does the H seem to begin himym number 75 [Music] 75 in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit amen amen the Lord be with you and also with you it's a great pleasure to have with us our preacher this morning who is the very Reverend Robert Willis um former well Dean Emeritus of uh Canterbury cathedral but you will remember him as our Dean when he was Dean of Harford so welcome father thank you marvelous to have you here and so we offer this Eucharist today for all Cathedral especially for Canterbury and Harford for those who have been baptized and confirmed and received first communion at the Easter Vigil which we do throughout Easter tide and we continue to offer for the Peace of the world especially in Ukraine in the Middle East and in Africa my brothers and sisters as we prepare ourselves to celebrate the holy mystery is let us call to mind our sins almighty God our heavenly father we have sinned against you and against our neighbor in thought and word and deed through negligence through weakness through our own deliberate fault we are truly sorry and repent of all our sins for for the sake of your son Jesus Christ who died for us forgive us all that is pass and Grant that we may serve you in newness of life to the glory of your name amen almighty God who forgives all who truly repent have mercy upon you pardon and deliver you from all your sins confirm and strengthen you in all goodness and keep you in life eternal through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen we sing the kiras and the Gloria Lord have Mery Lord have mercy Christ have mercy Christ have mercy Lord have mercy Lord have mercy glory to God in the highest and peace to his people on Earth Lord God Heavenly King Alm Mighty God and Father we worship you we give you thanks we praise you for your glory Lord Jesus Christ son of the father Lord God Lamb of God you take away the sin of the world have mercy on us you are seated at the right hand of the father receive pray for you alone are the Holy One you alone are the Lord you alone are the most high Jesus Christ with the Holy Spirit in the glory of God the Father amen let us pray that we may feel the presence of Christ in our lives Almighty father who in your great Mercy Gladden the disciples with the sight of the Risen Lord give us such knowledge of his presence with us that we may be strengthened and sustained by his risen life and serve you continually in righteousness and Truth through Jesus Christ your son our Lord who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit in the UN in the unity of the Holy Spirit one God now and forever amen would you sit for the readings now it's not my custom to introduce the reading things that I'm about to read but I do make an exception for the one that I'm just about to Embark upon because uh really I do think we need the backstory to get us uh into the frame of mind for the reading so what has happened is that Peter and John have gone to the temple at the time of the afternoon sacrifice 3:00 and a lame man has been carried in to to where they've arrived they've arrived at the gate called Beautiful into the temple and that's his usual place where he asks for arms and he asks Peter and John for some arms and St Peter says to him I have no gold or silver but I give you what I have and he says in the name of Jesus of Nazareth I command you well in effect he says that um to stand up and walk and this is what the man does and then he starts walking not only walking and running and leaping about and the crowd soon gathers to see the miracle that has occurred because they know that this is the man who used to be lame and couldn't walk and now he does indeed walk and he does a lot more than that a reading from The Acts of the Apostles Peter addressed the people you Israelites why do you wonder at this or why do you stare at us as though by our own power or piety we had made him walk the god of Abraham the god of Isaac and the god of Jacob the god of our ancestors has glorified his servant Jesus whom you handed over and rejected in the presence of pilate though he had decided to release him but you rejected the holy and brightest one and asked to have a murderer given to you you killed the author of Life whom God raised from the dead to this we Are Witnesses and by faith in his name his name itself has made this man strong whom you see and know and the faith that is through Jesus has given him this perfect health in the presence of all of you and now friends I know that you acted in ignorance as did also your rulers in this way God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets that his Messiah would suffer repent therefore and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out this is the word of the Lord thanks be to God lift up the light of your countenance Upon Us O Lord lift up the light of your count upon us oh Lord answer me when I call oh God defender of my cause you set me free when I am hard pressed have mercy on me and hear my prayer you Mortals how long will you dishonor my glory how long will you worship dumb idols and run after false gods lift up the light of your countenance upon us oh Lord know that the Lord does wonders for the faithful when I call upon the Lord he will hear me tremble then and do not not sin speak to your heart in silence upon your bed lift up the light of your countenance upon us oh Lord offer the appointed sacrifices and put your trust in the Lord many are saying oh that we might see better times lift up the light of your Candance upon us oh Lord lift up the light of your counts Upon Us O Lord you have put gladness in my heart more than when grain and wine and oil increase I lie down in peace at once I fall asleep for Only You Lord Make Me dwell in safety lift up the light of your countenance upon us oh Lord a reading from the first letter of of St John see what love the father has given us that we should be called children of God and that is what we are the reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him beloved we are God's children now but what we will be has not yet been revealed what we do know is this when he is revealed we will be like him for we shall see him as he is and all who have this hope in him purify themselves just as he is pure everyone who commits sin is guilty of lawlessness sin is lawlessness you know that he was revealed to take away sins and in him there is no sin no one who abides in him sins no one who sins has either seen him or known him little children let no one deceive you everyone who does what is right is righteous just as he is righteous this is the word of the Lord thanks be to God hymn number 428 [Music] 428 Allelujah Allelujah Lord Jesus explain the scriptures to us make our hearts burn within us as you talk to us Allelujah the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke glory to you oh Lord Jesus himself stood among them and said to them peace be with you they were startled and terrified and thought that they were seeing a ghost but Jesus said to them why are you frightened and why do doubts arise in your hearts look at my hands and my feet see that it is I myself touch me and see for a ghost does not have Flesh and Bones as you see that I have and when he had said this he showed them his hands and his feet while in their Joy they were disbelieving and still wondering he said to them have you anything here to eat they gave him a piece of broiled fish and he took it and at in their presence then he said to them these are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you that everything written about me in the law of Moses the prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures and he said to them thus it is written that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to All Nations beginning from Jerusalem you are witnesses of these things this is the gospel of the Lord praise to you in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit amen for all sorts of reasons feter and I are very glad to be here this morning it's the first Sunday that we've spent in England since before Ash Wednesday we've been ministering By Invitation in cathedrals and churches in the United States and wherever we went it seemed the climate was quite different we began in Charleston in South Carolina and after Ash Wednesday and the first Sunday of Lent there we found ourselves on our way to Atlanta cathedral in Georgia different climate little bit colder than Charleston and then from the temperature of Atlanta we went on to Louisville and Louisville Nashville I'm sorry in Tennessee uh and uh Nashville was again a different climate and then down to Miami cathedral in Florida well you can guess what the climate was like there hot and almost like an English summers's day from there to Toronto cathedral in Canada snow very different and from then for Holy Week the whole of Holy Week to St Thomas Church Fifth Avenue in New York ordinary sort of weather mostly but nothing green on the trees yet finally to a church in Connecticut at Daran St Luke's Church so they will be pleased with the gospel this morning and then we came home and the lovely thing about coming home is the fact that the leaves here are already beginning to sprout and be green along the sides of the roads as we moted up from Kent to here yesterday the day before and that Journey was a lovely one for me it was A Sort of Homecoming I spent my curacy in shury the first job I had and then after that um following some time in the dasis of Salsbury I returned as dean of Herford and knew this area very well and so one remembers as you go through all kinds of friends who lived there at the time and some are still there and others have gone on to Glory but memories like that are good ones and since Easter we've been reading gospels of the Resurrection it's wonderful to see lilac blossoming in the churchard here early I would say even for England I would ask what is the strongest reason for us to believe heart and soul in the resurrection of Jesus Christ and I think there's one answer and one answer only and this morning we see that answer developing through three different times of History really we see it in the Gospel of Luke and next we see it in the acts of the Apostles written also by Luke but sometime later and then we see it in the first Epistle of St John written much later and what we find is a growing confidence think of our lessons on the last days of Lent and Good Friday and even Easter Eve and we think then of despair of a broken group who believe that all they had hoped for has been destroyed by Jesus's arrest sentence and Death on the cross his tomb is sealed and at that moment they must have felt that there was little left for them to be glad about and then Easter day it's probably one of the Harvest hardest change the that we do as clergy because we've been preaching all the week in one mood and then on Easter Day suddenly the mood changes and we have somehow to proclaim a gospel of good news and New Creation how do we believe in that and I would say that there's one outstanding piece of evidence which is coming through in all these Gospels and that is the total change in tone character energy and everything else of those around Jesus who had been Riven with despair think of what might give you good news and how if some amazing and surprising piece of news suddenly arrives for you about one of your friends about you yourself energy seems to return as well gladness can come at a moment if the news is right and here we have a series of different accounts but that broken Group by the time we're reading about them in these three lessons has changed gear completely and only one thing could have affected that and that was the certainty of the new life life in Jesus Christ not the death of Christ but the resurrection of Christ gave them complete new life and new energy but Jesus when he makes appearance to them tempers the wind to the Sha Lamb by that I mean he gives them the resurrection as he knows they would best take it let's start with Mary Magdalene he knows how desperately she is grieving and he announces himself by simply saying her name and in hearing his voice say her name she knows that this is the one whom she had loved and who had recreated her to be his disciple raboni she says my teacher the word is only used twice in the whole of the New Testament normally it's Rabbi but bartmus at the gates of Jericho calls him raboni my teacher and so too do Mary Magdalene when she recognizes the Lord to to Mary whom he knows wants to go back to as it was he says touch me not but go to my brothers and tell them so off she runs as new energy I have seen the Lord the first Apostle of the Resurrection when he comes to the disciples themselves he does it in different ways at Imus he does it with the breaking of bread the sharing of a meal and they recognize him in the breaking of bread here in this Gospel of St Luke we've just heard he does it by being with them and then says the most ordinary thing have you got anything to eat and they give him surprisingly or not surprisingly a piece of grilled fish and here's another meal they're beginning to grow confident we then get the story of the Lakeside when he calls them from the shore and there he has set a brazia with Fish And with bread and it's there that Peter is confronted with his failure raised up and forgiven he becomes a new man he's once again the rock on which Jesus confound his ch church but on these occasions Jesus is building them up to become the church and for that we give thanks but there is no doubt in my mind that that transformation could not have happened if the resurrection had not happened and it is the most profound piece of evidence that all those people changed and here we get the Acts of the Apostles lessons change to such a degree that Peter and John can stand bravely out in the streets in Jerusalem soon after all that had been a tragic end to Jesus and Proclaim his life and raise a lame man from birth to his feet so that the lame man goes leaping and shouting with joy into the temple with them good enough there's Resurrection story but by the time we get to the letter of John then John some years later is explaining what it means in terms not only of our belief in Jesus but our love for one another these indeed are wonderful days because this story unfolds gradually and by the time we come to Ascension tide and the giving of the spirit at Pentecost then the full gift of the love of God is given to us to be lived out in our communities to be lived out in our daily lives in a very dangerous world it was then it is now by the year 70 AD the Roman armies had completely destroyed the temple in Jerusalem carried so many off into slavery but at the same time the Christian Church grew and grew through that courage given by the certainty of Resurrection it's that courage that must Infuse and Infuse us now a very important courage in the days we live in our prayers are for the Peace of the world for peace in that very holy land where we have had these scriptures read to us this morning from they originated there and Luke who were told is the best writer of Greek in the New Testament of written Greek John the the best writer of conversational Greek but Luke telling the story as a gentile as we are and he tells it with wonder he tells it from eyewitnesses he tells it so we may be brave and utter our prayers and offer them with confidence to Heaven at a time when the world has never needed it more these are dangerous times they are times of choice the whole of America was Riven with the the fact that they have an election coming up and everyone is wondering how it will go and of course we're in the same condition these decisions matter but at the heart of the church's Ministry is a confidence that really goes over all of that and raises us to gladness even in the most desperate situations so thanks be to God for this Easter season a season of new life in our Countryside but a season when we embrace the Glorious fact of Resurrection with the certainty that those early Believers had and have passed on Through the Ages to us amen let us stand and say the Creed we believe in one God the Father the Almighty maker of heaven and Earth of all that is seen and unseen We Believe believe in one Lord Jesus Christ the only son of God eternally begotten of the Father God from God light from light true God from true God begotten not made of one being with the father through him all things were made for us and for our Salvation he came down from heaven was incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and was made man for our sake he was crucified and pontious pilot he suffered death and was buried on the third day he rose again in accordance with the scriptures he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the father he will come again in glory to judge the Living Dead and his kingdom will have no end we believe in the Holy Spirit the Lord The Giver of Life who proceeds from the father father and the son who with the father and the son is worshiped glorified who has spoken through the prophets we believe in one Holy Catholic and Apostolic church we acknowledge one baptism for the Forgiveness of s we look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come amen let us pray Christ the stone which the builders rejected has made the Cornerstone of a new community in that name by which we are founded let us draw near in confidence the Risen Christ opened the mind of the disciples to understand the scriptures May the church find in the scriptures healing Mission and good news for all we pray for our leaders in Christ for our Bishop for Justin our Parish priest for Father Robert Christ showed the W his wounded hands and feet to his unbelieving Apostles may we see the Risen one in all the wounded of our world Lord in your mercy here our prayer Christ Our Cornerstone intercedes for us before God let us and all in Authority heed God's call for justice in the church in our community and in the Nations we continue to pray for peace in Ukraine in Sudan and Yemen in Israel and Palestine Lord in your mercy here our prayer we are saved by a God who is light in whom there is no Darkness at all let us beg for God's light in those places which seem darkest let us ask that God Enlighten all who inflict Darkness on others let us ask that God shine on those who are victims of evil in the power of Christ's name we are healed let us recall all who need healing especially the any known to us who are ill at this time for the sick of these parishes and all in the healing professions Lord in your mercy here our prayer we pray for the Repose of The Souls of all the Departed for any known to us who have died for all those who have died in the past week especially all victims of violence and War Lord in your mercy here our prayer let us pray for all our Cathedrals and Cathedrals throughout the world for Christ's Cathedral at Canterbury and for our own and let us pray for all those who have received baptism confirmation and first communion at the Easter Vigil and all those who are preparing for initiation at this time and we commend them to the prayers of the Blessed Virgin all the witnesses of the Resurrection we remember especially Peter and John loving God you have glorified your son Jesus and given him the name by which we are saved give us the courage to act in his name accept our praise offered in his name for we offer this prayer through and with and in Jes Jesus your son and our savior merciful father accept these prayers for the sake of your son Our Savior Jesus Christ amen hymn number 74 74 [Music] pray brothers and sisters that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God the almighty father may the Lord accept the sacrifice at my hands for the praise and glory of his name for our good and the good of all his holy church receive O Lord we pray these offerings of your exalted church and as you have given her cause for such great gladness Grant also that the gifts we bring May bear fruit In Perpetual happiness through Christ Our Lord L amen we offer the Eucharistic prayer the Lord be with you and also with you lift up your hearts we lift them to the Lord let us give thanks to the Lord Our God it is right to give thanks and praise it is indeed right our duty and our joy always and everywhere to give you thanks Almighty and Eternal Father and in these days of Easter to celebrate with joyful Hearts the memory of your wonderful works for by the mystery of his passion Jesus Christ your risen son has conquered the powers of death and hell and restored in men and women the image of your glory he has placed them once more in paradise and opened to them the Gate of life eternal and so in the joy of this Passover Earth and Heaven ReSound with gladness while Angels and Archangels and the powers of all creation sing forever the hymn of your glory Ho Holy holy Lord God of power and might Heaven and Earth are full of your [Music] glory in the highest blessed is he who in the name of the [Music] Lord in the highest how wonderful the work of your hands oh Lord as a mother tenderly gathers her children you embraced a people as your own when they turned away and rebelled your love remained steadfast from them you raised up Jesus Our Savior born of Mary to be the living bread in whom all our hungers are satisfied he offered his life for Sinners and with a love stronger than death he opened wide his arms on the cross on the night before he died he came to supper with his disciples and taking bread he gave you thanks he broke it and gave it to them saying take eat this is my body which is given for you do this in remembrance of me at the end of supper taking the cup of wine he gave you thanks and said drink this all of you this is my blood of the New Covenant which is shed for you and for many for the Forgiveness of sins do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me great is the mystery of Faith Christ has died Christ is risen Christ will come again father we plead with confidence his sacrifice made once for all upon the cross we remember his dying in rising in glory and we Rejoice that he intercedes for us at your right hand pour out your Holy Spirit as we offer you these gifts of your creation may they become for us the body and blood of your dear son as we eat and drink these holy things in your presence form Us in the likeness of Christ and build us into a living Temple to your glory remember Lord your church in every land reveal her Unity guard her faith and preserve her in peace remember our Bishop and all the clergy remember our brothers and sisters who have fallen asleep in the hope of the resurrection and all who have died in your mercy welcome them into the light of your face and bring us at the last with the Blessed Virgin Mary Mother of God blessed Joseph her spouse Peter and John and all the saints to the vision of that Eternal Splendor for which you have created us through Jesus Christ Our Lord by whom and with whom and in whom with all who stand before you in Earth and Heaven We Worship You father almighty in songs of everlasting praise blessing and honor and glory and power be yours forever and ever as our savior Christ has commanded and taught us we are bold to say Our Father Who Art in Heaven HED be thy name thy kingdom come thy will be done in 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 Deliver Us Lord from every evil and grant us peace in our day in your mercy keep us free from sin and protect us from all anxiety as we wait in joyful hope for the coming of Our Savior Jesus Christ for for thine is the kingdom the power and the glory forever andever amen amen Lord Jesus Christ you said to your Apostles peace I leave you my peace I give to you look not on our sins but on the faith of your church and grant us the peace in Unity of your kingdom where you live and Reign forever and ever amen the Peace of the Lord be always with you and also with you peace be with you peace be with you we break this bread to share in the body of Christ though we have many we are one body because we all share one bread Lamb of God you take away the sins of the world have mercy on US Lamb of God you take away the sins of the world have mercy on US Lamb of God You Take Away The Sins Of The World grant us peace [Music] spe Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world blessed are those who are called to his supper Lord I am not worthy to receive you but any say the word and I shall be healed the body and blood of Christ amen the body and blood of Christ the body and blood of Christ the body and blood of [Music] Christ body and blood of Christ the body and blood of Christ the body and blood of [Music] Christ the body and blood of Christ body and blood of Christ body and blood of Christ amen the body and blood of Christ body and blood of Christ the body and blood of Christ body and blood of [Music] Christ body and blood of Christ body and blood of Christ body and blood of [Music] Christ body and blood of Christ the body and blood of Christ the body and blood of Christ the body and blood of Christ hym number 76 76 [Music] let us pray Living God your son make made himself known to his disciples in the breaking of bread Open the Eyes of our faith that we may see him in all his redeeming work who is lives and Reigns now and forever almighty God we thank you for feeding us with the body and blood of your son Jesus Christ through him we offer you our souls and bodies to Bear a Living Sacrifice send us out the power of your spirit to live and work to your praise and glory amen amen the Lord be with you and also with you the God of Peace who brought again from the dead our lord Jesus that great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the Eternal Covenant make you perfect in every good work to do his will working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight and the blessing of God almighty Mighty the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit be among you and remain with you always amen go in peace to love and serve the Lord in the Name of Christ amen Jo to thee Oh Queen of Heaven hallu he whom thou was me to Bear Hallelujah as he promised [Music] hallelu P for us to God thy prayer Hallelujah rejoice and be glad of Virgin Mary Allelujah for the Lord is risen indeed Allelujah let us pray oh God who through the resurrection of thy son our Lord Jesus Christ this V safe to give Joy to the World Grant we beseech you that through his mother the Virgin Mary we may obtain the joys of everlasting life through Christ Our Lord amen [Music] all [Music] for [Music]