good morning and welcome and what a surprise the wind has absolutely ceased there's not a breath of wind around but the Earth has transformed itself through the night and silently the snow has fallen and completely transformed the landscape and brought that silence that only snow can give so we're going to say a short morning prayer though it feels more like Christmas day than Easter week this is the Thursday of Easter week and we say our morning prayers together here in Upstate New York with a white Christmasy scene everywhere around us snow has a way of making all things beautiful and has even this rather ugly new house which is over here which is destroyed the The View which has been uh for 40 years the view from this house but things change so let's begin our morning Lord open our and our most oh Lord our your name in all the world your majesty above the heavens is praised out of the mouths of babes at the breast you have founded a stronghold against your foes that you might steal the enemy and the Avenger when I consider your Heavens the work of your fingers the moon and the stars that you have ordained what are Mortals that you should be mindful of them may are human beings that you should seek them out you have made them little lower than the angels and Crown them with Glory and Honor you have given them dominion over the works of your hands and put all things under their feet all sheep and oxen even the wild beasts of the field the birds of the air the fish of the sea and whatsoever moves in the paths of the sea oh Lord our governor how glorious is your name in all the world glory to the father and to the son and to the Holy Spirit as it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be World Without End Amen the night has passed and the day lies open before us let us pray with one heart and mind as we rejoice in the gift of this new day so may the light of your presence oh God set our hearts on fire with love for you now and forever amen I thought this morning on a morning like this instead of a Psalm I shall read the benedicti the song of creation bless the Lord all you works of the Lord sing his praise and exalt him forever bless the Lord you Heavens sing his praise and exalt him forever bless the Lord you angels of the Lord bless the Lord all you his hosts bless the Lord you Waters above the heavens sing his praise and exalt him forever bless the Lord sun and moon bless the Lord you stars of Heaven bless the Lord all rain and due sing his praise and exalt him forever bless the Lord all winds that blow bless the Lord you fire and heat bless the Lord scorching wind and bitter cold sing his praise and exalt him forever bless the Lord Dews and falling snows bless the Lord you nights and days bless the Lord light and darkness sing his praise and exalt him forever bless the Lord Frost and and cold bless the Lord you ice and snow bless the Lord Lightnings and clouds sing his praise and exalt him forever oh let the Earth bless the Lord bless the Lord you mountains and Hills bless the Lord all that grows in the ground sing his praise and exalt him forever bless the Lord you Springs bless the Lord you seas and rivers bless the Lord you whales and all that swim in the waters sing his praise and exalt him forever bless the Lord all birds of the air bless the Lord you beasts and cattle bless the Lord all people on Earth sing his praise and exalt him forever oh people of God bless the Lord bless the Lord you Priests of the Lord bless the Lord you Servants of the Lord sing his praise and exalt him forever bless the Lord all you of upright Spirit bless the Lord you that are holy and humble in heart bless the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit sing his praise and exalt him forever it seemed that we must have a rather special lesson today rather than continuing the Easter narratives which we will do as the days proceed but this is a very special day sitting here surrounded by all this Bright Light of the whiteness of snow and the pale sky above so I'm going to read from St Mark the earliest of the Evangelist chapter 9 and beginning at verse two after 6 days Jesus Took with him Peter and James and John and led them up a high mountain by themselves and he was transfigured before them and his clothes became radiant intensely white as no one on earth could bleach them and there appeared to them Elijah with Moses and they were talking with Jesus and Peter said to Jesus Rabbi it is good that we are here let us make three tents one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah for for he did not know what to say for they were terrified and a cloud overshadowed them and a voice came out of the cloud this is my beloved Son listen to him and suddenly looking round they no longer saw anyone with them but only Jesus a lesson of that scene which we normally know as the Transfiguration when Jesus Takes those same three who came with him to Gethsemane later up onto the top of a high mountain to be there alone high mountains are a sign of Jesus going into quiet places and finding that silence to be recharged in prayer with the father it's strange how snow does that sort of thing to the landscape when we went to bed last night there was still the sound of the Roaring Wind Through the leafless Trees shaking the Evergreen branches of those trees which are not deciduous when we woke there was complete silence the snow had fallen unexpectedly totally strangely still falling gently on me now and around a landscape of total whiteness the way in which New Beginnings happen snow is strange for there can be no secrets in snow time our footsteps are very evident wherever we go and looking out of the window this morning we could even see the footsteps of tiny birds who had been walking around beside where the snow covered car stood in the garden other animals when they walk make different Footprints and leave their Trail but essentially the snow has brought that sense first of all of total cleansing of everything in this scene of whiteness and at the same time it's brought a piece which nothing else could bring you know it snowed when you wake up because of the silence and the different light on the bedroom ceiling I remember that happening to me when I was in a member of a party in New Zealand we were looking and analyzing for the Archbishop of new New Zealand at that time a New Zealand um and it was I think in 1992 and it was August which is middle of winter in New Zealand I was staying with the then dean of Christ Church and I said it it feels like snow he said no no that's not going to snow that's very unusual here the moment I woke in the morning and saw the light on the bedroom ceiling and saw also and heard also that the total silence outside I knew it had snowed and snow it really had it came down in an enormous way and transformed the landscape I remember the same thing happening in Washington uh soon after President Obama became president uh and Washington simply stopped and the president said to the mayor of Washington why can't you get this snow uh cleared away quickly because in Chicago we' have done that in no time at all and the mayor of answered well it's so rare here that it will be a complete waste of resources to buy all that equipment which you need constantly in Chicago for Washington different aspects of snow coming to different places and Humanity being caused to stop great excitement amongst children sliding down the hills on makeshift sleds with tea trays and all sorts of things that can slide under them and having a wonderful time time but this morning none of that has happened yet for it's early what we do see is our own Footprints and we make Footprints constantly in the world of one sort or another heavy Treads sometimes when we're cross light Treads when we're joyful there is that wonderful I don't know whether it's a parable or a story and I've seen it on cards where it's called I think Footsteps in the sand and many of you will know it where someone looking back over the course of what seems to be their life sees two pairs of footprints of the Walk With Jesus but sometimes just one pair of footprints you'll remember this story well this Parable almost and looking back at difficult times it seemed as though the one pair of footprints meant that Jesus was no longer walking with the person but had left them to walk by themselves and when the question was asked Jesus replied you get this totally wrong my child those were the times when things were so difficult for you that I carried you so just one pair of footprints and this morning even coming to this seat I've made Footprints in the Sand that lesson that we read normally the Transfiguration it's called talks about a dazzling whiteness such as no bleacher on Earth no Fuller on Earth could achieve and the whiteness is so great that it totally startles the apostles they've come up so high they may have been amongst the Snows and the sun themselves someone going off to their work with a tractor which is about the only thing that can can can get through on a morning like this as they go past um the the the the the whiteness uh was possibly even the dazzling light of sunshine on snow but what the three saw seemed to be Moses and Elijah standing beside Jesus in that dazzling whiteness you remember how Jesus says in the gospels I did not come to destroy the law and the prophets not to destroy but to fulfill them and all the way through the gospels he is fulfilling those earlier laws and fulfilling the prophecies about the Christ that have been prophesied by the great prophets like Isaiah whom he seemed to treasure so much that he read from the scroll of the prophet Isaiah in the synagogue to his own people fulfilling all of that to take it further the law of the Lord is perfect Reviving The Soul says the psalmist the testimonies of the Lord are clean and they give joy to the heart and Jesus in fulfilling those laws and prophecies give them back to the people in a way that transforms them as a guide and a rule for life here are the tractors coming out again and at the same time the sense of something totally fresh happening we were talking yesterday in morning prayer about new beginnings and nothing feels more like a new beginning than all this whiteness like a clean sheet of paper as though we can now write the day's activities on this clean sheet well truly every morning is like that as we've said again and again in these past few days and the hymn says it for us new every morning is the love Awakening and Uprising prove through sleep and darkness safely brought restored to life and power and thought so as the benity gives thanks for yesterday's wind and torrential rains it also gives thanks for Frost and cold and new New Beginnings for ice and snow and a sense of pausing because one has to go carefully in snow and gently with one another and give warmth and that's always the case in our relationship to give encouraging warmth to each other so God bless you all on this this day from upstate New York in all this snow and wherever you are in the world see every day as a new beginning and know that the Lord walks beside you let's say our prayers and pray for all those whom we know in difficult circumstances all those we know also in joyful circumstances and rejoice with them pray for the nations of the world for All Peoples as the benedi city says whatever their condition knowing that we are bound together in this creation which God has given to us as a gift here's the Easter collect on this day Lord of all life and power who through the mighty resurrection of your son overcame the old order of sin and death to make All Things New in him grant that we being dead to sin and alive to you in Jesus Christ May reign with him in glory to whom with you and the Holy Spirit be praise and honor glory and might now and in all eternity amen so we say together the prayer Our Lord 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 hold silence for a moment in this lovely landscape and suddenly looking around [Music] they no longer saw anyone with them but only [Music] Jesus 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 among you and among those whom you love today and always amen well the birds are waking up around us and finding a new landscape so we must put some crumbs out for them on a morning like this and I doubt the snow will last too long here in April but for the moment we rejoice in the brightness whiteness and Silence of this scene