welcome to canterbury cathedral we are here in the garden of the deanery as public worship in the cathedral itself has been suspended but we can still keep in touch with each other with some daily prayers and we give you god's blessing across the world wherever you are this is a time as we approach this weekend when we shall begin to change our attention from christ in the desert in the wilderness to christ carrying the cross but for these couple of days until we approach sunday let's continue to think of the loneliness of christ in the desert as we have throughout these weeks of lent because so many throughout the world in their locked-in status at home will be facing isolation other families will be gathered together as households in their own homes so we give encouragement to each other in our prayers today blessed are you god of compassion and mercy to you be praise and glory forever in the darkness of our sin your light breaks force like the dawn and your healing springs up for deliverance as we rejoice in the gift of your saving help sustain us with your bountiful spirit and open our lips to sing your praise blessed be god father son and holy spirit blessed be god forever i'm going to use a song of the new creation versus from the prophet isaiah which speaks of hopefulness in the desert in the wilderness god says i will make a pathway in the wilderness and rivers in the desert i am the lord your holy one the creator of israel your king thus says the lord who makes a way in the sea a path in the mighty waters remember not the former things nor consider the things of old behold i am doing a new thing now it springs forth do you not perceive it i will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert to give drink to my chosen people the people whom i formed for myself that they might declare my praise i'm going to read just a few verses from the first chapter of the gospel of saint mark in those days jesus came from nazareth of galilee and was baptized by john the baptist in the river jordan and when he came up out of the water immediately he saw the heavens opened and the spirit descending upon him like a dove and a voice came from heaven you are my beloved son with you i am well pleased the spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness and he was in the wilderness 40 days tempted by satan and he was with the wild beasts and the angels ministered to him in the gospels of matthew and of luke there is a detailed ordering of the temptations but in mark which is generally thought of as the earliest of the gospels everything seems to happen at once to me that seems much more like ordinary life sometimes many temptations come which have to be resisted at other times in our loneliness and isolation we are surrounded and given comfort by the gifts of god creation in creatures and the foliage and even this morning by spring starting here in england and at other times we feel ourselves ministered to by angels there may be a sense of god's presence nearby or they may be angels in human form who are helping us by words of encouragement and by gifts of service at great cost to themselves this is all happening in our world at present at this desperate time of the spreading coronavirus and of lockdown for so many people and yet we can give each other encouragement in this garden last night we came out and at eight o'clock clapped our hands for about five minutes and all around us the sound of the city of canterbury of people in their gardens clapping their hands in thanksgiving for all those who are serving us in the national health service gave us encouragement it was a wonderfully moving moment and it was almost a moment of us acting as angels of grace to each other even in our own gardens and separated as we are we give thanks for that possibility in these days ahead and ask for god's grace to realize when we can be that ministry of encouragement to each other i'm going to use this morning first our prayer from our website we pray for all those suffering from covid19 at this time and especially for those caring for loved ones who are ill loving god bless with your compassion all those who care for family members and friends and those who are sick 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 the favorite prayer of saint francis of assisi lord make us instruments of your peace where there is hatred let us so love where there is injury pardon where there is doubt faith where there is despair hope where there is darkness light where there is sadness joy o divine master grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled as to console to be understood as to understand to be loved as to love for it is in giving that we receive it is in pardoning that we are pardoned and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life amen so we say together the prayer that our savior taught us in whatever language or in whatever words you would normally 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 are men in a moment of silence we make our own prayers for this day so may almighty god bless you the father the son and the holy spirit today and always amen