concerning jesus of nazareth a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before god and all the people and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death and crucified him but we had hoped that he was the one to redeem israel yes and besides all this it is now the third day since these things happened moreover some women of our company amazed us they were at the tomb early in the morning and when they did not find his body they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said but him they did not see and he said to them o foolish ones and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken was it not necessary that the christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory and beginning with moses and all the prophets he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself so they drew near to the village to which they were going he acted as if he were going farther but they urged him strongly saying stay with us for it is towards evening and the day is now far spent so he went in to stay with them when he was at table with them he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them and their eyes were opened and they recognized him and he vanished from their sight they said to each other did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road while he opened to us the scriptures and they rose that same hour and returned to jerusalem and they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together saying the lord has risen indeed and has appeared to simon then they told what had happened on the road and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread each evangelist deals differently with the resurrection stories they are intimate stories told of meetings between the risen lord and those who knew him some are very intimate like the one mentioned when the two run back to jerusalem and are about to tell their story but instead they're greeted by the eleven a note luke always and those who were with them women and those who'd followed from galilee they are there too then that sentence the easter sentence the lord is risen indeed they say to the two coming back from emmaus and has appeared to simon that meeting in luke's gospel is simply not recorded it's a private meeting of jesus and simon in other gospels we have other information but when we begin this particular story this is luke's resurrection narrative for as you remember and it was said in that story when the women went to the tomb him they did not see now the story starts with the two walking along the road to emmaus as the day begins to grow darker and the stranger joins them and lucas it pains to point out that jesus points out to them what the redemption of israel meant in terms of prophecies about how the christ would suffer he interpreted in the scriptures all things referring to himself prophets and law and psalms all come into this and luke will underline it again and then the act of hospitality stay with us it's towards evening the day is going to fail and he does and goes in and takes the bread and it's in the activity of breaking having blessed it he breaks it and gives it to them and then they recognize him another intimate moment between those two disciples and jesus himself in recognition and one of those moments that are really hanging between heaven and earth in terms of what is happening for here is the total quality of the good news being underlined of the life and light and truth that the son of man that jesus has insisted on calling himself throughout is bringing as the one who will redeem israel but not in the way they thought this is a time of realization and luke's focus is in jerusalem but it's also a time when we realize that these moments are moments of sharing meals together these are the holy moments these are the times when christ is recognized amongst us a moment of invited hospitality remember the sentence from the epistle to the hebrews be not forgetful to entertain strangers for by so doing some of entertained angels unawares and here is more than an angel here is the risen lord sitting breaking bread in a eucharistic moment blessed broke gave and they eat together of the bread and from that have the energy to go back to proclaim their story but first they have to listen to the story of the eleven and those with them let's say our prayers on this particular morning and here we pray throughout our anglican communion today for the diocese of agony in nigeria and for bishop solomon and his people there for the diocese of brasilia in brazil and bishop mauricio andrade and his people and the diocese of brazil in the congo and for malanga batola the bishop there and his people we pray in this diocese for archbishop justin for bishop rose of dover for bishop tim at lambeth and today for the parish of saint mary's and ian swithens and savior at foxton for john walker in his ministry to that community as i said at the beginning we keep in our hearts and minds on this day the people of beirut and pray for the government of the lebanon at this time pray also for all those who have been bereaved and those who are tending to those so desperately injured pray for all throughout the world bringing health and healing at this time of pandemic so we say the prayers for this week of the year almighty god who sent your holy spirit to be the life and light of your church open our hearts to the riches of your grace that we may bring forth the fruit of the spirit in love and joy and peace through jesus christ our lord amen so we say each in our own language and in whichever way we would normally say it the prayer our tavia 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 amen moment of silence for your own prayers 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 you would pray for today and always amen