[Music] good morning and welcome to the deanery garden at canterbury cathedral on this wednesday the 21st of july again it's a lovely morning and lily and i have come out here on to the lawn to enjoy the morning sunshine with you wherever you are in the world you'll see how the the lawn as we've left it is flowering in all sorts of ways and um the achillea here is flowering the white flower there's a great patch of ladies bedstraw as we we call it as well but you will see that as we go through through our our time of prayer this morning and meanwhile let's keep in our hearts and minds all those areas those those areas which need our serious prayers and intentions you will have others in your hearts and minds at this time but i'd want to add to those that we were thinking of yesterday the people of china who are suffering from such serious and disastrous flooding which is such a threat to human life and society there and come so quickly and also the people of japan in all their um difficult decision making about the olympic games we returned to the the fires of the western part of the united states in oregon and the floods in northern europe and all the damage and loss of life there and also the people of south africa but there will be many other areas that you're thinking well i want to think about that please do and offer prayer because nothing is dividing us in terms of prayer this morning as we say our prayers together so let's begin our prayers on this 21st morning of the month o lord open our lips and our mouth shall proclaim your praise let your ways be known upon earth your saving power among the nations blessed are you lord god of our salvation to you be praise and glory forever as a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief your only son was lifted up that he might draw the whole world to himself may we walk this day in the way of the cross and always be ready to share his weight declaring your love for all the world 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 o god set our hearts on fire with love for you now and forever amen our psalm on this 21st morning of the month is psalm 105 and we shall read some verses of that long song now o give thanks to the lord and call upon his name make known his deeds among the peoples sing to him sing praises and tell of all his marvelous works rejoice in the praise of his holy name let the hearts of them rejoice who seek the lord seek the lord and his strengths seek his face continually remember the marvels he has done his wonders and the judgments of his mouth for he brought his people out with silver and gold there was not one among their tribes that stumbled egypt was glad at their departing for a dread of them had fallen upon them he spread out a cloud for a covering and a fire to light up the night they asked and he brought them quails he satisfied them with the bread of heaven he opened the rock and the waters gushed out and ran in the dry places like a river for he remembered his holy word and abraham his servant so he brought forth his people with joy his chosen ones with singing he gave them the lands of the nations and they took possession of the fruit of that oil that they might keep his statutes and faithfully observe his laws alleluia if we hold on to one phrase from that psalm as we go into our reflection and into the passage that said for us since in matthew this morning it is the phrase in verse 40. he satisfied them with the bread of heaven so let's turn to saint matthew's gospel and take up where we left off yesterday we are in the middle of those two chapters which are known as the passion of our lord jesus christ according to matthew and we are beginning today at verse 17 of chapter 26 now on the first day of unleavened bread the disciples came to jesus saying where would you have us prepare for you to eat the passover jesus said go into the city to a certain man and say to him the teacher says my time is at hand i will keep the passover at your house with my disciples and the disciples did as jesus had directed them and they prepared the passover when it was evening jesus reclined at table with the twelve and as they were eating he said truly i say to you one of you will betray me and they were very sorrowful and began to say to him one after another is it i lord he answered he who has dipped his hand in the dish with me will betray me the son of man goes as it is written of him but woe to that man by whom the son of man is betrayed it would have been better for that man if he had not been born judas who would betray him answered is it i rabbi jesus said to him you have said so now as they were eating jesus took bread and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples and said take eat this is my body and he took a cup and when he had given thanks he gave it to them saying drink of it all of you for this is my blood of the covenant which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins i tell you i will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when i drink it new with you in my father's kingdom and when they had sung a hymn they went out to the mount of olives it's an easy thing to allow all kinds of other phrases sentences and pictures from the other three evangelists to enter into our mind and sometimes that's a good thing when we're reflecting to compare the one with the other or even to make a little collection of the impressions to make the picture more colorful coming from four different writers intention of giving us the good news but choosing which parts of that good news to give us as they themselves knew it and as it had been handed on to them nicolas ferrer and his family at little gidding used to spend their time making what they called harmonies of the gospels and they even presented a harmony to the king after he had come to them king charles the first and uh been their guest at little kidding and seen what they were doing with a harmony of the gospels and that was prepared for him and given but at the same time harmonizing sometimes causes us to miss the prime intention of the person who is giving that gospel that good news that evangelion to us and here is matthew and matthew has certain things he want to tell us so we do well to take the others away and concentrate on what he's trying to tell us matthew uses certain phrases and words which come again and again and we get used to it as we got used yesterday at the beginning of chapter 26 when jesus had finished all these sayings we think ah yes that's the end of a discourse and now we're back into the action and here we are with uh beginning with a now on the first day of unleavened bread it's not that that i want to talk about it's exactly what matthew tells us in this part of the gospel because he obviously knows the gospel of sin mark he's using so much of it but at the same time all kinds of things are left out of the gospel of sin mark uh for which mark gives us in order that we get this picture as matthew wants to tell us so first of all we know the time the first day of unleavened bread and that's in a sort of what day is it what time is it kind of way and for that you probably use the word chronos it's ordinary greek word for time where would you have us prepare for you to eat the passover jesus says go into the city to a certain man no details of which disciples no details of an upper room or anything of that sort put that out of your mind this is all we need to know as far as matthew is concerned go into the city to a certain man and say to him the teacher says my time is at hand and that's not kronos that's kairos and kairos is a completely different conception of time it means the moment is right you could call it the appointed time think of psalm 75 and verse 2 you find i will seize the appointed time i the lord will judge with equity seizing the time and go for the old latin prophet carpe diem seize the time this is the time since john's gospel makes much of that the time is fulfilled my time is not yet but here is the same sentiment go and say the time is now i will keep the passover at your house with my disciples and the disciples did as jesus directed him and prepared the passover no details about where or the the upper room laid out so we need to know when it was evening that gives us a different kind of time we know what time of day it is now we know what day it is also because they're about to eat the passover but we also know something much deeper with that word kairos this is an appointed time this is jesus's hour for fulfilling his total vocation the times come and the meal already starts he's with the people that he wanted to eat the passover with the twelve and we joined the scene when they were eating as they were eating we don't know which point of the meal this is but he suddenly in a sentence says truly one of you will betray me now many of us have betrayed others inadvertently by not understanding by not hearing by all sorts of things but is jesus meaning that they're looking around who can it be can it be me can it be me can it be me but jesus is talking of an intentional betrayal and he is when the disciples question it a little bit says is it i lord one who has dipped his hand in the dish with me will betray me and he says that this is to fulfill prophecy but where we tied the man who does this act of betrayal i think that means the consequences within him that man will seem terrible terrible and that's a different kind of dare i call it a vocation and yet that betrayal was all part of the prophecy being actually fulfilled but jesus will go on in a moment but first judah speaks and we know that already in matthew's account he has received matthew the only one to tell us how much the 30 pieces of silver is it i lord rabbi he says teacher is it i and he said you have said so jesus is amongst them all for the other disciples non-committal but he has a heavy vocation to pursue and here is judas who unwittingly almost is the one who will deliver him up to that vocation let's go on because this also has its effect we don't know when judas leaves the supper table in john's gospel it's about now but we don't know let's imagine that he leaves at the time john gives us but she could still be sitting there and again as they were eating that phrase has come twice we're joining the meal in episodes jesus took bread so this isn't a blessing at the beginning of the meal it's actually taking the bread onto the table and after blessing it blessing the loaf he breaks it and gives it to the disciples we've seen that action before at the feeding of the five thousand with the multiplying of graces in that the loaves and the fishes the breaking of the bread and the giving it to the disciples but on this occasion it's for them it's a sign of their unity around the table and he says in matthew only a short phrase this is my body that's all take eat this is my body nothing more nothing added this is matthew forget the rest our lord's words this is my body and he took a cup and when he had given thanks it's different it doesn't actually say blessing this time he's actually an act of thanksgiving thanksgiving the eucharistic word and he gave it to them and said drink of it all of you this is my blood but there's more in matthew of the covenant a new covenant the word new is not there but this is a very different covenant it simply says of the covenant now here's the special matthew bit which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins here is the the the the salve the laving of all that terrible sinfulness all that yielding to temptation here is matthew giving us that as the only one who says that for the forgiveness of sins for many and many embraces the whole earth i tell you it says jesus i will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when i drink it new with you in my father's kingdom are you thinking beyond because i don't think we should necessarily i think we're now talking about when the apostles gather when groups of christians gather and they fulfill in obedience that command they seize the appointed time again and in receiving the body and the blood of the new covenant for the forgiveness of sins poured out for many jesus is that and so that the enjoyment of the fruit of the vine which is very much an earthly thing wine that maketh glad the heart of man says the psalmist in psalm 104 the fruit of the vine is being enjoyed with jesus in a eucharistic greek word for thanksgiving way whenever that is done and the church has carried that forward of course there's a sense of the beyond but the two worlds in this activity are completely at one when done faithfully he fed them with the bread of heaven said our son for this morning psalm 105 following the psalm i've just quoted from last night and this becomes something which jesus promises this is my body this is my blood of the covenant which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins special matthew in golden letters and then lastly and this will take me on to a different kind of reflection and you'll say well you would wouldn't you how did they prepare themselves to go out and face that betrayal and denial and all the human pain that begins in gethsemane and goes forward as jesus is lifted up well they sang a hymn simple as that when they had sung at him they went out to the mount of olives we did that on monday for the first time together as a congregation as you well know and the glory of standing to sing a hymn together gave us a sense of going forward and this is a day when i wanted to think a little bit about um hymns because it's a day when we remember sin philip neri and sin philip neri is a cheerful and lovely saint born on july the 21st 1515 some records say july the 22nd i'm using the 21st because tomorrow we shall be celebrating mary magdalene on her feast day um and he died in 1595 and in his long life he became as sin as john paul ii said the saint of joy he was born in the lovely city of florence but most of his life was lived out in rome and although he resisted it for a bit he did it at some stage become a priest because he felt he could the better share the promise that we've just heard in matthew's gospel with the breaking of bread uh and the sharing of the cup poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins but he saw his real mission as going around to both give good news and cheerfulness that was his great word alegremente alegrente he would say cheerfully cheerfully but it wasn't an easy smile he brought to people's faces it was real comfort spending his life in that way with no particular fuss getting to know people praying for hours in the catacombs mostly at night and in the end gathering to himself a group who would not take vows who would not be monks but would commit themselves to one another and to an obedience so long as they wanted and those were called oratorians because sin philip uh when he was ministering from a church built a great room probably for bad weather times when people could come together in that way and the the oratory became much more than just an oratory it became a place for recreation for conversation about the gospels with sin philip actually also causing people to laugh and be cheerful he had great gifts for that whether out in the street just taking bread in the the hood of his gun and bringing it out and saying may i join your feast with some bread and some olives and there was no feast amongst some beggars living there or something of that sort going on he was very well known and and very very popular for that reason but he made nothing of it his vocation was all this and it was very much when he said those those words alegremente alegremente cheerfully cheerfully pointing to jesus all the time pointing to jesus don't look at me look look at him one remembers our lady's words at cana of galilee to to to the servants do whatever he tells you but the cheerfulness comes from sin phillips confidence in that and music was held in that great room which was called the oratory as well and and good music and hence the word oratorio which came later for an oratory is normally given to prayer but oratorios are lifting pram musically as well and giving something of the good news well the oratorians became communities right across the world and the first one to be founded in england was founded in 1848 by john henry newman at birmingham and the birmingham oratory is still um there in edgbaston it was given to prayer and preaching and the sacraments but there were no vows there was simply a commitment to meet together and once a day share a meal at least once a day share a meal but apart from that it was quite a different kind of monastic community the next one was founded in in 1849 by father faber frederick william faber and that of course is now the brompton oratory and still you will find it just there in brompton those oratorians living out that life of companionship but not monastic in terms of vows yet with a stability which comes from the act of com of obedience within their companionship and what i wanted to say having said that the way in which the disciples the twelve the companions of jesus around the supper table hearten themselves before going out to this this this great test of all of them of every person in that room they sang a hymn it simply stood in sangerheim and both newman and faber were great hymn writers and i rejoice in that and give thanks for that we know newman's hymns um maybe praise to the holiest in the height is the most famous of his hymns from his great poem the dream of dauntius but at the same time we remember his earlier him lead kindly light amid the encircling gloom lead thou me on but faber much more passionate and one of my favorite hymns is father faber's hymn now sung generally to the tune corvdale but here it is and you'll know it well this is an old edition of all of faber's hymns and this hymn uh which in his version begins souls of men why will you scatter that's no not how we begin it the hymn begins and the minute i start to read it you will absolutely remember it uh and i shall read the faber version at the end for verse the last verse because i think it suits this morning there's a wideness in god's mercy like the wideness of the sea there's a kindness in his justice which is more than liberty there is no place where earth's sorrows are more felt than up in heaven there is no place where earth's failings have such kindly judgment given there is grace enough for thousands of new worlds as great as this there is room for fresh creations in that upper home of bliss for the love of god is broader than the measures of man's mind and the heart of the eternal is most wonderfully kind but we make his love too narrow by false limits of our own and we magnify his strictness with a zeal he will not own there is plentiful redemption in the blood that has been shed there is joy for all the members in the sorrows of the head if our love were but more simple we should take him at his word and our lives would be all sunshine in the sweetness of our lord that's the original last verse i think sunshine in many versions had been replaced with gladness and uh sunshine seems right and it seems right for philip neri with his allegramente allegramente cheerfully cheerfully on this day so let's say our prayers this morning trusting in our lord's promise [Music] and we looked this morning to the diocese of damatoru in the church of nigeria in our anglican communion and pray also in our own diocese for justin our archbishop for rose bishop of dover for tim bishop at lambeth and today for the parish of arlington st nicholas with maidstone saint peter and chris lavender in the ministry there so let's say the prayer for this day which we bring our own intentions to and all those who are suffering in so many different ways listed at the beginning this morning [Music] lord of all power and might the author and giver of all good things graft in our hearts the love of your name increasing us true religion nourish us with all goodness and in your great mercy keep us in the same through jesus christ our lord amen moment now of silence after we have said the our father in whatever language we like to use 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 thine is the kingdom the power and the glory forever and ever amen [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] 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 are men