good morning and welcome to the deanery at canterbury cathedral we're finding ourselves inside the greenhouse for a very special reason and i'll state the context of 49 years ago today in litchfield cathedral the cathedral church of saint marians and chad i was ordained a deacon and on that day in the old calendar this was the feast of the visitation of the blessed virgin mary to elizabeth and those themes were very much part of the ordination service and now that feast has been put back to may the 31st this day still for me has resonance of those themes so we've come here into the greenhouse where the blue the marian blue of the plumbago and the white of the lilies and the scent of the lilies are redolent of this feast as it was in the old calendar and the lesson that i'll use will have a resonance also with that feast it's a day when as we pray for the leaders of the world and the leaders of our own nation we think especially of the chancellor of germany angela merkel who is visiting here today and will meet not only the prime minister but also the queen at windsor we give thanks for all her years as chancellor of germany and uh wish her well as that time comes to an end fairly soon let's say our prayers together on this day wherever you are in the world bring your own concerns and intentions o lord open our lips and our mouth shall proclaim your praise your faithful servants bless you they make known the glory of your kingdom blessed are you sovereign god ruler and judge of all to you be praise and glory forever in the darkness of this age that is passing away may the light of your presence which the saints enjoy surround our steps as we journey on may we reflect on your glory this day and so be made ready to see your face in the heavenly city where night shall be no more 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 psalm on this second day of the month the second morning of the month is psalm 10 why stand so far off oh lord why hide yourself in time of trouble the wicked in their pride persecute the poor let them be caught in the schemes they have devised the wicked boast of their hearts desire the covetous curse and revile the lord the wicked in their arrogance say god will not avenge it in all their scheming god counts for nothing they are stubborn in all their ways for your judgments are far above out of their sight they scoff at all their adversaries they say in their heart i shall not be shaken no harm shall happen to me their mouth is full of cursing deceit and fraud under their tongue lie mischief and wrong they lie in the outskirts and in dark alleys they murder the innocent their eyes are ever watching for the helpless they lie in weight like a lion in his den they lie in weight to seize the poor they seize the poor when they get them into their net the innocent are broken and humbled before them the helpless fall before their power they say in their heart god has forgotten he hides his face away he will never see it arise o lord god and lift up your hand forget not the poor why should the wicked be scornful of god why should they say in their hearts you will not avenge it surely you behold trouble and misery you see it and take it into your own hand the helpless commit themselves to you for you are the helper of the orphan break the power of the wicked and militias search out their wickedness until you find none the lord shall reign for ever and ever the nation shall perish from his land lord you will hear the desire of the poor you will incline your ear to the fullness of their heart to give justice to the orphaned and oppressed so that people are no longer driven in terror from the land it's a powerful psalm of help for those who most need it and so many of the the dates that we shall consider after our reflection on our reading from the new testament are about ways in which people have become the hands of the lord to attempt to help the oppressed and lift people into greater light and strength and the ability to fulfill their potential as the people that god made them as i say on this day um it used to be july the second the feast of the visitation of the blessed virgin mary and it's precious to me because it was my ordination day as a deacon so i'm reading from john chapter 2 and verses 1 to 12 and we'll consider why uh in our reflection on the third day there was a wedding at cana in galilee and the mother of jesus was there jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples when the wine ran out the mother of jesus said to him they have no wine jesus said to her woman what does this have to do with me my hour has not yet come his mother said to the servants do whatever he tells you now there were six stone water jars there for the jewish rites of purification each holding 20 or 30 gallons jesus said to the servants fill the jars with water and they filled them up to the brim and he said to them now draw some out and take it to the steward of the feast so they took it and when the steward of the feast tasted the water now become wine and did not know where it came from though the servants who had drawn the water knew the steward of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him everyone serves the good wine first and when people have drunk freely then the poor wine but you have kept the good wine until now this the first of his signs jesus did at cana in galilee and manifested his glory and his disciples believed in him after this he went down to capernaum with his mother and his brothers and his disciples and they stayed there for a few days it's a wonderful story and it's a sign of the potential of the ministry of the anointed one but jesus's comment is one that comes again and again in the gospel of saint john saying my hour has not yet come and yet on this occasion the influence of mary his mother who's never named in st john's gospel in the same way that the beloved disciple is not named in st john's gospel there's a reticence and an intimacy about it always mary is called the mother of jesus and here she is in a family occasion they're amongst their own people they're in galilee there is the village of cana they're well known excuse me they're well known and jesus has with him the disciples who have been called now we can name some of those and we can from the other gospels surmise to others for the sons of zebedee that's the only time that uh james and john are mentioned and that's in chapter 21 of john's gospel because i said there's a reticence of john's writing which doesn't name john and the sons of zebedee as we know from the gospels of matthew mark and luke were called early so if we look at the galilean disciples whom do we have peter and andrew who has called his brother peter and then we have the sons of zebedee two and philip and nathaniel six and they're sitting around with jesus at that time as friends friends of the family invited to the wedding and a very intimate affair the wedding would have been a very celebratory affair and then suddenly mary the mother of jesus with her intuition knows that there's something wrong they've run out of wine there are six very large stone jars full of water for jewish ceremonial rites of purification standing nearby and those six jars are going to be important in what happens next for mary says to jesus they have no wine and jesus and this can set it it depends on the tone in which you read it but this is this is a little bit of banter probably between mother and and son woman what's that got to do with you and me and mary doesn't even answer that because she senses what is going to happen and she says to the servants now here's the important word because in greek those servants are not called duloy in the normal word of servant or say they are called diaconoy deacons if you like for a deacon is one who serves and the servants are told to fill the jars with water to the brim and then take them to the steward of the feast and they do so and in that action jesus's compassion as well as his mother's sensitive compassion is shown but it's shown also as a sign that when the old wine runs dry here is the anointed one with the power to create of the most ordinary refreshing object if you like or or a gift of god's creation the water which we reply on we rely on constantly for cleansing and refreshment from that water the richness of new wine and the evangelist says this was the first sign what is this a sign of it's a sign of the potential of not only the compassion of jesus's ministry but all that would be seen to be flowing from the side of the cross and all that the the church in its life through its deacons and priests and ordinary people can actually give and here are the diakonoi the servants the interesting thing is that it says the stood of the feast did not know where all this came from but the deacons knew the servants knew the diaconoy knew for there is a consciousness of the preciousness of the gift well we might say that the disciples sitting around six were signs of that potential too just as they will gather up fragments when they're twelve later on from the feeding of the five thousand but on this day also we remember that eventually the work of the apostolic 12 in the acts of the apostles become so demanding in terms of the life of worship and prayer and the keeping of we might say the ethos of the gospel in in real ways that they know that they have to appoint others to help them hence the seven deacons and those stories are in the acts of the apostles the way in which the deacons began to serve the church at the prompting of mary and if there's one phrase in this little gospel that is ripe for our backpacks it's the phrase that the mother of jesus says to the deacons the servants who are going to serve the new wine and that is do whatever he tells you just those words that's the voice of mary that's the the image of the the plumbago and the white lily the the blue and the the white speaking of the voice of mary do whatever he tells you and wonderful things can happen the servants knew where that wonder of new wine pronounced by the steward to be the best saying to the bridegroom everyone serves the good wine first and when people have drunk well then they serve the the poorer stuff because then they hope they won't notice you've done it the other way around you have kept the best wine till now there's another phrase because the unexpected quality of this in ordinary things simple water becomes that rich gift and in all of that at the wedding at cana of galilee all of that is enshrined the first sign and who communicated that sign well the deacons i've always treasured the fact that every priest every bishop archbishop still holds within them their ordination as a deacon and that ordination is a fulfillment of the lord's statement i am among you as one who serves the kings of the gentiles lord it over their people and the great ones make them feel the weight of authority but i am among you as one who serves and also the son of man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many that deaconing aspect of jesus which some like saint francis of assisi and nicholas pharaoh wanted to hold on to so much that they never became priests they actually stayed as deacons but all of us stay as deacons and that second of july in 1972 for me was very much the important beginning the first wearing of the sign of service but we all wear it when we act as the body of christ one to another and we all have the capacity as we do morning by morning to reflect on how ordinary things can be used in wondrous signs of what jesus is giving and it's the voice of his mother the one who had pondered all things and kept them in her heart saying they have no wine the tone of her voice even though he banters back she knows that the response will be there even though the hour has not yet come nevertheless mercy and compassion for this situation is more than that and so she confidently says to the deacons the servants do whatever he tells you and they serve from those water pots the best wine and at that point the evangelist shows the glory by saying this the first of his signs happened where someone somewhere wondrous in the middle of the temple wherever no in a little family occasion with his mother and his brothers and the disciples and around him people from galilee that he would have known from his childhood just the simplicity of the sign which no one knew where the wine came from except for the deacons serving it i've just had the the pleasure and privilege of celebrating a communion in the cathedral early for the people who are to be ordained deacon tomorrow and priest on sunday and it was a lovely thing to do in the chapel of our lady undercroft our lady of canterbury as she's often called in in that chapel the wondrous thing was there was i a deacon of 49 years and all of those on the verge of receiving that wonderful ministry of being a deacon in christ's church is tiger come to join us and uh i want to look at some dates today because in a lovely way um the dates seem to reflect the way in which our psalmist cries out to god for those who need his help so much in a world where those with power are tempted to oppress and many do and the psalmist drew that out for us in very graphic detail thus by this what happened on this day over the years well let's not do it chronologically i'll just do it in the dates as they come in 1964 on this day in the united states president lyndon b johnson signed the civil rights act which was comprehensive united states legislation intended to end discrimination based on race color religion or national origin and if you look at the photograph of that signing there standing behind him leaning over his shoulder watching the signature is martin luther king jr we give great thanks for that that act of release and lifting people into a new freedom it was only a beginning and that beginning just like this cana of galilee's story only a beginning all of that has to be carried out by other hands other intentions by those who will fulfill that image that sign that is going on there um let's think of another kind of freedom that happened on this day 1489 was the birth of thomas cranmer who became archbishop of canterbury and as you you well know was burned at the stake for heresy when in the reign of of queen mary on the 21st of march 1556 but he was born on july the 2nd 1489 but if i say cranmer to people the one thing they think of is the fact that he both introduced the english bible to stand in all churches that people who could read could go and read or they could read to one another in their own language and gave a liturgy a beautiful liturgy which still is the basis of our anglican episcopal prayer books throughout the world even though we've gone into more modern languages the the prayer book was was written and given it doesn't ban the use of latin or of any language but it does say that it should be read and used in the language that people there understand in the colleges latin the latin prayer book was continued to be used which was a translation of what grandma had given in latin wasn't the banning of latin was the fact that grandma wanted people to be free to understand and hear stories like the one that we've just read and not just simply look at them in stained-glass windows and that that sense of liturgy in one's own language while not setting aside anything especially musical versions of of of things in different languages nevertheless has grown throughout the churches of the world so that people can read the stories for themselves and hear them read in 1819 the first factory act was passed by the british parliament which prohibited young children under nine to work in textile factories or children under 16 to work for more than 12 hours well that seems a pretty small step but it was the beginning the lifting of the load from those who were very vulnerable and an inspiration to those to go further like so many did in the 19th century and in our own century in the protection of those that jesus in the temple yesterday in our lesson was saying out of the mouths of of children and nursing babies god has perfected praise 1865 at a revivalist meeting at white chapel william booth formed the salvation army an army not only to proclaim the gospel but to go and seek out those who were most distressed and to bring food and help and shelter and company and that has spread worldwide 1928 in england all these things are interesting because they hang together the representation of the people equal franchise act on this day gave all women electoral equality with men everyone over the age of 21 could vote lifting a particular you might call it a discrimination because all adult members of the population could then vote at 21 1985 and this is really special the ordination of women as deacons was approved by general synod now before that there had been women deaconesses but that had been an office in the church which had no alternation it was a service office it was given and the intention was that there should be a deacon service but now ordination of the laying on of hands as a deacon was for the first time approved for women as well as men in the general synod and and there's great thanksgiving for that and then in 2005 we find that the world's biggest music stars united in live eight concerts throughout the g8 nations in the world and other parts of the world to highlight the poverty in africa just one dimension of those who are suffering but a beginning and something to lift the the as if psalm is crying out for the poor to be noticed and and here's another aspect of that and then finally and this is a really cheerful memory in 2018 the british divers john volansen and rick stanton went to northern thailand and and swam beneath the flooded caves to find the 12 young thai footballers and their coach who had been there and would be there for 17 days and a complicated rescue operation happened and the world watched with baited breath as a thousand people were involved in all of that but they were brought through from those caves through water and and out into safety all 13 of them well lots of things to give thanks for but all of that needed deacon's ministry service from the hands of others helping and lifting and giving life each of them a sign of human potential on this day so let's say our prayers and let's pray i'm going to pray for canada again because see the intense heat has now caused fires and one of the little communities in one of the great centres of heat has been hugely damaged by fire so we we we pray for those people at that time and and help to be given and and pray also for hopefully a cooling uh over there but let's think of those think of people throughout the world suffering both from climate or from from pandemic and all those at the front line of line of helping on this particular day as the we think of of deakin's ministry so um we are praying today for the diocese of colorado in the episcopal church of the united states and also in this diocese for justin our archbishop for rose bishop of dover who will be ordaining in the cathedral tomorrow here and tim bishop at lambus and also uh saint lawrence in sanet as the parishes there today and andrew jacobson and ken cox peter bone in their ministry and those with permission to officiate there brian griffiths and phil barnes we think of them in their ministry today and the life of that area as we continue to pray for the area deanery of thanat so let's say our prayers and as we do so we are remembering all those who are to be ordained but every kind of ministry throughout the world almighty and everlasting god by whose spirit the whole body of the church is governed and sanctified hear our prayer which we offer for all your faithful people that in their vocation and ministry each may serve you in holiness and truth to the glory of your name through our lord and savior jesus christ amen so each in our own language in our own way in words that we understand and like to use we say 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 moment of silence now for your own prayers on this day so our gospel was not only a gospel of a sign of jesus is giving a wedding feast a great uh boost to its celebrations but also a sign of of weddings and and yesterday for us an important wedding took place of of two of our friends um and uh that that ellen and nick now town zen she was ellen arvison before now and on the nicktown's and on our husband and wife after the ceremony and we send our our blessings and and best wishes for them uh and ellen's uh father and mother lived here amongst us as our next door neighbors fred was the chaplain here at the king school for so many years of my ministry here and we pray for him and for amelia who also lived here of course with the family and the children growing up and we think of all the uh the the family as they they've come together for that wedding and we hope to see them very soon so congratulations is the big word for that happy day and yesterday was a good day too in terms of sunshine let's um now have the the the blessing and as we do so we think of all those in ministry for us and those who actually through their their companionship in in married life which is what the met when he at cana of galilee give each other comfort and also creativity the peace of god which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of god and of 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 those whom you would pray for today and always amen