good morning and welcome to canterbury cathedral on this very different kind of morning the sky is is covered in dark grey clouds and there's a wind which is rather chillier than usual this is the 4th of june 2020 and 80 years ago today the evacuation of almost 340 000 soldiers from the beaches of dunkirk was completed it was in a sense a retreat and it was the day in parliament when winston churchill made the speech ending we shall never surrender and tried to establish in that speech the values of the nation as he saw them and he united the house on that day at all sides of of political opinion and that kind of morale by using words is something which is given to some on certain occasions and becomes moments in a nation's history this is a dark time for humanity when lockdown continues but also when in various nations there are different kinds of problems and today again we look across the atlantic at our friends there and pray that this will be a turning moment in the united states when peoples can come together and set out the values of that nation which was so important at the time of dunkirk when churchill was making that speech he said at the end there will be a time when the new world may come to the rescue of the old well nations can do that for one another and we pray for each other across the world today i've come deliberately to the place that we used as a beach at the time of the easter narratives when the disciples met the risen lord on the seashore but i've also been joined by characters that you haven't seen for a few weeks and they're beginning to grow up oh lord open our lips and our mouth shall proclaim your praise visit us with your salvation and sustain us with your gracious spirit o come let us sing to the lord let us heartily rejoice in the rock of our salvation let us come into his presence with thanksgiving and be glad in him with psalms for the lord is a great god and a great king above all gods come let us worship and bow down and kneel before the lord our maker for he is our god we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand 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 are men the psalm this morning the fourth morning of the month is a glorious one psalm 19 its first verse normally means a morning of blue skies and sunshine but there's the same glory in these dark clouds bringing longed for rain for the crops 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 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 so we turn to our reading from the gospel of saint luke and we've now come to the 51st verse of the ninth chapter this again is a significant moment in our lord's destiny and vocation as our messiah when the days drew near for jesus to be taken up he set his face to go to jerusalem he sent messengers ahead of him who went and entered a village of the samaritans to make preparations for him but the people did not receive him because his face was set towards jerusalem and when his disciples james and john saw it they said lord do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them but jesus turned and rebuked them saying you do not know what manner of spirit you're of for the son of man came not to destroy people's lives but to save them and they went on to another village and as they were going along the road someone said to jesus i will follow you wherever you go and jesus said to him foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests but the son of man has nowhere to lay his head to another he said follow me but that one answered lord let me go first and bury my father jesus said leave the dead to bury their own dead for as for you go and proclaim the kingdom of god yet another said i will follow you lord but let me first say farewell to those at my home jesus said to him no one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of god a significant moment indeed because jesus himself now has set his face sorry our other friend has joined us you coming up come on come on i think leo is actually frightened of the chicks not the other way around jesus has set his face towards jerusalem and as he goes forward there is a sense constantly of movement on he's going through samaria and we know that the samaritans had no dealings with the jews jesus accepts that because the way is forward and therefore what james and john say to him of anger with the people is of no account to jesus the son of man has come to save lives not to destroy them and at the same time as they go on others tend to either prevaricate about his call come and follow me oh let me first go and bury my father i don't think for a moment the father was dead i think that he was he was meaning i've just got to look after this first and jesus at that moment is saying no leave that come on and also when someone is there saying can i just go back and say goodbye to folks at home no time for that the great message of this is when the call of god comes and you are asked to put your hand to the plow then it's time to go on it's the moment of destiny for you this was a day of this nation's destiny 80 years ago it was a dark day like these clouds but it was turned as a turning moment not because of the words of one great man speaking from on high but because of the courage of hundreds of people in little boats going to save thousands of their own nation on the beach and at great cost to their own lives bringing them home my father used to tell the story of walking past the great park just outside bristol and seeing the sleeping soldiers the defeated soldiers lying in the park sleeping while places across the nation were found for them and the nation made a decision but it was a time for defending the nation and who did that well ordinary people defending values they believed in and the way was on and today maybe a day of destiny for our world dark times might be the turning point when we can all go forward and barriers that were there before in societies between nations may mean that a new valuing of one another may occur let us pray so on this june the fourth underneath a canopy of dark clouds and at the same time let's pray for one another whatever our situation at this particular time as we come this morning to say our prayers so as always we pray for our anglican communion and today especially for the diocese of nubusa in nigeria for israel amu the bishop there and his people and for the diocese of alaska in the episcopal church of the united states for mark latimer and his people and the diocese of albany in the episcopal church and for william love and his people here in our own diocese of canterbury we pray for justin our archbishop for rose bishop of dover for tim bishop at lambeth and today for the parishes and communities of the osbringe dinery for the area dean steve lillycrab and his late chair miranda ford the secretary there giles champion and the treasurer hilary tulit and we pray for our own nations for a spirit of unity amongst them and a valuing of every citizen in justice and welfare so we pray the prayer of this week of the year god who has at this time taught the hearts of your faithful people by sending to them the light of your holy spirit grant us by the same spirit to have a right judgment in all things and ever more to rejoice in his holy comfort through the merits of christ jesus our savior amen we pray also this morning the psalm collects after psalm 19 christ the son of righteousness rise in our hearts this day enfold us even in dark times in the brightness of your love and bear us at the last to heaven's horizon for your love's sake amen so we pray for whoever we would like to pray for this day those whom we love and those whom we have seen on our screens whole societies or individuals as we say the prayer our lord taught us in whatever language we 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 forever and ever amen so we say our own prayers in a moment of silence the spirit of truth lead you into all truth give you grace to proclaim in your lives and in your words the words and works of god and the blessing of god almighty the father the son and the holy spirit be among you and remain with you always amen