[Applause] welcome on this thursday morning of easter week as we continue to give thanks for our lord jesus christ resurrection from the dead our worship is full of that resurrection joy and hope but at the same time we pray for each other in this critical human situation in which we all find ourselves and pray for healing and grace and strength for all those with very difficult things to do or suffer today oh lord open our lips and our mouth shall procame your praise in your resurrection o christ let heaven and earth rejoice alleluia blessed are you lord god of our salvation to you be praise and glory forever as once you ransomed your people from egypt and led them to freedom in the promised land so now you have delivered us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of your risen son may we the first fruits of your new creation rejoice in this new day you have made and praise you for your mighty acts blessed be god father son and holy spirit blessed be god forever as our canticle or song we use some verses from the letter of saint peter god raised christ from the dead the lamb without spot or stain alleluia blessed be the god and father of our lord jesus christ by his great mercy we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of jesus christ from the dead into an inheritance that is imperishable undefiled and unfading kept in heaven for you who are being protected by the power of god through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time you were ransomed from the futile ways of your ancestors not with perishable things like silver or gold but with the precious blood of christ like that of a lamb without spot or stain through him you have confidence in god who raised him from the dead and gave him glory so that your faith and hope are set on god god raised christ from the dead the lamb without spot or stain our psalms this morning include psalm 81 as one of the morning psalms and i'm going to read some verses from that now sing merrily to god our strength shout for joy to the god of jacob take up the song and sound the timbrel the tuneful liar and the harp blow the trumpet of the new moon as at the full moon upon our solemn feast day for this is a statute for israel a law of the god of jacob the charge he laid on the people of joseph when they came out of the land of egypt i heard a voice i did not know that said i eased their shoulder from the burden their hands were set free from bearing the load you called upon me in trouble and i delivered you i answered you from the secret place of thunder for israel would i feed with the finest wheat and with honey from the rock would i satisfy them yesterday at morning prayer we began the resurrection story which took place on the first day of the resurrection of the journey of two disciples from jerusalem to the village of emmaus and they are sad because of all that they know has happened in the few days before when jesus has been crucified and their hopes in him have been sadly in their sense disappointed but they're also puzzled by certain stories that are beginning to spread and as they walk along a stranger joins them on the road and asks them why they're sad and they say to him can you be the only one in jerusalem who don't know about the things that have happened and he says to them going on from verse 19 of chapter 24 what things and they said to him concerning jesus of nazareth a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before god and all the people and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death and crucified him but we had hoped that he was the one to redeem israel yes and besides all this it is now the third day since these things happened moreover some women of our company amazed us for they were at the tomb early in the morning and when they did not find his body they came back saying they had even seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said but him they did not see and he said to them o foolish ones and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken was it not necessary that the christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory and beginning with moses and all the prophets he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself so they drew near to the village to which they were going he acted as if he were going farther but they urged him strongly saying stay with us for it is towards evening and the day is now far spent so he went in to stay with them when he was at table with them he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them and their eyes were opened and they recognized him during these days of being locked in and distanced from each other right across the world as we wait in hope for release but know that it is for our sake we are thus distanced we begin to realize just how precious is the company of others this is a story about generous hospitality the two invite the stranger to come in and stay with them and it's in the breaking of bread that the familiar hands of jesus are recognized and realization dawns on them there's a verse in the letter to the hebrews which says be not forgetful to entertain strangers for in so doing some have entertained angels unawares well something greater than the entertaining of angels is happening here and yet that kind of hospitality of physical sharing of food and drink together of realizing inside ourselves our gratitude for the presence of another is being brought home to us in a very strong way at this time of course it's wonderful to be able to communicate with each other by means which i'm as i'm using to you across the world this morning but nevertheless it causes us to long for the physical presence of those we know and love and for strangers too who may become new friends and give us new vision new hope all these things we include in our prayers this morning as we pray for one another wherever we are and ask for special grace and strength for those who have very hard things to accomplish today on behalf of others in this place of course the mother church of the anglican communion each day we pray for different areas of our anglican world and today we're praying for the diocese of mityana in uganda at present with its bishop in vacancy and waiting for a new appointment we pray for western michigan and for wayne hoagland the bishop there and his people and western new york and the bishop there william franklin and his people here in this diocese we pray for justin our archbishop for rose bishop of dover for tim bishop at lambeth and today as we pray parish by parish we pray for the harvest new anglican church and for its reader terry valiant say our prayer for all of us at this time father lord of all creation you call us to be generous and hospitable companionable to each other in whatever way we are able and to recognize in the faces of others the true image of your son give us grace that as individuals and as whole societies in this time of great need and separation that we may minister that friendship support hospitality and companionship in imaginative ways that are safe to all those who are in need of our service this day through jesus christ our lord our men so we pray an easter prayer risen christ you filled your disciples with boldness and fresh hope strengthen us to proclaim your risen life and fill us with your peace to the glory of god the father are men so we say each in our own way and in our own language the prayer our savior 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 are men so in a moment of silence we make our prayers for whoever we would want to pray for and in whatever situation we find ourselves this morning [Music] [Applause] the god of peace who brought again from the dead our lord jesus christ 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 upon all those whom you love this day and always amen you