welcome to canterbury cathedral on this saturday morning as we come to say our morning prayers our minds will be full of news from across the world perhaps we think most of our friends in hong kong and china after their three minutes of silence for those who have died of the coronavirus there we use the morning prayer for today blessed are you lord god of salvation to you be praise and glory forever as a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief your only son was lifted up that he might draw the whole world to himself may we walk this day in the way of the cross and always be ready to share its weight declaring your love for all the world blessed be god father son and holy spirit blessed be god forever as we use part of the song of lamentation of jeremiah as we've done day by day this week we remember that earlier verses have said house stands a city so solitary that once was full of people it causes us to be mindful of cities throughout the world now standing empty is it nothing to you or you who pass by look and see if there is any sorrow like my sorrow which was brought upon me which the lord inflicted on the day of his fierce anger for these things i weep my eyes flow with tears for a comforter is far from me one to revive my courage remember my affliction and my bitterness the wormwood and the gall but this i call to mind and therefore i have hope the steadfast love of the lord never ceases his mercies never come to an end they are new every morning great is his faithfulness the first psalm for the fourth morning of the month in our prayer book is psalm 19 and no better psalm on a morning like this the heavens are telling the glory of god and the firmament proclaims his handiwork one day pours out its song to another and one night unfolds knowledge to another they have neither speech nor language and their voices are not heard yet their sound has gone out into all lands and their words to the ends of the world in them has he set a tabernacle for the sun that comes forth as a bridegroom out of his chamber and rejoices as a champion to run his course it goes forth from the end of the heavens and runs to the very end again and there is nothing hidden from its heat the law of the lord is perfect reviving the soul the testimony of the lord is sure and gives wisdom to the simple the statutes of the lord are right and rejoice the heart the commandment of the lord is pure and gives light to the eyes the fear of the lord is clean and endures forever the judgments of the lord are true and righteous altogether more to be desired are they than gold more than much fine gold sweeter also than honey dripping from the honeycomb by them also is your servant taught and in keeping of them there is great reward who can tell how often they offend oh cleanse me from my secret faults keep your servant also from presumptuous sins lest they get dominion over me so shall i be undefiled and innocent of great offence let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight o lord my strength and my redeemer this morning i'm using a passage from the gospel of saint luke as jesus contemplates the city of jerusalem i'm reading from luke chapter 19 and i'm starting at verse 41. when jesus drew near to the city of jerusalem and saw it he wept over it saying would that even today you knew the things that make for peace but now they are hid from your eyes for the days shall come upon you when your enemies cast up a bank about you and surround you and hem you in on every side and dash you to the ground you and your children within you and they will not leave one stone standing upon another because you did not know the time of your visitation if i go earlier into the gospel of saint luke to chapter 13 and read us the 34th verse we find him saying o jerusalem jerusalem killing the prophets and stoning those who are sent to you how often would i have gathered your children together like a hen gathering her brood under her wings and you would not it's a wonderful image we keep hens here in the garden and we're used to the way in which a mother hen gathers her brew safely under her feathers jesus is always pointing to images around him so that we may be reminded of heavenly truths there is in jerusalem a franciscan chapel known as dominus flavit the lord wept it stands on the mount of olives and in 1995 i had the pleasure and privilege of celebrating the communion at its altar the author looks out to the west through a clear window onto the city of jerusalem in all its splendor laid out below the chapel stands on the mount of olives where that scene of jesus weeping over the city takes place and on the altar is inscribed the picture of a hen with the brood being gathered safely under her wings we remember that and the lord's sorrow over jerusalem as he enters the holy city tomorrow on palm sunday we shall keep that remembrance tomorrow and at our morning reflection tomorrow i shall bless palms before we at 12 o'clock celebrate a eucharist of the lord's passion it will be impossible this year for people to receive palm crosses in the churches but there's an old tradition that simply a sprig from the garden is something which will count as a palm in different countries the people surrounding jesus as he entered the city simply gathered greenery from the side of the road and i have in my hand a piece of willow which was known as the english palm why not tomorrow just take a sprig of greenery or a twig from the nearest place outside from you and have that as your palm for this year as you come together across the world by virtue of us being able to stream the service and take on the vocation of jesus as he enters the holy city but for this morning we say our prayers for those suffering so much and we think of each other on this beautiful morning but locked into our homes in so many places in the world so we pray father of all you call us to be generous to one another and to recognize in their faces the true image of your son give us grace that as individuals and as whole societies throughout the world that in this time of great need we may minister friendship and support in ways that are safe to all those who are in need of the service of others on this day through jesus christ our lord our men so the collect the special day for special prayer for this day most merciful god who by the death and resurrection of your son jesus christ delivered and saved the world grant that by faith in him who suffered on the cross we may triumph in the power of his victory through jesus christ our lord amen so we say on this saturday morning the our father in whatever words and in whichever language we would normally use 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 for ever and ever are men see a moment of silence as we make our own prayers this morning for those on our hearts christ crucified draw you to himself to find in him a sure ground for faith a firm support for hope and the assurance of sins forgiven and the blessing of god almighty the father the son and the holy spirit be upon you and upon those whom you love this saturday and always amen