good morning and welcome to the dinery Garden at Canterbury Cathedral on this morning of Thursday the 16th of September As We join together in morning prayer welcome wherever you are in the world it's a lovely September morning it's cool there's a touch of autumn in the air and above me a beautiful robin's egg Blue Sky which is appropriate because the song of the bird if you are hearing it is the song of a robin around us and that's a cheerful sound the Sun is up uh there's little warmth in it yet but no doubt there will be but there's a touch of as I say autumn in the air we've come here to this particular part of the garden because this is normally the place where we would grow and harvest potatoes uh in different years but this year because of the Abundant rain and lack of sunshine the potato crop failed for most of us really catastrophically and so we've harvested any very few potatoes if any this year and uh at the same time the arch chokes which are now right at the end of their season were very poor in their flowering and fluing for us this year we are so dependent on Seasons at the same time the Brasa the cabbages and the the the green things in the other part of the garden did really well because of the rain and in our reflection we shall be thinking of course of the famine in Egypt with the Joseph story uh and how dependent we are on Seasons we we think right across the world at this time of the various situations which people find themselves in places of danger and and still fires and floods and you'll have so many of those scenes in your mind there's also the the news of a new uh PCT between in the United Kingdom um Australia the United States for the security of the South Pacific the the the area in in the world where Australia New Zealand all all of those countries are and uh that hopefully will give a sense of more security for the world and stability in that area well let's begin our prayers on this particular morning as we join together and bring your own intentions and prayers oh Lord open our lips and our mouths shall Proclaim your praise May Christ the day star Dawn in our hearts and Triumph over the shades of night blessed are you creator of all to you be praise and glory forever as your Dawn renews the face of the Earth bringing light and Life to all creation may we rejoice in this day you have made as we wake refreshed from the depths of sleep open our eyes to behold your presence and strengthen our hands to do your will that the world may rejoice and give you praise 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 as we rejoice in the gift of this new day so may the light of your presence oh God set our hearts on fire with love for you now and forever amen our Psalm this morning is Psalm 81 on this 16th morning of the month uh we would normally read Psalm 80 I'm reading Psalm 81 one of the other morning Psalms because it mentions Joseph and uh that actually Tunes in very well with all that we'll be reading in our lesson Psalm 81 sing merily to God our strengths shout for joy to the god of Jacob take up the song and sound the timbrell the tuneful liar with the harp blow the trumpet at the new moon as at the full moon upon our solemn feast day for this is a statute for Israel a law of the god of Jacob the charge he laid on the people of Joseph when they came out of the land of Egypt I Heard a Voice I did not know that said I eased their shoulder from the burden their hands were set free from bearing the load you called upon me in trouble and I delivered you I answered you from the secret place of thunder and proved you at the Waters of Mera here oh my people and I will admonish you oh Israel if you would but listen to me there shall be no strange God among you you shall not work worship a foreign God I am the Lord your God who brought you up from the land of Egypt open your mouth wide and I shall fill it but my people would not hear my voice and Israel would not obey me so I sent them away in the stubbornness of their hearts and let them walk after their own counsels oh that my people would listen to me that Israel would walk in my ways then I should soon put down their enemies and turn my hand against their adversaries those who hate the Lord will be humbl before them and their punishment would last forever but Israel would I feed with the finest wheat and with honey from The Rock would I satisfy them so we turn back to the Book of Genesis and uh it's an interesting news story of uh new discoveries today in Egypt from archaeological times actually slightly before this period of Joseph but it's bringing our minds back to the archaeology and wonderful things which have been found in Egypt of the past and giving us a sight of this this civilization that we're we're thinking about this morning with Joseph in Egypt so we're taking up from where we left off in chapter 41 and verse 46 Joseph was 30 years old when he entered the service of pharaoh king of Egypt and Joseph went out from the presence of pharaoh and went through all the land of Egypt during the seven plentiful years the earth produced abundantly and he gathered up all the food of those seven years which occurred in the land of Egypt and put the food in the cities he put in every city food from the fields around it and Joseph stored up grain in great abundance like the sand of the sea until he ceased to measure it for it could not be measured before the year of famine came two sons were born to Joseph asenath the daughter of poera priest of an bore them to him Joseph called the name of the firstborn manasse for he said God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father's house the name of the second he called Ephraim for God has made me fruitful in the land of my Affliction the seven years of plenty that occurred in the land of Egypt came to an end and the seven years of famine began to come as Joseph had said there was famine in all lands but in all the land of Egypt there was bread when all the land of Egypt was famished the people cried to Pharaoh for bread and Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians go to Joseph what he says to you do so when the famine had spread over all the land Joseph opened up all the storehouses and sold to the Egyptians for the famine was severe in the land of Egypt moreover all the Earth came to Egypt to Joseph to buy Grain because the famine was severe over all the Earth and when Jacob heard that there there was grain for sale in Egypt he said to his sons why do you look at one another he said behold I have heard that there is grain for sale in Egypt go down and buy Grain for us there that we may live and not die so 10 of Joseph's brothers went down to buy Grain in Egypt but Jacob did not send Benjamin Joseph's brother with his brothers for he feared that harm might happen to him thus the sons of Israel came to buy among all the others who came grain for the famine was also in the land of Canaan it's a continuation of a story we've been seeing unfold in different scenes and for a while we've been only in the land of Egypt and that continues with the way in which Joseph in all his wisdom has been given Power by pharaoh to make provision according to the outcome of his prophecies for the land of Egypt there's a great trust established now between pharaoh and Joseph for he's not only interpreted the dreams but has set out a plan for the good years and the bad years to follow a careful and wise plan for Joseph comes from that sense of wisdom within the Old Testament and the decisions he makes are wise decisions for the sake and Welfare as it happens not only of the people of Egypt but of all peoples roundabout and see how he calls his two sons manasse and ephra him and the words meaning God has made me forget all my afflictions and made me fruitful in this new land where all those afflictions brought me well then what happens next of course and Joseph is feeling God's blessing in in Egypt but the two stories are now to be United the story of Joseph in Egypt and the story of Jacob and his sons in Canaan and today we see how those stories are united for Jacob when their own resources run out hears that they can go and buy Grain in Egypt and says to his 10 Sons for he's not going to let the youngest Benjamin who is Joseph's brother by Rachel Jacob's beloved wife who had died in child birth with Benjamin he's not going to let him out of his sight so the 10 Brothers go all unsuspectingly they've no idea that Joseph is is still alive in Egypt uh and so they set off and tomorrow we shall see part of that Journey but today we're seeing how the two groups of people in different scenes that we've been thinking about are moved by the same plan to a a a a Confluence a convergence a coming together of the stories into a point where the plan can develop further and Joseph within himself Body Mind and Spirit is confident that God's plan underlies all of this Manasseh Ephraim God has made me forget my afflictions God has made me fruitful in this new land and now those fruits are ready to be shared with all the nations of the world as the world around Egypt of course that means at that time coming to Egypt to buy Grain the Egyptians themselves being furnished first from the storehouses which are now opened in times of famine the Reliance on the seasons but the Reliance on good planning and it's like the uh old esops Fable o of of the the the ant being wise is and saying to the cricket who is singing All Summer um when winter comes you're going to regret not making preparation and here Joseph has made seven years of preparation for everyone and at the same time he's now able to withstand the seven years of famine through the blessing of God well this morning we've thought that we're here in a place where Autumn is just about beginning and although there's much flowering and fruitfulness all around us for Autumn is a time of that the fall as other parts of the English speaking World call it is is as a time for that much fruitfulness and in the northern hemisphere the Autumn the fall is just beginning but at the same time preparations have to be made for the winter and the seasons ahead and planning as to where things have to be planted and when they have to be planted all of that is the way in which we as humankind use the planet and use it wisely and are then able to share its fruitfulness at the same time we depend on wise leaders and there's a there are there are some dates this morning which which are helpful to think about that and the way in which our human life is always fragile today is the day on sorry September the 16th 1386 when the one who was to become King Henry V was born now King Henry V in my mind and most people's mind is a title of a Shakespeare play and it sits within the compus of several plays with the name Henry across them two for Henry IV one for Henry the 5ifth three for Henry VI 6th it's a a great uh panoply of of of Dramas and we tend to take our images of those kings from the Shakespeare plays and Henry IV we see at in the end as an older and wiser King he is buried here in the cathedral and he's buried near to the flame which burns over the sight of Thomas becket's tomb and Shrine he wanted to be buried near that and was brought from Westminster Abbey to Canterbury in order to to uh be buried there at the same time Henry V during his father's Lifetime and this we get in in plenty and and dramatically from Shakespeare in the last plays about Henry ivth to start with Henry vth as Prince how is seen as Reckless and living a wild life and the the the chief U influence on him is s old Sir John F staff who's a bit of a rogue and Henry IV is is scratching his head and thinking what on Earth is going to happen to the kingdom when my son becomes king look at the way he's behaving and the older courtiers are thinking there's no wisdom in this land he's a great Soldier he's been out and he's fought Owen glendara in Wales after the the the the Revolt of Owen glendara he's fought the Percy family at the Battle of shury all of that but nevertheless he seen to be Reckless and not fit to govern the kingdom And yet when his father dies as we know from Shakespeare's play again and also from history he becomes one of the most successful monarchs in his short Reign he was only King from 1413 to 1422 and then died of a fever uh quite quickly and uh that ended his short Reign I say we're at the beckon call of the fragility of our own human State and anything might happen any day it's the same with the seasons so that wisdom causes us to be prepared but meanwhile of course he becomes not only good at his battles and aing cor of of course was the the major battle for which he's remembered but also for his statecraft he by battle and also by diplomacy won back what in fact would have been the whole of France because he he became married to the king of France's daughter and uh the king of France at that time Charles I 6 made a a treaty with him that after Charles I 6 Henry would be crowned King of France and his air who was born the the the young princeling who would become Henry VI 6 of of England uh would be also the king of France all that came to nothing for Henry V 5th died of the fever just a a a short time before Charles I 6 himself died and at that time Henry VI 6 was only a baby having been born at Windsor and everything was thrown back into the Melting Pot well we think then of the way in which both military press but also statecraft in the running of a state for those years of Henry VI short Reign were fairly peaceful and ordered years for the kingdom here but at the same time it was a preparation and then there are the three plays of Shakespeare for Henry the 6 and those are troubled times and Henry VI 6 was was not the the person of statecraft and war that his father was an attractive and and and even holy person but that's for another day for the moment we remember how in the Joseph story wise leadership and wisdom and the ability to make decisions is is absolutely crucial for the welfare of Nations it's the day in 1701 the 16th of September when King James II of England died he didn't die in England for he had been ousted from his throne really for making unwise political decisions with regard to the way the nation viewed him and also his own advisers and helpers at that time he's oued by the Glorious Revolution as it's called in 1688 and died at sanj oay an exile his tomb is there some of you will have seen it in the church at San Shan O as really a guest in Exile of Louis the 14th in France and we think also of the way in which in the on the 16th of September the uh Last borong King in 1824 we're talking about the last borong king of France who was still King of France when he died died in the LOF Louis VI 18th who'd come back after the battle of waloo and had been King of France from then till 1824 and really made careful and wide decisions he was he was wise but he was tired and and not well and in 1824 he died and gave over to Charles the 10th his brother who made again decisions which didn't pleas the people of France and in 18 cessy at the revolution he was Ed decisions of wise statecraft reading the mind of the people and making as best as possible with the the the Proviso that events can overtake you at any moment in the way in which statecraft diplomacy and even military alliances are formed so we remember those uh themes on this day as Autumn begins to give uh it it its air in the mornings and preparations for wintertime are made as we remember the the famine uh the psalm was also a Psalm of singing and joy because that's always a wonderful thing and a trumpet being sounded for the the new moon and uh I've got two singers to to mention this morning as well on the 16th of September 1945 the Irish Tenor joined mccormac died and his singing is well known because he was a great performer of Irish songs as well as classical Opera he became the great voice the tenor voice of the earlier part of the 20th century and his recordings still show that but at the same time Maria Callas on this day uh died in 1977 and she was the great image of the Italian Diva uh and both John mccormac and Maria kis came from homes of of uh real poverty and it it's incredible that their voices lifted them into a a place where the whole world could still now enjoy the music they give so let's give thanks for that within our life as well as we say our prayers on this particular morning and we are praying uh in the Anglican communion for the dasis of exitor in the southwest of England and praying for the life of that dasis as we say our prayers as a as a garden congregation across the world and at the same time here in the Canterbury dasis we pray for Archbishop Justin of Canterbury and also Bishop Rose of DOA Bishop Tim at Lambeth and today for the life of the parishes of benenden St George and Sandhurst St Nicholas that's in that area Deery of the wield we've been praying for as we pray for the parishes of benon St George and santz St Nicholas we pray for the parish priest David commander and the curet ilva bled McKenzie at the same time we pray for the life of benon Church of England primary primary school and the life of benon school and for our great friend uh Sam Price who's the head mistress there and her husband Yori uh who is a priest himself who I knew uh back in in um my days as Vicar of Sheran is one of my one of my servers there his father was the head server there and we pray for their two children as well at this time well known here because Sam was uh a house mistress here next door at luxmore uh in in in our time so let's pray for all of those you'll be you'll be naming people you want to pray for today and we join our prayers together as we say the collect for this particular day of the year God who in generous Mercy sent the Holy Spirit upon your church in the burning fire of Your Love grant that your people may be fervent in The Fellowship of The Gospel that always abiding in you they may be found steadfast in faith and active in service through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen prayer as the sun begins to shine down of our savior in whatever language you like to say it 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 the thine is the kingdom the power and the glory forever and ever amen moment of silence now punctuated by Russell but also the sounds of the Garden on this morning for 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 amen [Music] [Applause] [Music] for [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] the fore speech [Music] spee fore [Music] fore foree [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] CH you [Music] the [Music] [Applause] you [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music]