good morning and welcome to the dinery garden at canterbury cathedral on this morning of wednesday the 9th of june as we come together to say our morning prayers be welcome wherever you are in the world we've come this morning to the entrance to the orchard and that is through an archway in the middle of a hedge made up of native english species which has grown up in the last uh 10 years or so into a lovely hedge and there are horsehorns and field maples and also um each parts of the hedge uh but we're looking at the wild rose the dog rose as it's so often called and it lies at the root of so many of the roses which are much finer and yet there's something beautiful about a dog rose because it's a wild rose reminds me of a lovely little song by franz schubert called the hedgerows and it's an easy one to play and sing but here the rose is singing for itself on this particular morning because it's the most beautiful morning and we're surrounded by wild flowers at this time of year there are yellow buttercups flowering by me and also of course the blue of the alcanet and still the white of the pullman area and so many flowers around us on this sunny morning as we say our prayers so bring our own intentions to the garden we had a special occasion in the garden yesterday when it had been planned some time back and and fletcher was host to 30 members of the horticultural charity perennial which is the gardner's royal benevolent society and that is the oldest 180 years old in its in its formation 180 years ago to help all those who work in horticulture and their families should they be in need and the the members came and uh he showed them around the garden and of course they were intensely interested in the plants but to pleasure surprise they seem familiar with everywhere and a majority of them turned out to be members of the garden congregation and so they knew that the names of of of darcy and and jane and leo and and lily and everything else and so it was a great familiarity and much humor as we went about and perhaps a foretaste of things which are to come when the garden can be explored again and we can begin once again to welcome guests in as the lockdown is eased so let's say our prayers on this lovely morning and bring your own intentions and concerns on this day to our prayers oh lord open our lips and our mouth shall proclaim your praise visit us with your salvation and sustain us with your gracious spirit blessed are you sovereign god creator of all to you be glory and praise forever you founded the earth in the beginning and the heavens are the work of your hands in the fullness of time you made us in your image and in these last days you have spoken to us in your son jesus christ the word made flesh as we rejoice in the gift of your presence among us let the light of your love always shine in our hearts your spirit ever renew our lives and your praises ever be on our lips 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 calendar on this day the liturgical calendar gives us this day as sent columbus day and we remember columba as an irish saint who came across to be the apostle of the picts in scotland but he made his home on iona and died there on the island of iona on this day in uh five nine seven that's an important year for us because that was the year that augustine came as the apostle to the english so that at the age of 75 we think um columba died on this day and that year is the significant one for new beginnings in canterbury so we give thanks for the ministry of columba and also for the island of iona a very holy place we're saying today the psalm 46 for this morning of the month god is our refuge and strength a very present help in trouble therefore we will not fear though the earth be moved and though the mountains tremble in the heart of the sea though the waters rage and swell and though the mountains quake at the towering seas there is a river whose streams make glad the city of god the holy place of the dwelling of the most high god is in the midst of her therefore shall she not be removed god shall help her at the break of day the nations are in uproar and the kingdoms are shaken but god utters his voice and the earth shall melt away the lord of hosts is with us the god of jacob is our stronghold come and behold the works of the lord what destruction he has wrought upon the earth he makes wars to cease in all the world he shatters the bow and snaps the spear and burns the chariots in the fire be still and know that i am god i will be exalted among the nations i will be exalted in the earth the lord of hosts is with us the god of jacob is our stronghold the lovely verse there is a river whose streams make glad the city of god so it's lovely to sit here by the hedge at the entry to the orchard where the fish bonds are and you can hear the sound of the water gardens that fletcher has made that pump water up and round on a circulation up to the high garden on the wall behind me but it's marvelous to be reminded by the sound of falling water of the way in which the earth is regenerated but also the symbolic streams running through the holy city which the psalmist gives us in that picture so we're turning to the gospel of saint matthew and i'm going to complete chapter and then read the first 20 verses of chapter 15. so i'm starting at verse 34 and remember jesus and the disciples are in the boat jesus having joined them to comfort them in the middle of the wind and waves and now they they land at jeniserit and when they had crossed over they came to land at janezaret and when the people of that place recognized him they sent word around to all that region and brought to him all who were sick and implored him that they might only touch the fringe of his garment and as many as touched it were made well then pharaoh seasoned scribes came to jesus from jerusalem and said why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders for they do not wash their hands when they eat jesus answered them and why do you break the commandment of god for the sake of your tradition for god commanded honor your father and your mother and whoever reviles father or mother must surely die but you say if anyone tells his father or his mother what you would have gained from me is given to god he need not honor his father so for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of god you hypocrites well did isaiah prophesy of you when he said this people honors me with their lips but their heart is far from me in vain they worship me teaching as doctrines the commandments of men and jesus called the people to him and said to them hear and understand it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person but what comes out of the mouth this defiles a person and the disciples came and said to him do you know that the pharisees were offended when they heard this saying jesus answered every plant that my heavenly father has not planted will be rooted up leave them alone they are blind guides and if the blind lead the blind those will fall into the ditch but peter said to him explain the parable to us and jesus said are you also still without understanding do not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled but what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart and this defiles a person for out of the heart come evil thoughts murder adultery sexual immorality theft false witness slander these are what defile a person but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone this is a little bit of teaching in the middle of narrative and doesn't count as one of the five discourses in matthew but it's important teaching and it's interesting to see first of all where they are and how shocked the disciples are that jesus has offended the very important pharisees and scribes who have been specially sent from jerusalem to counter what makes them nervous in jesus's teaching there's something they can't get a grip on and yet the crowds are listening with gladness so that we have two sections to this reading jesus and the disciples step ashore in geneserate and in genesis um we're thinking about the northwestern shore of the sea of galilee the northwestern shore is between magdala where mary magdalene came from and capernaum but it's very much galilean territory jesus is in his own area and the moment he steps ashore people recognize him at once and that then means that he can't keep his ministry secret not that he wants to we're told that he goes from village to village in that area of geneseourit not too far from the lakeside teaching and healing and giving good news to those who need it this paragraph which ends chapter 14 is a really lovely paragraph but the corollary as chapter 15 begins is what happens from jerusalem in judea the capital city when the strict pharisees who are backed up by scribes and scholars of the written law hear of this and come to counter this person who has no real learning no authority in their mind so they confront jesus and we have a discourse which is between jesus and the pharisees and scribes and it's an important one because jesus is quoting scripture back to them and he's making a distinction between the way in which they interpret scripture in their own tradition what has been handed on which is a reflection where people have tried to give guidance which were thinking about together this morning and learning about these things and as we as we do this um we have to remember the heartland of what jesus is saying so that what comes up here when the disciples say don't you know that you offended the pharisees by talking about their tradition and the tradition that we've all learned in a way which which pushed it aside but jesus said leave them alone they're blind guides any plant and back in the gardening image all over again any plant which has not been planted by god will be uprooted and we're back with all those horticultural images in the way that god's garden grows and things which flourish and are deep rooted well and taking nourishment from the streams of water all these are earthly metaphors to something really important for jesus then turns the whole thing in terms of defilement for the disciples are being accused of not ritually washing their hands as is the tradition of the elders and jesus turns the tables and said but look there are traditions of yours which you adopt for your own benefit and welfare which counter the law of god and the spirit of the law of god and then he begins to name certain ways especially the honoring of father and mother from people who say well i would have given you something but of course i what i uh what i would have given you is given to god so so be satisfied with that and jesus says you're actually countering the law of god in terms of looking after your your parents and those who have responsibility for in order to say well that's given to god and and that then is turned around to the disciples when they say well didn't you know you offended them jesus said well leave them alone they're blind guides it's not the tradition about what you eat and drink and all of that which is truly important for what is really the defiling mechanism of humanity is what comes out of the mouth in words but you could say and goes into the brain in thoughts which come from the heart and then he lists and notice the nearness of what he talks about in terms of of of sin and and and the the spirituality which which breeds righteousness the nearness of that to the commandments which are at the heartland of the law this is a a brief piece of teaching but it does give jesus a sense of being very radical against those who are respected authorities from the capital city and he is and the disciples are nervous of this planting seeds once again of something that will breed conflict and will be dangerous for him and for all of them but for the moment we're back in galilee and the conflict has started with officials from jerusalem and we hear jesus speaking about human tradition and divine law and about those things in god's garden which god never really wanted to be planted and one can see the garden not only as humanity but also as the internal quality of our own lives with what should be planted there and what needs to be uprooted this is an interesting day in terms of its date the 9th of june um i'm going to talk about three corpuses of written work the first is that this is the day that the 1549 book of common prayer mostly written by thomas cranmer the archbishop was made available in the common language and that lies at the root of so much of what we do together it lies at the root of the the balance for cranmer in that first prayer book which was amended in a way which was less shall we say less catholic in 1552 but reunended by elizabeth the first and brought back and if you you think the prabhu maintained the rhythm of the daily offices but invited people to join in with them in their own homes which is exactly what we're doing and gave lessons each day in course to be read and cranmer was very keen that they shouldn't be broken into too many times by too many festivals so that we can really get to know the books of the old and the new testament and then at the same time you have the prabhu containing the ordering of bishops priests and deacons and keeping that particular way of ordering the church and it sets out the way in which sacraments should be celebrated and you see very much the way in which 1549 set the sacrament of holy communion and when the bread was given the body of our lord jesus christ which was given for me and then in 1552 a different theology those words were set aside and when the bread was given taken to eat this in remembrance that christ died for thee and then oh why is elizabeth the first turned it round again and the um first sentence was put first the body of our lord jesus christ which was given for thee and then the second was put on at the end for those who would want to use that too all of those things we give thanks for and for the development through series of prayer books as life and and the church changed you can do the dates 1549 1552 then at the beginning of the reign of of elizabeth the first 1558 and then after the prayer book was abolished by cromwell the new one published in the reign of charles ii 1662 i give thanks for the rhythms of the day that it gives me in my ministry and our church in our ministry and it's a way that it suits because there's a pattern of reading the scriptures and and having the daily times so it's sanctifying time in a way now we could go on an awful long way about that but there's just one thing i did want to mention that in 1549 the retention of the way in which the psalter was read through was done differently and cranmer began what we do here in our morning prayers and in the cathedral on the first day of the month psalms 1 2 3 4 5 in the morning and so on and then on we go and this morning here we are with the third psalm for this ninth morning of the month psalm 46 but we could have read 44 45 46 and the bloodstream goes so well with all of that that sometimes the days are colored in my mind by what sounds i know are coming sung in the afternoon very often here but said if i'm by myself and certainly said in the morning between us but for the shortness of the office we just use one of them and pick one of them yet those days often i use on the ninth of the month to remember people whose birthday perhaps falls on the ninth of the month in my mind people from the past and people i know now well and i think of those as their sounds well that all comes from the rhythms of the 1549 prayer book and the way it's set out and then in this on this day also in 1815 the congress of vienna finished its work and the nations gathered in vienna after the end of years and years of war across europe in the french revolutionary wars and the napoleonic wars and following the defeat of napoleon in 1814 uh the nations met together and there are many portraits of the congress meeting it was the first of several congresses which were to happen which was normally known as the concert of europe over the next uh 10 years or so and the congress of vienna which was signed by of course the winning powers though france was there representing the restored bourbon monarchy but essentially it was those who had reshaped the map of europe and that would be the case for the years to come we remember i'm lord castle ray the english foreign secretary who was there representing england and then for a time the duke of wellington uh represented great britain but the the real leader was prince metanic the chancellor of the austrian emperor and uh all of this in vienna i i i love that the sense of the congress of vienna mostly because harold nicholson the the husband of um uh of evita sacral west uh wrote a a wonderful book simply called the congress of vienna and it gives the most amazing pictures of that congress is people trying to sort out europe in 1918 19 the same thing will be going on again at their sigh but nations trying to come together in order to make peace the sun this morning beating their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks and then we remember that uh on this day in 1870 charles dickens died and he was a great kench person but she's probably the most famous british 19th century novelist and dickens was really expert at drawing characters and was full of humor but full of satire teasing people full of keen observation of character and of society but also he was a fanatical campaigner for children's rights and education and social reform and did that best by drawing pictures that could scandalize people and make them think this has to change even the little book christmas the christmas carol gives that kind of flavor but notice how many of his books are simply the names of of the people he's going to write about oliver twist nicholas nicholson david copperfield much of that autobiographical little dorit the as these uh novels go on and he worked himself to a frazzle but then realized that people could sometimes not read but they could understand if he read the books to them so he became famous for public readings and the books were published by installment so he could gauge public reaction and sometimes public reaction actually altered the course and there's a story about his wife's chiropodist actually commenting to his wife about the way in which he was being rather cruel to someone in one of the novels and dickens realized it was an unfairness and because of that he began to to add good qualities to that character he went to the states twice on these these reading expeditions and back home people waited avidly for the next installment of so many of the novels and people would pay a happening now um old money uh if i do the the sums 480 happenings to the pound they'd pay i hate me to hear the installment read because they couldn't read themselves and dickens realized that reading aloud to people was a new way of giving education and literacy but he wore himself out completely by the end of his second american trip he could hardly eat were um toad that he lived right at the end the only thing he could stomach uh was champagne a beaten egg with sherry and that i don't know what they did to his stomach but in the end his his hard work was too much for him he he'd carried on writing and his last novel the mystery of edwin drude which is setting rochester it was left unfinished and we've seen marvelously imaginative ways in which people have tried to finish that novel and enjoyed them so we give thanks for charles dickens and the characters he draws but essentially the situations he sets before us in order that they might be changed and that kind of humor and satire and digs to people who are behaving badly but being hypocritical about it and that comes massively an oliver twist or with wackford squares the um uh schoolmaster in in uh nicholas nicolby and jesus does the same with the lawyers coming up from judea with the crowds around and probably the crowds were smiling and laughing which wouldn't have done jesus's safety any good at all so it's our prayers on this day and we are praying on this 9th of june for in the anglican communion the diocese of south carolina and we have so many friends there because of our various species especially didn't know we were going to do that see big smiles um we're we're we've got so many friends there at grace church cathedral in charleston the cathedral church of south carolina but we ought to say our prayer first for um ruth woodliff stanley who on the first of may was elected to be the new bishop shall be consecrated in october but then let's go on and say a prayer for bishop sorry dean michael at grace church cathedral and um our friend archdeacon cali who is part of the scene there with with the whole team too many to mention uh so let's go on now um with our prayers and to pray for the sanet deanery chaplains this morning and um they are looking after the villages and towns of sanet which we've been praying for we shall begin to pray for them bit by bit because they are important coastal towns like ford stairs and margate and places like that so we shall do that day by day but for the moment we're acting we're speaking for all of those who are acting as chaplains to organizations now and also let's pray for the life of perennial the gardener's royal benevolent society looking after the families and and and folk who are engaged in their work in horticulture so we pray for archbishop justin and bishop rose of dover and bishop tim at lambeth and we bring our own prayers to the collect for this day oh god the strength of all who put their trust in you mercifully accept our prayers and because through the weakness of our mortal nature we can do no good thing without you grant us the help of your grace that in keeping of your commandments we may please you both in will and deed through jesus christ our lord amen okay we say each 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 amen we're going to say our prayers in silence i am flipping a mosquito away so bring your own prayers to a moment of silence hearing the water fall behind and thinking of the streams that make land the city of gone 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 upon those whom you would pray for today and always amen well tiger you've arrived i wonder what your thinking might be here for you there is some there is some biscuit here on the tray for you if you want it but you won't get that high so i'm going to put it on the floor for you you are tiger please i won't lift you up it's a bit high this morning hey hey you've gone behind me now tiger hey tiger there we are little boy it's a lovely morning all right [Music] so we hope you have a good day as tiger has just the beginning of breakfast i think he'll want a bigger breakfast than a few biscuits but it's good to have him here with us in the morning and making our prayers seem good in this part of the garden with the wild roses