good morning and welcome to the dinery garden on this thursday the 5th of november it's a really frosty day and the table that i'm sitting at is covered in frost as is the grass around us and the leaves on the grass but behind the morning sun is shining and we're here on the 5th of november which has always been a significant day in england when bonfires are lit and a gunpowder treason and plot is remembered from all those years ago at the beginning of the 17th century and guy fawkes is a name known here but probably the most important thing to think is of an act of both terrorism and amazing uh torture of the people who then uh had uh tried to achieve this uh blowing up of the king in in parliament it's it's uh something that we still have to deal with that that when people disagree to reach for violence and then acts of terror is something that our humanity has to wrestle with and come to terms with and so we pray on this day for all in public office and those who try to protect them whatever the causes that they they represent so also on this day we give thanks for the life of the church throughout the world in england here even in lockdown we've just said our prayers in a locked cathedral the clergy only saying that morning office and this afternoon we shall do the same perhaps with some singing but with no people present everything will be online and you can find the details of those services on our website if you scroll down so let's begin our prayer today oh 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 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 amen our psalm on this fifth morning of the month is the psalm 25 24 the morning psalms are 24 25 26 but we'll read psalm 24. the earth is the lord's and all that fills it the compass of the world and all who dwell therein for he has founded it upon the seas and set it firm upon the rivers of the deep who shall ascend the hill of the lord or who can rise up in his holy place those who have clean hands and a pure heart who have not lifted up their soul to an idol nor sworn an oath to a lie they shall receive a blessing from the lord a just reward from the god of their salvation such is the company of those who seek him of those who seek your face o god of jacob lift up your heads so gates be lifted up you everlasting doors and the king of glory shall come in who is the king of glory the lord strong and mighty the lord who is mighty in battle lift up your heads o gates be lifted up you everlasting doors and the king of glory shall come in who is this king of glory the lord of hosts he is the king of glory so we return to the picture language of the revelation to john the last book of our new testament which is filled with beautiful images glorious images terrifying images and the pattern of life here on earth and the other dimension of eternity so often represented to the writer by the stars and the sun and the moon but we are starting this morning at chapter 3 verse 1 and to the angel of the church in sardis write the words of him who has the seven spirits of god and the seven stars i know your works you have the reputation of being alive but you are dead wake up and strengthen what remains and is about to die for i have not found your works complete in the sight of my god remember then what you received and heard keep it and repent if you will not wake up i will come like a thief and you will not know at what hour i will come against you yet you have still a few names in sardis people who have not soiled their garments and they will walk with me in white for they are worthy the one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments and i will never blot his name out of the book of life i will confess his name before my father and before his angels he who has an ear let him hear what the spirit says to the churches and to the angel of the church in philadelphia write the words of the holy one the true one who has the key of david who opens and no one will shut who shuts and no one opens i know your works behold i have set before you an open door which no one is able to shut i know that you have but little power and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name behold i will make those of the synagogue of satan who say that they are jews and are not but lie behold i will make them come and bow down before your feet and they will learn that i have loved you because you have kept my word about patient endurance i will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world to try those who dwell on the earth i am coming soon hold fast what you have so that no one may seize your crown the one who conquers i will make them a pillar in the temple of my god never shall they go out of it and i will write on them the name of my god and the name of the city of my god the new jerusalem which comes down from my god out of heaven and my own new name whoever has an ear let them hear what the spirit is saying to the churches perhaps a very apt location philadelphia is actually the newest of the cities in asia minor that these letters were sent to but of course the eyes of the world are focused today on such states as pennsylvania who will decide who becomes the president of the united states so we will pray for the people there but meanwhile let's think of the way in which gifts are offered after the letter has been read right at the end always to the one who overcomes by patient endurance it's the same gift but in fact it's set out in a multitude of different ways to emphasis the one who overcomes the right to eat from the tree of life which is in the garden of god to smyrna the gift of being not harmed by the second death and given the crown of life to pergamum a white stone with a new name written on it known only to the receiver and to thyatira the gift of the morning star the day star from on high to sardis to be robed in white with a name never to be struck from the book of life and to philadelphia the gift of being always a pillar in the temple of god never leaving it and bearing the name of god written on them and the name of the new jerusalem and this gift comes from the one who holds the key of david jesus himself the anointed one the christ all those things in the middle of these letters are symbols of the great community on earth and also in heaven itself a reflection of what we might call the messianic banquet and you remember that it's thought that the white stone is like someone going into a great assembly in the ancient world and having a pebble as an admission of membership which was common practice but the other things that they'd have been used to was the fact that every ancient city had a register a book of the names of those who were citizens and that was a proud thing to be not everyone was a citizen but the books contain the names of the citizens and so we have that promise that the name will be given in the book of life all those things join together but at the same time there is the enormous warning that we must never stop this gift of patient endurance whatever the suffering whatever the situation because john says there will be desperate suffering but at the same time the gift is worth much more than the suffering think about sardis sardis was not the kind of city that pergamon was pergamon the great roman seat of government for the whole province but sardis had in it an impregnable acropolis which had never been taken by force but when it was in the hands of king kristos of lydia and quite often we say that the the thing oh she or he is is richard's crisis crisis was a legendary for being a very very rich king with gold coins with his image on it and uh chrissus had this acropolis which was never stormed by force but it was taken secretly like a thief in the night when they were not being watchful and cyrus of persia took that acropolis from the king of lydia in 546 bce and here's the image to sardis i will come like a thief in the night when you least expect it well there are other things to say about this because sardis gets no massive condemnation there are no uh sects of of others trying to come in and and threaten them they are a contented sleepy church and the danger for them they're besetting sin is that they're not watchful and it seems they never complete what they start really through a sense of just not being alert and also not having the energy they used to have all these warnings are spoken by the one who holds the key of david the one who has the seven stars in his hand it sounds as if they're being written by john but that's not so this is the vision that john was given and so it's the king of kings and lord of lords who was dead and is alive who is giving these promises and they are promises of hope and promises of love and of membership and in folding but there are also warnings about patient endurance and watchfulness that to sadis and one remembers that prayer which was made out of the words of a letter of francis drake about it's not the beginning of something which yields the true glory but the continuing of the same until it be thoroughly finished and here's the the thing which the the uh the letter is saying to the the christians in sardis but when we get to philadelphia when there is almost complete uh pleasure in the church at philadelphia and we give thanks for that and what is said is a a wonderful thing the promise to the one who overcomes and each one the conqueror we might say the one who overcomes through patient endurance a different gift but the same gift at the same time the image is different the gift is the same and the in to philadelphia the gift is that they will always be even on earth constantly at all times a pillar in the living temple of god that gives an enormous picture but it's one that also waits for the new jerusalem coming down from heaven which at the end of the book of revelation will be the strongest image of all and of course the greatest danger again is that danger of causing the earthly power the emperor to be worshipped as god that is the true fornication and that image is a very powerful one but when we read the word we realize that it's all connected with idolatry and the bowing down to things which are not god go back again and again to the sentence of our lord render unto caesar the things that are caesars and to god the things that are god's all those things you will dwell in the house of the lord forever says the end of the 23rd psalm that's the promise that's given to the philippian christians and to all of us when we read that well this is a day when waking up and looking out to the east before dawn the morning star the planet venus was blazing in the sky and that was a heavenly image in the darkness and you could see how in a world where there was no electric light confusing the light of heaven that would have been a really strong image but the moment the sun rose all of that former glory became as nothing as golden autumn light filled the room and one's eyes could not look at the rising sun because with no cloud on this morning it was a wonderful sight this is the day that isaiah thrasha berlin died in 1997 who was a great political theorist and philosopher and is best known for his essay the hedgehog and the fox and he bases that essay on the old greek um saying a fox knows many things but a hedgehog knows one important thing and he spends the essay dividing uh writers and thinkers and philosophers and names that we know like tolstoy up into two different groups the one group where many experiences and many ideas are mixed and played with and offered that's the fox and the other the hedgehog who knows one important thing so that the other writers of one are ones where one overarching idea covers their work at all times and whatever images they're using it goes towards that idea well there's one overarching idea for the revelation to john and that is the idea that we can create heaven on earth even now and be pillars in the house of our god with a foretaste of what will happen when the sun rises in glory and heaven itself is given to us for all eternity let's give thanks then for the images of this book as we say our prayers this morning we're continuing on this day to pray for the anglican communion and today for the diocese of warrior in tanzania for john adiema the bishop there and his people for the diocese of derry and rappo in ireland and for kenneth raymond good and his people and the diocese of dhaka in bangladesh and paul shisha saka and his people there and here we continue to pray for the west bridge area deanery and i listed all those parishes in the beautiful area very near us here which are covered by that deanery but later on in the days ahead we shall pray for them individually or group by group so we give thanks for the life of that deanery and it's area dean ravi holy and later caroline spencer this morning let's say the prayer for this week bring your own concerns wherever you are in the world and we continue to pray for the safety of all those in positions of leadership almighty and eternal god you have kindled the flame of love in the hearts of the saints grant to us the same faith and power of love that as we rejoice in their triumphs we may be sustained by their example and fellowship through jesus christ our lord men so we say each in our own language the prayer that 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 moment of silence now for our own prayers the peace of god which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of god and if 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 today and always amen you