welcome to the deanery garden on this first of may early in the morning some days have few anniversaries or themes to mark them this day is chock a block with anniversaries and themes and things that we can think about and so i'm having to divide the day across between morning prayer and later on in the day evening prayer this is saint philip and st james's day for the anglican world um and also it's uh the the birth anniversary of joseph addison one of our famous hymn writers but most of all it's may the first when so much of the christian world begins to think of this as a month associated with the blessed virgin mary we have been reading through the gospel of saint luke and rather than interrupt that reading this morning with the special uh reading for synthesis and james i'm going to continue with luke as you and you'll see why when we get there and then this afternoon return to saint philip and james but first of all we begin our morning prayer o lord open our lips and our mouth shall proclaim your praise your faithful servants bless you they make known the glory of your kingdom blessed are you sovereign god ruler and judge of all to you be praise and glory forever in the darkness of this age that is passing away may the light of your presence which the saints enjoy surround our steps as we journey on may we reflect your glory this day and so be made ready to see your face in the heavenly city where night shall be no more blessed be god father son and holy spirit blessed be god forever as the deer longs for the water brooks so long as my soul for you o god my soul is a thirst for god even for the living god when shall i come before the presence of god my tears have been my bread day and night while all day long they say to me where is now your god now when i think on these things i pour out my soul how i went with the multitude and led the procession to the house of god with the voice of praise and thanksgiving among those who kept holy day why are you so full of heaviness oh my soul and why are you so disquieted within me oh put your trust in god for i will yet give him thanks who is the help of my countenance and my god 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 not only a new day but a new month and so the psalms begin again at the beginning of the salter and rightly on this morning we read the first verses of psalm 1 blessed are they who have not walked in the council of the wicked nor lingered in the way of sinners nor sat in the assembly of the scornful their delight is in the law of the lord and they meditate on his law day and night like a tree planted by streams of water bearing fruit in due season with leaves that do not wither whatever they do it shall prosper and come to this part of the garden especially this morning if you were in france you would be likely to be handed a bunch of these flowers in england we call them lily of the valley in france mugay the sign of the month of may the flowering month of may most associated with the blessed virgin mary and our lesson from sin luke as we go forward in that gospel day by day is in luke chapter two we've said before how reading the story of a different season in another season gives a kind of light to that story which we won't have when we read it in the time of year we would normally think about it never more so than today for we've reached chapter two of sin luke and we have at verse 1 a story most associated with mint winter and christmas but also as we shall see it's a story about birth and new life and the glory of heaven tipping over into earth as thanksgiving is given crossing the boundaries between that which is eternal and that which is finite in our human life in those days a decree went out from caesar augustus that all the world should be registered this was the first registration when quirinius was governor of syria and all went to be registered each to their own town and joseph also went up from galilee from the town of nazareth to judea to the city of david which is called bethlehem because he was of the house and lineage of david to be registered with mary his betrothed who was with child and while they were there the time came for her to give birth and she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them at the inn and in the same region there were shepherds out in the field and keeping watch over their flock by night and an angel of the lord appeared to them and the glory of the lord shone around them and they were filled with great fear but the angel said to them fear not for behold i bring you good news of great joy that will be for all peoples for unto you is born this day in the city of david a savior who is christ the lord and this will be the sign for you you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger and suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising god and saying glory to god in the highest and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased when the angels went away from them into heaven the shepherds said to one another let us go over to bethlehem and see this thing that has happened which the lord has made known to us and they went with haste and found mary and joseph and the baby lying in a manger and when they saw it they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child and all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them but mary treasured up all these things pondering them in her heart and the shepherds returned glorifying and praising god for all they had heard and seen as it had been told them it's a wonderful story to read at any time of year but at this time not only heaven gives thanks with all this new birth around us but the song of spring is here in the thrush's voice singing behind me the poet jared manley hopkins whose poem spring we read in april a week or two ago puzzled that the month of may was connected with the virgin mary her feasts fought at different times of year he thought and then he began to ponder why it should be so and he wrote a poem called the may magnificat here it is may is mary's month and i musit that and wonder why her feasts follows reason dated due to season candle mass lady day but the lady month may why fasten that upon her with a feasting in her honor is it only its being brighter than the most star must delight her is it opportunist and flowers find soonest ask of her the mighty mother her reply puts this other question what is spring growth in everything flesh and fleece fur and feather grass and green world all together star-eyed strawberry-breasted throstle above her nested cluster of bugle blue eggs thin forms and warms the life within and bird and blossom swell in sodor sheath or shell all things rising all things sizing mary sees sympathizing with that world of good nature's motherhood their magnifying of its kind with delight calls to mind how she did in her stored magnify the lord there is more and you can read it for yourselves but this morning let's just remember all this new birth and give thanks for it and see the purity of the lilies of the valley giving a sort of luminosity to this darker part of the garden as we remember the way in which heaven can suddenly touch our lives handle in his messiah saves in his orchestration the fine sounds of the trumpets until the angels appear to the shepherds glorifying god and it's as though heaven has broken onto earth seen on that night and the shepherds come down and find that scene the babe lying in the manger at bethlehem wrapped in swaddling clothes mary has protected her child as best she can easter is a time when those clothes in which jesus was wrapped so to speak our mortal clothes and dressing were left lying empty in the tomb as though he had stepped out of the way in which which earth tried to bind him into a much much more infinite ministry we keep this season of resurrection but remind ourselves of beginnings too for in our lives they happen we know not when heaven is always ready somehow to shine a beam of light into the darkest places and that can happen on any day of the year but this morning on the 1st of may these lilies of the valley remind us that that can happen so let's say our prayers together on this 1st of may as the thrush keeps singing today in our anglican communion we remember the diocese of muthasa in southern africa and the bishop there humming field into one way and also the diocese of yay in south sudan i have very happy memories of may of yay years ago giving me hospitality just as the civil war there had ended for a while and we pray therefore for bishop hillary a day baluati and the ministry of the christian church in yea in that far-off land and we also remember justin our archbishop rose bishop of dover [Music] tim bishop at lambeth and today the parish of west gate on sea st james and pray for stephen ray in his ministry there so we say first of all the special prayer for this sin philippines and james's day and then we turn to an easter prayer almighty father whom truly to know is eternal life teach us to know your son jesus christ as the way the truth and the life that we may follow the steps of your holy apostles philip and james and walk steadfastly in the way that leads to your glory through jesus christ our lord amen one of luke's favorite sentences is mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart we do that in our reflections this morning joining easter with christmas in the message of resurrection and new birth in this life and the next and we pray for those who are finding today troublesome and pray that beams of like light like these mugwe these lilies of the valley may lighten with hope their earthly journey almighty father who in your great mercy gladdened the disciples with the sight of the risen lord give us such knowledge of his presence with us that we may be strengthened and sustained by his risen life and serve you continually in righteousness and truth through jesus christ our lord amen so we say the prayer that our lord taught us to say whenever we meet together in whatever language and in whichever way you like to say it wherever you are 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 on this first morning of may for our own prayers [Music] the god of peace who brought again from the dead our lord jesus that great shepherd of the sheep by the blood of the eternal covenant make you perfect in every good work to do his will working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight and the blessing of god almighty the father the son and the holy spirit be among you and remain with you always amen i