welcome to canterbury cathedral on this friday morning on the very eve of the first weekend of holy week we are contemplating jesus's journey to jerusalem where he will suffer and die for the sake of the whole world and therefore our morning prayers keep that as an image as we pray for our own situation at this time and also for all those whom we love and those who care for us in our daily lives oh lord open our lips and our mouth shall proclaim your praise let your ways be known upon earth your saving power among the nations blessed are you lord god of our salvation to you be praise and glory forever as a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief your only son was lifted up that he might draw the whole world to himself may we walk this day in the way of the cross and always be ready to share its weight declaring your love for all the world blessed be god father son and holy spirit blessed be god forever the little canticle that we say daily this week it's from the song of lamentation by the prophet jeremiah is it nothing to you or you who pass by look and see if there is any sorrow like my sorrow which was brought upon me which the lord inflicted on the day of his fierce anger for these things i weep my eyes flow with tears for a comforter is far from me one to revive my courage remember my affliction and my bitterness the wormwood and the gall but this i call to mind and therefore i have hope the steadfast love of the lord never ceases his mercies never come to an end they are new every morning great is your faithfulness as our psalm we use one of those psalms which speak about the joy of a pilgrim's arrival in jerusalem and in any holy place psalm 15 lord who may dwell in your tabernacle who may rest upon your holy hill whoever leads an uncorrupt life and does the thing that is right who speaks the truth from the heart and bears no deceit on the tongue who does no evil to a friend and pours no scorn on a neighbor in whose sight the wicked are not esteemed but who honors those who fear the lord whoever has sworn to a neighbor and never goes back on that word who does not lend money in hope of gain nor take a bribe against the innocent whoever does these things shall never fall jesus and his disciples are almost come within sight of the city of jerusalem and the leaders in jerusalem are nervous about what will happen when he arrives with the city brim full of pilgrims come to celebrate the feast so i'm reading today from st john chapter 11 and beginning at verse 47 so the chief priests and the pharisees gathered the council and said what are we to do for this man performs many signs if we let him go on thus everyone will believe in him and the romans will come and destroy both our holy place and our nation but one of them caiaphas who was high priest that year said to them you know nothing at all you do not understand that it is expedient for you that one man should die for the people and that the whole nation should not perish he did not say this of his own accord but being high priest that year he prophesied that jesus should die for the nation and not for the nation only but to gather into one the children of god who are scattered throughout the world so from that day on they took counsel how to put jesus to death it's a complicated situation for caiaphas as the high priest of that nation they are under roman occupation so any decision he makes has to look both ways the nation itself and at the army of occupation and it pontius pilate the one who led the roman government in that nation at that time one can have a measure of sympathy with the complication of the decisions he has to make in council but at the same time almost intuitively he speaks a sentence about the one who will die for millions and millions of others to enfold the whole human race into god's love on this day when we're giving thanks for so many we ourselves stood in the garden with the city of canterbury in their gardens last night at eight o'clock and clapped our hands loudly for five minutes for all those who are keeping our human life as ordered and resourced as they can we had in our minds the workers at the supermarket who we know well we'd cued to see and who smilingly were able to give what we needed as much as we needed and not more and at the same time we had in mind the people who bring post and sort post the people who keep care homes and all those in the national health service you will think of many many more people known to you who keep ordinary life going in so far as possible at this time of crisis and fear and also of danger but today perhaps also we pray for those leaders in every nation who have to make complicated decisions complicated political decisions complicated financial decisions complicated welfare decisions they need our prayers and all these people need our constant gratitude and encouragement and so we say a prayer today for wisdom for all who today will be making decisions and also for courage on those who have to make hard decisions for the benefit of their nations as always we pray for those suffering from kovid 19 and those caring for them those who put themselves in danger and we give thanks for them god of all in whom we live and move and have our being breathe upon those who have to make hard decisions today and place themselves in danger your holy spirit the spirit of wisdom and of understanding the spirit of counsel and might the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the lord that through your guidance they may direct our steps in the ways of safety and wisdom and hope and that we ourselves may be filled with gratitude for those who serve us in all parts of our life in these dangerous days through jesus christ our lord amen [Music] we pray the collect a special prayer for this week in lent just before holy week begins most merciful god who by the death and resurrection of your son jesus christ delivered and saved the world grant that by faith in him who suffered on the cross we may triumph in the power of his victory through jesus christ our lord amen as always when we pray we say the our father in whatever way we would normally say it and in whatever language wherever you are in the world 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 the amount of silence now as we make our own prayers of thanksgiving and intention for others and ourselves for this day [Applause] so christ crucified draw you to himself to find in him a sure ground for faith a firm support for hope and the assurance of sins forgiven and the blessing of god almighty the father the son and the holy spirit be among you and remain with you and with those whom you love this friday throughout its hours and always amen you