welcome to canterbury cathedral as we come at the end of the afternoon to say some short evening prayers on this day of so many new developments across our country and our world we should be praying for health and healing for those who most need it for those who feel isolation in their locked down status and at the same time praying for all those whom we know and love and care for we're using prayers from the office of even song but i'm going to start with a little passage from the book of isaiah it's a vision he has of a desert flowering and it's in isaiah chapter 35 the wilderness and the dry land shall be glad the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing the glory of lebanon shall be given to it the majesty of carmel and sharon they shall see the glory of the lord the majesty of our god strengthen the weak hands and make firm the feeble knees say to those who are of a fearful heart be strong fear not behold your god will come with vengeance with the recompense of god he will come and save you then the eyes of the blind shall be opened and the ears of the death unstopped then shall the lame man leap like a heart and the tongue of the dumb sing for joy for waters shall break forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert and the ransomed of the lord shall return and come to zion with singing everlasting joy shall be upon their heads they shall obtain joy and gladness and sorrow and sighing shall flee away we use the song of mary as we do it even song each evening the magnificat i'm reading it from the book of common prayer my soul doth magnify the lord and my spirit hath rejoiced in god my savior for he has regarded the lowliness of his handmaiden for behold from henceforth all generation shall call me blessed for he that is mighty has magnified me and holy is his name and his mercy is on them that fear him throughout all generations he has shared strength with his arm he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts he has put down the mighty from their seat and has exalted the humble and meek he has filled the hungry with good things and the rich he has sent empty away he remembering his mercy has opened his servant israel as he promised to our forefathers abraham and his seed forever glory be to the father and to the son and to the holy ghost as it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be world without end amen some verses from the first chapter of the gospel of saint mark in this we find jesus at the end of a busy and tense day when he has been surrounded by people demanding things of him even in the evening that does not stop but just as he found solitude in the desert in the wilderness so too he needs that solitude in the middle of his ordinary ministry and here he finds it early in the morning at evening at sundown they brought to jesus all who were sick or possessed with demons and the whole city was gathered together about the door and he healed many who were sick with various diseases and cast out many demons and he would not permit them to speak because they knew him but in the morning a great while before day he rose and went out to a lonely place and there he prayed and simon and those who were with him pursued him and they found him and said to him everyone is searching for you he could find no rest unless he chose to get up early and go out by himself and be alone to recharge his batteries as i was saying this morning we applauded the national health service last night with great thanksgiving in our gardens but all those people who are working many long hours together with so many others who are bringing resources to the homes of our nation where people find themselves are working to the point of exhaustion and they need to find rest from day to day we pray for them and we give thanks for them and as far as we are able we try to relieve their load by our own encouragement we say together the prayer which our lord taught us in whatever way and in whichever language we would like to use 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 as we pray the prayer for those who are suffering with the coronavirus we think tonight especially of our prime minister boris johnson and all those whom we know ourselves to need healing from the coronavirus loving god bless with your compassion all those who care for family members and friends give them strength in times of tiredness give them calm in times of anxiety give them courage in times of despair that through their love the sick would be comforted and healed relationships deepened and hope renewed through jesus christ our lord amen so as evening draws on may almighty god the father the son and the holy spirit bless and protect you all oh man