good morning and welcome to canterbury cathedral on this friday morning the 19th of june we are today paying tribute to and giving thanks for the life of dame viralin who meant so much to this nation through the second world war and well beyond and one remembers her part even last month in that singing of we'll meet again and the frontline care workers those who look after us at this time of coronavirus singing that song with her i've put a link for that below this service and you can click on that just to remind yourselves of the many faces that sang that song representing thousands of people taking care of us at much cost to their own safety often but meanwhile we're going to say our daily prayers for today it's actually the prime minister's birthday so we wish him happy birthday and we say our prayers for this nation and all nations throughout the world oh lord open our lips and our mouth shall proclaim your praise visit us with your salvation and sustain us with your gracious spirit blessed are you creator of all to you be praise and glory forever as your dawn renews the faith 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 has passed and the day lies open before us let us pray with one heart and mind does 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 son this morning on this 19th morning of the month is psalm 96 [Music] sing to the lord a new song sing to the lord all the earth sing to the lord and bless his name tell out his salvation from day to day declare his glory among the nations and his wonders among all peoples for great is the lord and greatly to be praised he is more to be feared than all gods for all the gods of the nations are but idols it is the lord who made the heavens honor and majesty are before him power and splendor are in his sanctuary ascribe to the lord you families of the peoples ascribe to the lord honor and strength ascribe to the lord the honor due to his name bring offerings and come into his courts o worship the lord in the beauty of holiness let the whole earth tremble before him tell it out among the nations that the lord is king he has made the world so firm that it cannot be moved he will judge the peoples with equity let the heavens rejoice and let the earth be glad let the sea thunder and all that is in it let the fields be joyful and all that is in them that all the trees of the wood shout for joy before the lord for he comes he comes to judge the earth with righteousness he will judge the world and the peoples with his truth so we turn to the gospel of saint luke and we find ourselves today chapter 12 and verse 41 jesus has been speaking in this chapter first to the thousands of people the crowds who've come to listen to him gladly then yesterday to the disciples be dressed for action he said keep your lamps burning and now peter asks a question about those instructions verse 41 peter said lord are you telling this parable for us or for all and the lord said who then is the faithful and wise steward whom the master will set over the household to give them their portion of food at the proper time blessed is that servant whom the master will find so doing when he comes truly i say to you he will set that servant over all his possessions but if that servant says to themselves my master is delayed coming and begins to beat the male and female sevens to eat and drink and get drunk the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful and that servant who knew his master's will but did not get ready or act according to his will will receive a severe beating but the one who did not know and did what deserved a beating will receive a light beating for everyone to whom much is given of that one much will be required and from the one to whom they entrusted much they will demand the more it's a fierce lesson but it's a lesson in responsibility and leadership is this lesson meant for us is this parable meant for us says peter or for everyone and pete jesus answers obliquely he doesn't say it was meant for you he actually says this is what responsibility responsibility of leadership means and so often in the gospel jesus shows that in many different ways not just in his teaching but by putting the little child in their midst and showing who is great in the kingdom of heaven by saying to them i am among you as one who serves and most of all at the last supper by taking the towel and kneeling at their feet and washing their feet himself and saying to them if i then your lords have washed your feet you ought to be doing that for one another humility and self-giving lies right through the gospels and it's part of that wrestling with vocation but at the moment we hear that responsibility given to the one who will receive it he doesn't at the moment say it's for you peter and the other eleven but the message is clear and it's clear also for all leaders worldwide that leadership and responsibility demands much from the ones who undertake it we saw many pictures of leadership yesterday as president macron came to give thanks and also to honor the city of london with the legend and the image of the prince of wales giving thanks for this huge honor from our nearest nation across the channel we saw also the coronavirus which is common anyway across the world in many nations but means distancing but respect between president macron and the birthday prime minister today boris johnson on the steps of number 10 downing street there were smiles as they distanced themselves each side of the red carpet but both hold huge responsibility responsibility and leadership for all well let's remember for a moment dame viralin will meet meet again don't know where don't know when that was important was hugely important to us last month as the queen gave that message as she she prayed for the meeting again of families and friends and and denver's message in that song although we think back and look at those pictures of rejoicing soldiers at the end of the war rejoicing crowds it's a message from the past but it was not being used by her as such it was something and is something for the present and i hope for the future we can think of that here not so very far from the white cliffs of dover they're just down the road but that song also was a message of hope for the future our lord's ministry is always in the present tense and it's also present it wouldn't have made much difference and it wouldn't have been the same message if there weren't films of dominion actually with the soldiers in burma present at that time and with the soldiers and with the crowds ever since giving messages of hope to charity and hope to those who fought and were now living the life of the nation now the past is something that can encourage us the future is something for which we can pray and give hope but jesus's message is always for the present tense and the present tense means not only the building up of what is inside us to give us courage to face what this day brings but it's also about giving hope for the future and giving that by your presence amongst folk particularly if you're a leader and serving the others as i said we have that song on a link and the frontline workers are those who are giving us hope but it's as they sing the song not a memory of the past it's a fact of the present of what they're doing and what those whom they're representing are doing on this day so let's give thanks for that and show them the burden of our own responsibilities for to those to whom much is given from them much will be expected let's say our prayers and we pray today for the dioceses all around the niger delta and these are called niger delta north in nigeria and we pray for the bishop bear and his people niger delta west and emmanuel okojaja the bishop there and his people and niger delta nigeria and the bishop there ralph iberian and niger west in nigeria and the bishop there and his people johnson ekwe we pray for justin our archbishop for rose bishop of dover for tim bishop at lambeth and for the parishes today of east church with laysdown and hearty at present in vacancy so let's pray for the church wardens rosemary nietzsche sue hopper charles pierce and yvette guthile we pray for all of those they're looking after in those parishes and we pray wherever we are for our own communities on this particular day so the collect for this day oh god the strength of all who put their trust in you mercifully accept our prayers and because through the weakness of our mortal nature we can do no good thing without you grant us the help of your grace that in the keeping of your commandments we may please you both in will and deed through jesus christ our lord amen so we use the psalm collect for psalm 96 lord god you draw us by your beauty and transform us by your holiness let our worship echo all creations praise and give us power to declare that glory among the nations through jesus christ our lord are men so in whatever way we like to say it and in whichever language we say the prayer our savior taught us to give us strength in the present 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 for your own prayers this morning so the peace of god which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds and 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 whom you would pray for this day and always amen you